https://www.facebook.com/101574219673244/

Play Refuge, Warwickshire (2026)

30/04/2026

We are excited to announce a new webinar course, coming soon, ‘Looking After You: Supporting Parents and Carers with a Child in Therapy’ for parents and carers with a child in therapy, presented by Freya Howard from Play Refuge and Beth from Cove Therapy Studio.

🌿 This course is designed to provide parents and carers with the knowledge, tools, and support they need while their child participates in therapy.

🌿 Through a 90-minute webinar, participants receive guidance on navigating therapeutic interventions and are encouraged to develop reflective practices.

🌿 In addition to the webinar, there are options for a podcast version and a digital reflective journal.

🌿 The course explains play therapy and its benefits, introduces common therapeutic terminology, and emphasises the critical role of parental involvement throughout the process.

🌿 In addition to addressing frequently asked questions and sharing practical insights, the course includes a reflective journal and advice on making the most of it. It also features an introduction to self-care, to help parents and carers manage their own well-being.

Ultimately, the course is about looking after the parents and carers, ensuring they feel informed, supported, and equipped to help their child while also caring for themselves.

Parents, carers, and therapists can purchase this webinar course. Therapists may also provide it to the families they support.

Please email freya@playrefuge for further details

24/04/2026

Happy Friday! Excited to share our penultimate episode of Pages and Play! In this one Bijal and I discuss how play therapy and bibliotherapy can support children and adults navigating grief and loss, reviewing grief models including Kübler-Ross’s stages (noting its origins and nonlinearity), Lois Tonkin’s “growing around grief” metaphor (fried egg), and Shelly Gilbert’s upward-spiral model.

We draw on bibliotherapy techniques, and activity prompts focused on building connection, navigating memory, and using imaginative play to process difficult emotions, reminding listeners that grief can be processed together and that creativity is a powerful ally for all ages.

We use the story of Goodbye Mog to illustrate how a parent used it to help her 7-year-old process their beloved pet cat’s passing through conversation, euthanasia preparation, and imaginative “ghost” play.

This episode also shares children’s and adult book recommendations, creative and play prompts, bibliotherapy techniques (poetry, letters, narrative re-authoring), and resources such as Winston’s Wish.

You can listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598949/episodes/19019246 or wherever you listen to podcasts. Simply search for "Pages and Play" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode! And if you enjoy this episode, do share with a friend in case it might be helpful for them too!

Thanks for listening! x

Chapters:
00:00 Grief and Loss Intro
00:15 Grief Models Explained
01:01 Life Grows Around Grief
02:19 Why Books Help Us Grieve
04:34 Poetry and Group Healing
08:05 Regulation Not Calm
10:05 Narrative Mirrors Windows Doors
15:19 Lucy and Luke Cat Story
21:13 Kids Books for Grief
22:43 More Recommendations and Memoirs
26:34 Play and Bibliotherapy Prompts
30:19 Rituals Creativity and Closing
32:02 Final Reflections and Goodbye
health matters # bibliotherapypodcast
Pages and Play loves

19/04/2026

'A quilt is a hug you can keep" Project Linus UK. A huge hug of thanks to for these colourful blankets for the children we support at@playrefuge!! They are gorgeous and we totally agree they are a hug you can keep!

17/04/2026

Hi everyone, we are halfway through the series already!

I hope you have enjoyed the first three episodes to date, and we are delighted to bring this fourth episode of “Pages and Play” where Bijal and I explore how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support a child by enabling them to externalize their fears through story and symbolic play, and support their nervous-system regulation and emotional literacy.

We discuss research from Jonathan Haidt on the decline of play-based childhood and the rise of phone-based childhood, urging adults to be curious about children’s online lives.

We also share practical guidance including validating feelings, being transparent about what to expect, and building adult and child emotional regulation tools, including sensory strategies and narrative reflection prompts.

Our bibliotherapy client story illustrates the use of the picture book “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes to help a child label worry as a transitory visitor and practice reflective questions to navigate this worry/anxiety.

