Serendipity Play Therapy

19/03/2026

08/03/2026

02/03/2026

03/02/2026

When you see “PTUK therapist,” you’re seeing a mark of quality 💙

It represents accredited training, regular clinical supervision and practice rooted in research about how children heal and grow through play.

For parents and schools, this means reassurance that therapy is:

🌿 ethical and child-centred
🧠 evidence-based
🛡️ grounded in safeguarding
🤝 supported by ongoing supervision

Every child deserves support that is safe, thoughtful and professional — that’s the PTUK difference.

20/01/2026

19/01/2026

An excellent explanation of how play therapy works ❤️🐻…..

The world of Winnie-the-Pooh offers a gentle and powerful way of understanding play therapy.

The Hundred Acre Wood is a separate, protected world. It is not quite home and not quite reality, yet it is always deeply connected to it. This closely mirrors the play therapy room. It is a safe, symbolic space where children can explore their inner world through play, imagination and story.

In play therapy, children are not expected to explain their feelings using words. Like Pooh and his friends, they express worries, fears, hopes and relationships through characters, play themes and repetition. This allows children to explore difficult experiences at a safe emotional distance, whilst being held within a trusting and attuned therapeutic relationship.

Crucially, what happens in the playroom does not remain there. Over time, the emotional regulation, confidence and understanding developed through play gently transfer back into the child’s everyday life, at home, at school and within relationships.

A much-loved quote by A. A. Milne captures the heart of this process:

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

Play therapy helps children rediscover these truths about themselves. Not by telling them, but by allowing them to experience it through play, relationship and felt safety.

Play is not ‘just play’.

It is how children make sense of their world and how deep, lasting change begins.

07/01/2026

Axline believed that children, when offered a safe, accepting and permissive therapeutic space, naturally move towards healing and growth. Her non-directive, child-centred approach gave children permission to communicate their inner world through play – their most natural language – rather than words alone.

Her core principles still sit at the heart of ethical Play Therapy practice today:

🧸 Unconditional positive regard
🧸 Deep respect for the child’s autonomy
🧸 Trust in the child’s innate capacity to heal
🧸 Play as meaningful communication, not “just play”

At British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT), these principles continue to guide evidence-based, trauma-informed practice that supports children to process experiences, build emotional resilience, and develop a stronger sense of self – at their own pace, in their own way.

Axline reminded us that “the child leads, the therapist follows” – a philosophy that remains as powerful and relevant today as it was when she first articulated it.

💚 Play is not an extra.
💚 Play is not a reward.
💚 Play is the work.

05/11/2025

In play therapy, toys aren’t just toys – they’re a child’s language. Each tool opens a different doorway into their inner world.

The sand tray becomes a landscape of emotions. A child might bury fears beneath the sand or build a safe place where things finally feel under control. Puppets allow shy voices to speak – stories that were silent can suddenly come alive on a small stage. With drawing and painting, colours take on meaning; anger may come out as sharp red lines, hope as a bright yellow sun.

Miniature figures and toys help children recreate their worlds – families, friends, or moments that feel too big to face head-on. Through these tiny scenes, they can process the past, experiment with change, and imagine something better.

Every tool carries quiet power. When a child plays, they’re not escaping reality – they’re rebuilding it, piece by piece, in a way that helps them heal.

🌐 Learn more about play therapy here: https://playtherapy.org.uk/

📌 For Ireland-based students: Did you know APAC course fees are eligible for tax relief under Section 473A of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997?

Courses are delivered in partnership with University College Cork (UCC), a Revenue-approved Irish third-level institution, and appear on Revenue’s list of approved postgraduate programmes for the academic year 2025/2026.

For more information on tuition fee relief, see Revenue Leaflet IT31 – Tax Relief for Tuition Fees in Respect of Third-Level Education or visit: www.revenue.ie

✨ Support children, enhance your practice, and explore the transformative power of play.

22/10/2025

Great puppet finds in the charity shop today 🙂

17/10/2025

Today we recognise the profound impact that poverty can have on children’s wellbeing, development, and emotional health.

Living in poverty can bring daily experiences of stress, instability, shame, and uncertainty — all of which can affect a child’s sense of safety, confidence, and ability to thrive.

Play Therapy offers a vital space for healing.
Within the safety of a consistent therapeutic relationship, children can:

💛 Express difficult emotions through play rather than words
💛 Rebuild trust and a sense of control
💛 Experience acceptance, understanding and emotional attunement
💛 Develop resilience, self-worth, and inner resources to cope with life’s challenges

Play allows children to make sense of their world, process experiences, and find hope even in the face of adversity.

BAPT Registered Play Therapists® are trained to understand how social, emotional and environmental factors — including poverty — affect children’s development and mental health. Through the power of play, they help children reclaim their voice, confidence and capacity for joy.

14/10/2025