TESSA Therapist
Location
Belfast/Lisburn
I am registered/accredited with:
I am a registered and fully accredited member of BACP
Registered and certified Play Therapist with PTUK
Code of ethics observed:
BACP, PTUK
Qualifications
Dip Counselling Supervision ( Level 5) Cert Child Parent Relationship Therapy (filial therapy) PGDip Practice Based Play Therapy (Level 7) PGCert Integrative Counselling ( Level 4) MA Pastoral Care and Counselling ( Level 7)
Special interest/experience
Filial therapy, Play therapy, Trauma and Attachment
Additional information
I have had the great privilege of offering filial therapy via the TESSA project since it began in 2016. I was delighted to have the opportunity to train in Child Parent Relationship Therapy under Sue Bratton all the way back in 2007 and have always found it to be the highlight of my therapy practice. I have over 28 years’ experience working with children and families in the helping professions, 20+ years supervised counselling/play therapy practice, 16+ years’ experience in filial therapy and 9+ years’ experience as a clinical supervisor.
I have worked in the voluntary sector for many years, first at the Oasis Counselling Service in Dublin as a play therapist/youth counsellor and Children’s Project Coordinator and then at New Life Counselling as a play therapist/youth counsellor and Assistant Community Team Leader with both the OKAY (Only Kids and Youth) and Family teams for 10 years. I have also run a small private practice called Shepherding Lambs Counselling and Training service since 2008 and have worked in a co-op of other private therapists in the community as well as in schools and for a number of agencies and health and social care trusts.
I have worked with individual children and young people as well as groups and schools using play therapy and counselling and also love training other therapists but the reason
I love filial therapy so much is that it combines psychoeducation and practical feedback sessions to teach parents how to do therapeutic play with their own children. It enhances attachment, helps repair developmental trauma, and builds resilience in children and parents. It is especially effective in helping to resolve trauma and attachment issues, even when they are pre-verbal memories that may not be conscious but still held in the body and emotions. And it is all based on parents conducting play sessions with their children for just 30 minutes a week!
The best bit is that because it involves having such a fun, positive experience together, it can significantly reduce the impact of any difficulties you might be experiencing as a family unit. I have used it not only as a therapist, but also as a foster and adoptive parent myself so I have seen the positive results first hand.
I work with:
Children and young people ages 2-18, parents, young adults, therapy students and supervisees
