Play Therapy after a Traumatic Life Event

Coventry. Solihull and surroundling villages. South Warwickshire. Rugby. Parts of East Birmingham including Bordesley Green, Stechford, Yardley, Castle Bromwich, Lea Hall, Sheldon, Kitts Green, Ward End, Shard End, Acocks Green, Hall Green, Linden Green, Marston Green. Parts of North Warwickshire: Coleshill, Nuneaton, Bedworth and surrounding villages. Parts of West Rugby and villages between Rugby and Coventry.

We will always keep your sessions confidential unless we have a concern about safeguarding. We frequently contact other professionals involved with yours or your child’s care and education, however we will always ask for your permission before we do so. We will not share reports, videos or audio recordings without your consent. Please read our Privacy Policy for further information.

Occupational Therapy helps your child live their best life at home, at school and everywhere in between. It’s about being able to do the things you want and have to do. That could mean helping them overcome challenges learning at school, playing with their friends or simply managing their environment. Everything is focused on increasing independence and wellbeing. It’s a science-based, health and social care profession that’s regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.

Early intervention is incredibly important. Many NHS services will not accept referrals until a child is two years old. However, we know that sometimes it’s obvious before then that a child needs additional help. Generally we do not see children under 12-15 months but if you have a question about a child who is under two please do call us for a chat.

There is free parking on the forecourt outside the clinic and also on-street parking too.

Yes. Most of our clients are known to the NHS, either actively having therapy or on a waiting list. Some families choose to have private therapy during the times when they are not having NHS therapy, and some families choose to have both running concurrently. This is your choice to make. Having private therapy does not impact on your rights to receive NHS treatment. NHS and private therapists are mandated to work together in harmony. Here at Hope Therapies we have close relationships with our colleagues in Coventry, Birmingham, Solihull and Warwickshire. We keep in close email contact to share targets and outcomes, all with your permission of course.

Speech and language therapy provides treatment, support and care for children and adults who have difficulties with communication, or with eating, drinking and swallowing. Here at Hope Therapies we work mainly with children who have communication difficulties.

It may be that another health or education professional has recommended this. However, the best way to find out if we can help is to contact us for a chat. We will never recommend therapy unless it is clinically warranted.

You can book online here. First, choose the type of appointment you are interested in. For most people getting started this is usually a free 15 minute telephone consultation or an initial assessment. Then, choose a date and time that works for you. If you have any questions at all, please contact us.

There are many ways that therapists approach neurodivergence. At Hope Therapies, we work in a neurodiverse affirming way. Neurodiverse affirming therapy means we approach our clients with the following principles: We accept and respect who they are, how they think and feel and how they express themselves. We don't view neurodivergence as a problem to be fixed, but rather as a personality characteristic that, like all characteristics, has strengths and weaknesses. We help them work towards their goals and what they want or need to live well. We don't teach or seek conformity; instead, we work with them and their parents/carers/educational setting to help them thrive. To read more about neurodiverse affirming therapy, visit the Very Well Mind website.

All of our therapists are registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council and adhere to all of their professional guidelines and regulations. We are all fully qualified in our professional fields and complete regular supervision and training.

It is super important that we have good sound quality - this means no background noise! We have also found that large rooms with lots of hard surfaces (like kitchens) can affect the acoustics and make it difficult for us to hear well. Ideally the person accessing the session will wear headphones.

We use lots of interactive games when working with children and young people. We will give you remote access to the screen - for younger children they might find an external mouse easier to manipulate than a touchscreen or an integrated mouse pad.

We will always have our backgrounds visible during our sessions and the cameras turned on and expect the same from you. There may be occasions that it is more suitable to have the cameras turned off - if, for example, this will reduce anxiety. We are happy to chat about this.

You will need a device with a webcam to be able to attend a video consultation. It can be any device with both an internet connection and a webcam, like a laptop, PC, tablet or even a mobile phone. However, some of the interactive games we use do not work well on an iPad screen and a laptop or PC is preferable. You'll access the video consultation via your internet browser, like Safari or Chrome.

You will need a stable internet connection - a speed of more than 10mbps will enable you to have the best possible experience. An internet speed of less than 10mbps might lead to poor quality video and sound during your consultation. If the connection is not stable enough we may need to discontinue the session.

