I am Becky, I am a mother of 4 and a military spouse. I think my children would say I am ‘fun’, at least some of the time. I am an avid reader and I love to lose myself in a good book. I store chocolate in the freezer, I love Eurovision and I stand firmly by both of these statements. One of my core beliefs is that every birthday should involve a caterpillar cake. I am an introvert but when I am around ‘my people’ I come alive. I can sign, I used to work in a college interpreting for students using British Sign Language. I also love my job, I love that each child I work with teaches me something new.
So, in relation to my professional skillset and ‘tool box’, I am going to share a couple of things that I DO NOT have.
- A crystal ball – unfortunately I cannot see the future or what is in peoples minds. I do however love to LISTEN to other perspectives and experiences to understand the dynamics of a situation. This means I can work out the best support plan/approach for a child and their family, it also tells me if I am the right person for the job or whether I need to support you to find someone else. Without a crystal ball I do have the absolute privilege of building the trust of people who share their life experiences, skills and professional knowledge with me. Often these are shared with a level of vulnerability (also read ‘strength’ here), and I am grateful for this level of connection that my job brings.
- A magic wand – unfortunately in life there are not many ‘quick fixes’ and play therapy is the same. Children come to therapy for many reasons but often with a complex set of emotions and experiences. I believe that children (and adults) have inside them the power and ability to heal. Sometimes they just need the right environment to do this in. Play is our first language and so through play and creative processes another ‘language’ of expression is available. This language, within the safety of a consistent setting and trained therapist can be so powerful in processing these complex emotions and experiences. The ‘language’ of play with its elements of sensory experience, metaphor and symbolic play also reach the areas of the brain that sometimes words and logic cannot get to so easily.
In actual fact, I do have a magic wand in my play kit but it’s not the wand (or me) that has the power. It’s the imagination of the child who chooses it.
BUT despite not having the power to predict the future, read your mind or change a situation with the swish of a wand, the good news is I DO have;
- A non judgemental empathic approach – And a desire to get to know YOUR situation to understand how I can best support you.
- Post graduate qualifications in Play Therapy, Social Work and British Sign Language.
- A commitment to my clients and an ethical foundation to all of my work.
- A Child centred approach – there is no ‘one size fits all’ for children and families.
- A commitment to my continued professional development. I love to learn new things, each client teaches me something new. I can sense the spark which inspires me to look for new areas of training when a client gives me a challenge.
- Buckets of creativity.
- A deeply held belief in the power of connection, play and the ability of humans to heal. Even when an experience feels immensely painful. I can hold hope even when it feels difficult for my clients and their families.
- Patience and trust in the process of therapy.
Find out more about Play Therapy here or get in touch.
