Anna Outside Play Therapy

Anna Outside Play Therapy A Holistic Approach to Children's Mental Healthcare, providing Play and Creative Arts Therapies.

Self-regulation is a skill that needs training with time and practice and so much self-awareness. Genuinely wondering wh...
22/01/2026

Self-regulation is a skill that needs training with time and practice and so much self-awareness. Genuinely wondering why this skill isn't taught in schools or doesn't feature in the curriculum somewhere.

While their emotions are heightened, the 'upstairs' part of the brain goes offline and nothing can be 'achieved' until it comes back online.

Those quiet cues that still go undetected, those who might 'zone out' or are 'away with the fairies', those child could well be quietly dysregulated or emotionally unwell. Who looks out for those quiet ones?

Nurturing Confident and Empowered Young People ~ Anna

Supporting both child development outcomes and mental health, Outdoor Play Therapy has so many science-backed benefits a...
21/01/2026

Supporting both child development outcomes and mental health, Outdoor Play Therapy has so many science-backed benefits and should be recommended to all children going through struggles. Whether that's with communicating, social barriers or experiences.

Nurturing Confident and Empowered Young People ~ Anna

Lowering anxiety levels by providing a consistent, predictable and bespoke approach for our young people.Where other env...
20/01/2026

Lowering anxiety levels by providing a consistent, predictable and bespoke approach for our young people.

Where other environments can be experienced as PRESSURE and PUSHING for academic performance, Outdoor Play Therapy is a unique experience that calms the nervous system, supports communication skills, increases self-awareness and boosts confidence.

Nurturing Confident and Empowered Young People ~ Anna

20/01/2026

Primal Trust Academy & Community with Dr. Cathleen King 💗

One of the main reasons why I love what I do is that it gives children the space to be completely themselves. No pressur...
19/01/2026

One of the main reasons why I love what I do is that it gives children the space to be completely themselves. No pressure, no forced compliance, no expectations.

They have the opportunity to experience a unique environment where they can work through struggles, at their own pace and in a safe way. Alongside a highly-trained Play Therapist, together they can move through and process anxiety, trauma and many mental health conditions.

Science tells us that the earlier this intervention takes place, the better the long-term health, physical and social outcomes are.

The number of parents who say to me, "They LOVE being outside!", "It's like they come back a different person!". There's...
18/01/2026

The number of parents who say to me, "They LOVE being outside!", "It's like they come back a different person!".

There's so much science in why the Outdoors is so good for our mental health. Combine that with the presence of a Trained Play Therapist and the benefits are HUGE.

And yes, it's so much more than offering Forest School (which is also hugely beneficial). The difference being the training of the adults running the sessions. You can't even begin to imagine the process of learning to become a Play Therapist through .

Writing my current research on Classroom Regulation and the use of Play Therapy Outdoors is only enhancing my passionate beliefs in the process.

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

What do you do when uncomfortable emotions come up? How do you ride the wave? Play Therapists learn so much through trai...
17/01/2026

What do you do when uncomfortable emotions come up? How do you ride the wave?

Play Therapists learn so much through training with PTUK or BAPT. Including how to support children through the tidal waves of emotion in the Play Therapy Room and out.

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

I was talking to the Head of Year at a local primary school this week and she was BLOWN AWAY by what actually happens in...
16/01/2026

I was talking to the Head of Year at a local primary school this week and she was BLOWN AWAY by what actually happens in the Play Therapy process.

When I talked to her about the ins and outs of the child's unconscious at work during play, using the 'game' to bring about emotions for the therapist to FEEL which directly reflects what's going on for the child.

I explained that the child and therapist co-regulate, while they borrow the Therapists' nervous system, in an environment that has NO DEMANDS.

I went on to explain how Play Therapists offer the child the opportunity to gently raise their levels of self-awareness, which they can accept or deny at their own pace.

How through the process they're offered the opportunity to learn WHO THEY ARE and what THEY prefer and grow their sense of identity and learn to voice it.

I could go on all day (there's so much more)...

Yes there are puppets and we do talk about emotions, but SO, SO MUCH MORE goes on in that room that is unseen.

Please stop telling children & adults that you offer Play Therapy, when it's NOT. It might be emotional education, but unless they've trained with PTUK or BAPT, it's not Play Therapy.

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

Reading all the research I have recently around Classroom Dysregulation and Exclusion Rates in England & Scotland, this ...
15/01/2026

Reading all the research I have recently around Classroom Dysregulation and Exclusion Rates in England & Scotland, this is the one piece that's stuck with me.

If we understand the barriers better, then we can be better at putting in protective factors.

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

How can we best empower this generation of young people? I went into education thinking that it was the answer to unlock...
14/01/2026

How can we best empower this generation of young people? I went into education thinking that it was the answer to unlocking everyone's potential, but I've changed my mind. It's taken a Master's level course and so much inner work and SOO much reading. But here's what I've got so far:

Complete acceptance, including the messy & sticky parts. Not shaming them into compliance.

A culture of being human and humans that make mistakes; learning from them. ~Including ALL emotions in here, because YES anger is important too ~

Taking the pressure OFF and opportunities to be creative, without consequence of doing 'it' wrong.

Opportunities to just explore what they enjoy and nurture interests.

Learning Empathy and Time spent in the natural environment. If we don't help them harness a love for this planet, who will?

What would you add to the list?

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

I want to mention anxiety here.Anxiety is becoming more and more common in the classroom and it's not always obvious. It...
13/01/2026

I want to mention anxiety here.

Anxiety is becoming more and more common in the classroom and it's not always obvious. It's the subtle cues that not everyone looks out for. The tummy aches, crying coming into school every day, pulling and fraying the sleeves of jumpers, social issues, concerns over being close to a bathroom, hair pulling, picking at dry skin on fingers. Constantly checking they've got something right, saying sorry repeatedly. Just to name a few - this is not an exhaustive list.

It's often these 'quiet' cues that go under the radar and the louder children, the ones who are always being talked about, are the ones who are recommended support (if they're lucky!). But I often wonder what happens to the quiet ones?

Every child deserves mental health support and research tells us that they earlier the intervention the better! Leaving it until it becomes a problem is not helping anyone.

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

I see so much focus on academics and encouragement of information retention. The pressure that is present to perform. B...
12/01/2026

I see so much focus on academics and encouragement of information retention. The pressure that is present to perform. But is that THE most important skill to take into adult life?

What about this list instead:
~Self-regulation
~Healthy coping mechanisms
~ Confidence
~ The ability to advocate for themselves
~Empathy
~Emotional Intelligence
~Creativity

For my own children, I often think great they've got the knowledge, now would they get the interview? Would they be able to open their own business? Or do some good for our planet?

What would you add to the list?

Nurturing Confident & Empowered Young People ~ Anna

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