We use a secure video consultation platform provided through our Practice Management Software - Writeupp.

Yes, you can! If you are currently receiving NHS therapy for your child, we will work closely with our NHS colleagues to ensure a consistent, effective approach for your child. If you have assessment documents from prior assessments, you are welcome to send them to us before beginning therapy.

Stammer therapy is a holistic therapy: it draws together both a clinical understanding of your child’s stammer and a psychological understanding of the impact the stammer has on their wellbeing. The assessment is therefore far more wide-ranging than simply applying tools to measure your child’s stammer. While the therapist will draw on clinical tools during the assessment, this takes place as a part of understanding how you and your child feel about their stammer and the ways it impacts them.

When your child suddenly starts stammering it can be a really worrying time. It can feel as if it has come from nowhere. The struggle to get words out can be painful and upsetting to watch in a child who previously spoke easily. It is natural to want to identify the cause. If you can find the cause then surely you can fix it? Unfortunately it is not that straightforward. Stammering is a complex, multifactorial neurodevelopmental condition. Whilst it can seem like the stammer has come from nowhere it most likely has arisen from an interplay of factors that have coincided at once. We would always recommend a thorough assessment with a therapist experienced with stammering. A therapist will help identify the factors that might be at play and talk through with you what might happen with the stammer and how to help. Parents usually feel reassured, more confident and more knowledgeable after this first appointment. Sometimes we will recommend therapy straight away and sometimes we will advise you to try a few strategies and contact us again in 6 weeks.

There are many assessment tools that seek to measure stammering. While the therapist will draw on these tools during your first session and subsequent sessions, the primary purpose of the assessment is to find out who you are. The therapist will find out what is important to you, what your goals in life are, what’s going well for you and what you want to get out of therapy. This conversation will help direct the rest of the therapy.

Many people who stammer find they want to come back to therapy every now and then, often at a transition point in their life, such as moving careers or finishing education. No matter where you’ve had therapy before, what kind of therapy it was or your reason for seeking more therapy, you are welcome to come to us. We’d love to work with you!

We create a process box for every child. This gathers together anything they have created during their therapeutic play sessions. The child is also free to take home anything they have created during therapy. ​ As a part of ending therapeutic play, the child is given their process box to take home if they want to.

The therapeutic play space is a confidential space. This means that we won’t share details about what a child has said or how they have played during their session (unless a safeguarding issue comes to light). However, we will happily talk to you about the themes being explored with your child through play. ​ We always explain to a child that the play space is confidential, but that they are free to share about what happens during their therapeutic play sessions if they want to. Your child therefore may choose to talk to you about what happened during therapy, but they also may not. It's important to let them make choices about what they communicate. ​ We will remain in regular touch with you about your child’s journey. At the initial assessment, we will discuss your goals for the therapy. We will also do a half-hour interim review with you. At the end of the child’s therapy, there’s a final call to discuss the progress made. You will also receive a report about your child’s journey.

In the therapy room, there is very little difference between play therapy and therapeutic play. It’s more about whether a therapist is qualified to meet the complexity of the child’s needs. ​ A play therapist has a post-graduate diploma in play therapy; a therapeutic play practitioner has a post-graduate certificate. The different qualification level means that therapeutic play practitioners are unable to see children who are experiencing complex life situations. This includes: ​ Children from families with a social worker Fostered, adopted or looked-after children Children who have experienced significant multiple traumas Hannah, our therapeutic play practitioner, is currently studying for her post-graduate diploma in play therapy. She always assesses children before beginning therapeutic play, to ensure that she is an appropriate choice for your child’s needs. If you’re unsure, please fill in our referral form. Hannah will arrange a free, 15-minute assessment to make sure therapeutic play is the right fit for your child.

We give your child free choice for their play. Play opportunities might include things like: Drawing Painting Clay Sand tray with people, animals and objects Role play equipment such as dressing up clothes Dolls house Musical instruments Puppets Games Movement based play

We use non-directive, child-centred therapeutic play in the therapy room. In other words, we create a safe space for the child and allow them to choose how to express themselves. The therapist joins in with the child’s play, following their lead. ​ All our therapeutic play follows eight principles from eminent play therapist Virginia Axline: ​ We develop a warm, friendly relationship with the child. We unconditionally accept the child as they are. We create a space where the child has permission to play as they wish and express themselves freely. We recognise the feelings a child is expressing through play. We respect a child’s ability to solve problems for themselves. We don’t direct a child’s actions. This is a space where they are in control and free to make choices. We don’t hurry therapy; we go at the child’s pace. We establish only the necessary boundaries for keeping a child safe in the room. There are no other rules to limit play. ​ Following these principles, we're able to connect with and support your child as they process their world through play. ​ Our therapeutic play sessions are 45 minutes long.

