Stacey Horan Play Therapy

12/11/2025

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During a meltdown, the goal is not to 'fix' or 'stop' the behaviour.
The goal is to help the nervous system return to safety.

What we say — and how we say it — makes a profound difference.

When a child is overwhelmed, the thinking parts of the brain are offline.
They can’t reason, respond, or problem-solve yet.
They need co-regulation, not correction.

This post offers phrases you can use at each stage of the meltdown cycle — not to control the moment, but to support safety, connection, and repair.

Because when a child learns:
“I can have big feelings and still be safe with you,”
they develop emotional resilience, trust, and self-understanding.

If you found this helpful and would like a deeper breakdown of each phase (with step-by-step support strategies), you’ll find the full Timeline of a Meltdown resource via link in comments below ⬇️ or via Linktree Shop in Bio.

Save this to come back to when things feel overwhelming

12/11/2025

❤️ When play looks a little rough...

Sometimes in play therapy children show big feelings through their toys. A doll might get bandaged, taped or even treated aggressively. While it can look worrying, it's actually an important part of the healing process.

Children often "speak" through play before they can put emotions into words. When a child acts out anger, fear or hurt with toys, they're letting those feelings out safely in a space where they're understood and supported.

Every bit of play tells us something about what a child needs. Our job isn't to stop the story, it's to listen, stay curious, and help them find calmer, kinder ways to express what's inside 🌈 ✨

28/10/2025

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Emotional regulation isn’t something children are born knowing how to do — it’s something they develop over time.
From the early years to adolescence, each stage brings new skills, challenges, and opportunities for support.

We’ve mapped out the timeline of emotional regulation development — so you can see what’s typical, what’s still emerging, and how to nurture these vital skills along the way.

Explore the full guide and strategies in our Managing Big Feelings Toolkit (link in comments or via the link in bio).

12/09/2025

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18/06/2025

"The bond that a caregiver establishes with a child is really important for their development. In fact, we believe that a secure infant attachment is one of the most important factors in child development. This bond helps both the child and the caregiver in many ways. It is the building block to many social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive skills. In this article we will explain how a good child-caregiver bond shapes the developing brain. We will describe what a caregiver needs to do in order to create healthy attachment bonds. There are practical games and activities that you can integrate into your home or school to assist in this process..."

28/03/2025

Engaging in nurturing play, like caring for dolls, stuffed animals, or role playing as caregivers, helps boys develop empathy, compassion, and the ability to understand others' needs and feelings. It's actually an important aspect of their emotional and social development.

When boys engage in such play, they learn vital skills that will help in them in relationships, emotional intelligence, and even in their future roles as parents, friends, or colleagues.

It can also challenge traditional gender norms by showing that nurturing qualities are not confined to any one gender ♀️♂️

28/03/2025

🚫 Anti-Bullying Training for Parents of Children in Primary School
📅 Virtual Sessions – April 2025

🟦 A free online session provided by the National Parents Council (NPC)

This training will help you:
✅ Support your child if they are experiencing or witnessing bullying
✅ Understand how bullying is addressed in schools
✅ Learn about the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary Schools

📌 These sessions are interactive and online – places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

🖊️ Register now:
👉 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Anti_Bullying_April2025

🕰️ Choose your preferred date and time:

🟨 Tuesday 1st April – 10am or 7:30pm

🟨 Wednesday 2nd April – 10am or 7:30pm

🟨 Thursday 3rd April – 10am or 7:30pm

👥 Open to all parents/guardians of primary school children.

11/02/2025

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Graphic credit:

11/02/2025

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Newborns are expert, super keen observers of adult lives. It’s like they’re on apprenticeship. They’re watching our faces, assessing our mood and gauging whether they’re safe

07/02/2025

Many conditions can co-occur and/or resemble trauma, especially in children, making formal diagnostic evaluations critical for accurate, appropriate, and effective treatment planning.

27/01/2025

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Two dinosaur fans starting work with Niki this week - adapting the EMOTIONS AND MY BRAIN resource pack to adapt to young people's interests is easy to do.

Dinosaur breed was chosen by one child. More resources in the pack shall be adapted.

IN THE RESOURCE STORE

EMOTIONS and MY BRAIN

This extensive resource pack based on Dan Siegel’s Upstairs and Downstairs Brain
helps and educates children and young people on the concept of the upstairs and downstairs brain can help them recognise how their own brain functions and develop strategies for self-regulation and emotional intelligence.
The pack comprises explainers, emotions scale resources, practical activities including upstairs and downstairs brain choices (behaviours), stress response, amygdala hijack, explainers for both adults and young people and activities to consolidate learning around parts of the brain and functions. Also includes 5 skin tone range of emotions.

Varying resources to suit ages 6-16yrs. Would compliment our emotions based interventions.

Electronic download available at

https://thecontentedchild.co.uk/product/emotions-and-my-brain-based-on-dan-siegels-upstairs-and-downstairs-brain/

17/01/2025

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