We end this episode, like all the others, with book recommendations for children, teens, and adults on anxiety, emotional literacy, and regulation.
We hope you enjoy this episode and Pages and Play Series! And as always we’d love to hear your reflections and thoughts.

You can listen here: https://lnkd.in/etuskMXu Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Simply search for "Pages and Play" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

Pages and Play loves @-sarahwilson-

10/04/2026

Hi everyone!

It's Friday again and we are excited to publish the third episode of “Pages and Play”. This episode explores how bibliotherapy and play therapy support young minds through identification, representation, diversity, and inclusion.

The discussion outlines bibliotherapy stages: identification (“shock of recognition”), representation across identities, diversity of perspectives, and inclusion as true belonging, with research noting fiction builds empathy, reduces prejudice, and strengthens theory of mind. Practical techniques include letter-writing to protagonists and narrative therapy (externalising problems, deconstructing dominant narratives, re-authoring hopeful stories).

A fictionalised case of Kya Clark from "Where the Crawdads Sing" in play therapy illustrates the process of navigating feelings of abandonment, conditional love beliefs, and finding belonging through nature narratives. We recommend a variety of book and resources including “My Grandmother’s Hands,” Robbie Harris’s “Let’s Talk About…” series, Elliot Page’s “Pageboy,” as well as reading lists on booktherapy.io and other diversity-focused sites.

I hope you enjoy this episode and Pages and Play Series! And as always we’d love to hear your reflections and thoughts.

You can listen here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598949/episodes/18909353 Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Simply search for "Pages and Play" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

x

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Pages and Play

03:26 Identification and the Shock of Recognition

05:41 Representation, Diversity and Inclusion

08:27 Inclusive Language in Play

10:30 How Fiction Builds Empathy Skills

16:28 Representation and Role Models

19:17 Letter Writing in Bibliotherapy

21:40 Narrative Therapy

25:12 Libraries for Reading Diversity

27:13 Case Study - Kaya in Play Therapy

37:17 Play Prompt

38:14 Book Recommendations and Resources

41:38 Closing Thoughts

health matters # bibliotherapypodcast
Pages and Play loves
:

03/04/2026

Bijal and I are excited to share the second episode of “Pages and Play”! This episode focuses on emotional literacy as central to bibliotherapy and play therapy, emphasising that children need language and safety to understand and express feelings, and that adults’ own emotional awareness is vital. We discuss how books and play provide safe ways to explore big emotions (anger, grief, anxiety, jealousy) and reduce shame, supporting co-regulation and later self-regulation.

We reference theories and research from Claude Steiner, Daniel Goleman, and Mia Kellmer Pringle on emotional security. We discuss how hide-and-seek and the Hansel & Gretel fairytale illustrate how a child processes separation anxiety, attachment needs, and autonomy, alongside the importance of validating feelings. We share book recommendations for children, teens, parents and caregivers, including those by Brené Brown, Tom Percival, and Mark Wolynn. Whether you’re seeking guidance for yourself or your child, you’ll find resources to nurture self-awareness, compassion, and connection within your family.

You can listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598949/episodes/18916587 Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Simply search for "Pages and Play" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

Chapters:

00:00 Emotional Literacy Basics
01:21 Why Words Matter
02:28 Emotional Literacy Research and Foundations
04:01 Play Therapy Goals
04:50 Lessons from Hide and Seek
06:57 The Use of Fairytales in Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy
07:58 Hansel and Gretel Case Study
10:08 Characters as Containers
13:58 Multiplicity of Feelings
19:38 Body Signals and Questions
22:15 Building Secure Attachment through Hide and Seek
35:21 Imagination & Executive Skills
37:51 Bibliotherapy Reading Tools
42:47 Book Recommendations
51:59 Closing Takeaways

Pages & Play loves .m.ed .brackett

27/03/2026

Happy Friday! Our new 6-part podcast series titled Pages and Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Nurturing Young Minds launches today!

In this first podcast episode, titled "The Transformative Power of Story and Play on Childhood Development", Bijal Shah () and I introduce bibliotherapy and child-centred play therapy, explaining how stories and play support children’s emotional, psychological, and social development.