There isn’t one answer to this question: it depends entirely on the specific needs identified in the assessment. Once we have assessed your child or young person, we will provide a detailed report including some strategies to begin with. We will make a recommendation on whether therapy is needed and how many sessions will be appropriate.

Children benefit from occupational therapy for a variety of reasons. Maybe your child or young person: Has difficulties engaging with their everyday activities Struggles with fine motor skills Quickly becomes overstimulated or overwhelmed by their environment Appears anxious, isolated or withdraws from activities and engaging with others Doesn’t notice things around them, seeming detached from what’s happening Occupational therapy can help your child or young person overcome challenges like this. If you’re not sure whether it’s right for your child or young person, fill in our referral form with as much detail as possible included.

Absolutely. As a team, we are very experienced in working with children who are neurodivergent, including autism, ADHD or sensory processing impairments. Wherever you are on the diagnosis journey (and even if your child is neuro-normative!), our whole assessment and therapy process is built around your child and their specific needs.

An occupational therapy assessment is a detailed process to understand your child or young person’s world. Through the assessment, we formulate a broad picture of your child or young person and their strengths, as well as the barriers that need to be overcome so that they can fully participate in life. This includes understanding: your child or young person’s history and the family’s history; your child or young person’s physical and emotional development; assessments around sensory processing and motor skills; and understanding your child or young person’s mental health. At the end of the assessment, our report will provide strategies to help your child or young person at home and in education, as well as suggestions around further therapy. You might find it useful to read the below FAQ about sensory processing, or read through the outline of our assessment process.

Sensory processing (also known as sensory integration) is about how we make sense of all the information coming from our senses throughout the day. How do we process the things happening around us and inside us? Everyone experiences the world differently, so we all have a unique response to what is happening. There are many ways in which we receive information from our bodies and the world around us: Sight Hearing Touch - including what we feel on our skin Taste Smell Body awareness - where our body is and how it is moving Balance and spatial orientation What’s happening inside our bodies - our heart rate, hunger sensations, our temperature, pain, emotional sensations, etc. Sensory processing is automatic and develops naturally during ordinary childhood activities. However, sometimes children and young people do not understand how to cope with their sensory experiences or struggle to recognise the information coming in. These sensory regulation issues can affect daily living, academic achievement, behaviour or social participation. Getting professional support to understand your child's sensory processing through therapies like occupational therapy can significantly improve their engagement in daily life and give them tools to regulate themselves. All our occupational therapists are qualified Sensory Integration Practitioners. You can read more about sensory integration on the Sensory Integration Education website.

You may be seeing an NHS-funded practitioner, or on a waiting list for one. You can still see us as well! We strive to work alongside our NHS colleagues to provide you with the best support possible for your child. ​ We encourage you to share any NHS assessment results with us, enabling us to be guided by medical reports.

We absolutely can. Simply fill in the referral form, giving us as much detail about the feeding issues your child is facing. We will use this information to plan a treatment pathway that is right for them. ​ We would also recommend that you visit your GP to discuss the issues with them. Please note that currently we cannot see children under the age of two.

Yes, we can work with children who are currently tube fed. We will always work alongside the NHS staff supporting you and your child, ensuring that together we can provide the best treatment pathway for your child.

Dysphagia can feel overwhelming for families. Mealtimes can also become stressful for the child with dysphagia. When mealtimes are filled with anxiety, this can affect a child’s willingness to eat. Many families can find themselves stuck in a negative cycle during mealtimes. At the feeding clinic, our aim is to help mealtimes become more relaxed. We want food to be fun! ​ Therapy can focus on mealtime strategies, developing knowledge and skills for those feeding the child and/or developing the feeding skills of the child. This may be offered as an online package or face to face sessions. Our therapists will discuss options with you following assessment to develop a plan focused on your child and their needs.