I have worked in a variety of schools and settings, in many different roles over the past 12 years, working with children and young people aged between 3 and 26. I am also a creative clinical supervisor working with trainee and qualified Play Therapists. Please explore my page and feel free to send me a message if you would like more information. Tamsyn Chafer-Cook (TCC Therapy)
How Play Therapy
works:
It is often easier for children and young people to explore their thoughts and feelings through play and creative materials, making sense of what they are feeling, and 'showing' it to the adult, especially when they might not have the words to describe it. Play Therapy provides a space in which to explore these feelings and emotions, with a therapist trained to attune to the young person's feelings, and help them bring about change, particularly in relation to how they see themselves, the world, and others. Play also enables a young person to disconnect from what was said or played out, allowing them to explore feelings and actions that they think could cause them distress, and test out new ideas without claiming them as their own. Play and creative activities also connect us with our unconscious mind, those memories that we have hidden away and struggle to recall. During play, we can connect with these hidden memories and bring them out into the conscious world easier than if we had to sit and talk about them. It may be that situations (and consequently behaviours) which don't appear to have a trigger, are actually linked together, somewhere in the unconscious. Play therapy may be able to help an individual find these connections and understand why certain things cause an emotional overload. From here, they can begin to create change.