We discuss the neuroscience and research behind how play and storytelling build neural pathways, executive function, language, emotional literacy, and agency. We also share our personal career journeys into the fields, suggest relevant book recommendations, and preview our next episode on emotional literacy.

You can listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2598949/episodes/18909353 Or wherever you listen to podcasts. Simply search for "Pages and Play" and subscribe so you don't miss an episode!

x

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and Overview

00:51 What Is Bibliotherapy

01:26 4 Bibliotherapy Pillars

02:39 Developmental vs Clinical Use

03:44 How Stories Help Children

05:05 Play Therapy Basics

06:18 Child-Centred Approach

08:58 Play Therapy Benefits

10:59 Trauma and Neurodiversity

11:36 Combining Story and Play Therapy

14:46 Why It Matters Today

15:27 The Science of Play and Story on Childhood Development

19:17 The Importance of Language

23:08 Safety and Environment

23:42 Making Time to Play

25:17 Our Personal Journeys

25:44 Freya's Path to Play Therapy

30:27 Bijal's Path to Bibliotherapy

35:15 At Home Play Prompts

38:45 At Home Reading Prompts

39:47 Relevant Book Recommendations

44:55 Closing Remarks and Next Episode Preview

Pages and Play loves

20/03/2026

Hi! It's Freya from Play Refuge and Bijal from Book Therapy, and we are SO excited to introduce our new six-part podcast series, Pages and Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy on Nurturing Young Minds which brings together bibliotherapy and play therapy to explore how books and play can shape young minds.

Each episode blends science, stories, book recommendations, and practical play tips to support adults and children. The series tackles key topics including building emotional literacy, embracing diversity, reducing anxiety, navigating grief, and raising teens, offering real-world strategies for parents, educators, and anyone curious.

The series launches on Friday 27th March and we will be publishing an episode every Friday over the course of six weeks. So please do subscribe to it wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode! Simply search for "Pages and Play" or listen here: https://buzzsprout.com/2598949/episodes/18877131

Look forward to having you on board :)

Bijal and Freya x

26/02/2026

Celebrating the second year of Play Refuge 🎉

So here is a run-through of what will remain, what has emerged in 2025 and what will evolve in 2026...

Remain

• Supporting children and their families through Play Therapy

• Volunteer program to support children and their families with refugee status

* Providing Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT)

*Available books on www.playrefuge.co.uk:

Play Therapy book

Play Therapy book translated into Ukrainian

Creative art therapy book

Emerged in 2025

*Play Therapy book translated into Arabic (available on the website)

• Published article 'The child coming into the playroom and the world going in with them: Approaching play therapy for children with refugee status' in the British Journal of Play Therapy, Spring 2025

*Above article mentioned in keynote speech by Badawy & Gawdat 'From Attitude to Action: Weaving Anti-Oppressive Practice and Cultural Humility into Our Work's at the BAPT Conference 2025 ;)

Evolving (arriving 2026)

* Incoming changes to Bibliotherapy at Play Refuge (more information after March 2026)

* Second children book, this book to explain play therapy with refugee status.

• Research starting.

• More online resources...

So thrilled to be celebrating this second year🥂 and very excited about the third year of Play Refuge!

17/02/2026

Illustrating Play Refuge's new wordless children's book for explaining play therapy to children with refugee status starting sessions. What books do you use to introduce play therapy to children you work with?

03/02/2026

So delighted in the new translated version of Play Therapy book into Arabic! This book explaining play therapy to children before starting play therapy. Now available in Arabic! This book along with the Ukrainian and English versions available on the Play Refuge website www.playrefuge.co.uk

04/07/2025

🎉🎉 Arabic version of my Play Therapy book arrived today 💖 So delighted to have a new translated version of Play Refuge's book explaining play therapy to children before starting their sessions, now available in Arabic and Ukrainian! Thanks to داليا نور الدين Dalia Noureldeen's wonderful Arabic translation and Vladimir Dubisskiy's wonderful Ukrainian translation✍️ These books along with the English version are available📚 see Play Refuge website for more details www.playrefuge.co.uk

Play Refuge

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