A Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Trainer and Supervisor as well as Social Work England (SWE) Registered Social Worker, Certified Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Practitioner, and a Therapeutic Play Practitioner. Helen has worked in social work with children and families for 25 years, working in child protection, family support and residential care with 12 of those years specialising in adoption and providing therapeutic services, including Theraplay to children in foster and adoptive families. For the last six years, Helen has worked independently, providing Theraplay, DDP and Therapeutic Life Story Work to adoptive, foster and kinship families in Norfolk. Since completing the Level One, MIM and Group training in 2007, Helen has worked with a wide age range of children and families. As well as working directly with families, Helen provides advice, guidance and consultation to parents, carers, schools and other professionals on the impact of trauma on children. Her clinical experience includes helping children who have experienced trauma through all forms of abuse and neglect and also children with additional complexities such prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, children on the Autistic Spectrum, ADHD and Sensory Processing conditions. Helen can be reached at [email protected].
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is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner in the Training Practicum. Catherine completed a degree in Psychology and Linguistics at UWE, Bristol alongside working with young people and adults with mental health and substance misuse problems. Catherine went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work at Bristol University and has worked as a Social Worker in the area of Fostering and Adoption since 2005. Catherine has over 20 years experience in working with children in a range of roles including play work, social work, childminding, and starting the journey to become a Theraplay Practitioner in 2011. Catherine is registered self employed as Theraplay South West providing Theraplay inervention with a specialism in children who have experienced developmental trauma, Adoption, Foster Care and Special Guardianship. Since April 2018 Catherine has worked at The Centre for Adoption Support and Education in Bristol as an Adoption Support Therapist in an equivalent Tier 4 service for Adoptive families who have complex needs. The focus of the work here has been to prevent adoption disruption and crisis intervention for families, working in a multi disciplinary team including DDP, NVR and Theraplay Informed Practitioners. Catherine has completed Sensory Attachment Intervention (SAI) Level 1 training and has a particular focus on integrating the principles of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and SAI into her practice. From January 2020 Catherine will be employed by Bath and North East Somerset Local Authority as Lead Theraplay Outreach Worker, responsible for Peer Supervision and delivery of Theraplay across four Childrens’ Centres, wider Local Authority Teams and Schools. Catherine has a particular interest in working with; schools; Early years settings; Group Theraplay; Sunshine Circles; with a focus on ensuring awareness of how a child’s experience of developmental trauma can impact on their needs, sensory integration and behavior in the classroom. Catherine can be contacted at [email protected]
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is a certified Theraplay Practitioner and trainer and an associate supervisor. Ali specialises in providing child and family Theraplay interventions with children 10 years old and under. Ali has completed an MA module in Attachment and Learning with Bath Spa University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Wellbeing with Tavistock and Portman where she completed a dissertation on thinking psychoanalytically and systemically on a Theraplay intervention with an adoptive family. Ali is currently studying Infant Observation and Psychoanalytic Studies with the Severnside Institute for Psychotherapy. Ali has over 20 years of experience of working with children and families in a variety of capacities including child minding, respite care for disabled children, emergency foster care, home education for children on the autism spectrum, Flying Start practitioner and Theraplay practitioner. Currently Ali is employed by Bright Start Children’s Centres providing Theraplay interventions for children in their pre-school year who are at risk of not successfully managing the transition to school due to emotional and behavioural difficulties, attachment disruptions or experience of early trauma. Her role also includes running Peer Support Sessions and supervision to Theraplay-informed and Foundational Level practitioners. Ali works within schools and Early Years settings modeling Group Theraplay and Sunshine Circles as well as promoting the role of a Key Adult in supporting children who have experienced disrupted attachments and trauma. Ali can be contacted for peer support and supervision at [email protected]
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