Julie interviews Tim Woodhouse of Tiptoes Child Therapy Services in northwest England, a multidisciplinary practice founded in 2010, named after Janusz Korczak’s quote about “standing on tiptoes” to reach children’s feelings. They discuss working with children affected by complex developmental trauma (including sexual harm, neglect, physical and emotional abuse, and broader ACE-related factors) and the key question of whether children replaying trauma in play therapy is helpful or harmful. Tim argues children must be free to play about what matters, while therapists monitor arousal and prevent re-traumatisation by keeping the child sufficiently in the present, working at the edges of Siegel’s window of tolerance, and using grounded, repetitive, regulated presence to bring children back if they become stuck in “there and then.” They cover congruence with carers and schools, metaphor versus direct narrative, repair after missed cues, and Tim’s new two-book “Sibling Paradox” series on trauma-informed sibling assessment.

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Philippa hosts an episode of Pondering Play and Therapy with guest Louise Robertson, founder of The Sustainables Academy (nominated for the Earthshot Prize in 2025) and a lecturer at Aberdeen University, formerly a teacher and head teacher. Louise explains how the colourful “Sustainables” characters provide a playful hook to help children, educators, parents, and communities understand complex sustainability concepts across water, air, and land, encouraging mindful choices, reduced waste, and critical thinking through play. She describes free, curriculum-aligned resources spanning multiple international curricula, pathways for sustainability, circular economy, and climate mental health, plus “wasters” reminder characters and a parent portal with activities and monthly newsletters. The conversation also covers the One Sky app launching in June, representation in the characters, funding challenges, and Louise’s goal for global recognition and support via the website and social channels.

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Philippa and Julie explore how interruptions shape children’s play and emotional wellbeing, from everyday endings like mealtimes, bedtimes and school bells to more harmful breaks when adults are distracted, unwell, or inconsistent. They discuss how predictable routines can help children tolerate frustration, while unexpected or repeated disruptions can affect a child’s sense of value and trust, especially for children with instability, multiple moves, or experiences like COVID-related shutdowns. Drawing on therapy and teaching experience, they highlight the importance of empathy, scaffolding transitions, and playful rituals (jobs, countdowns, goodbye routines, small transitional items) so interruptions don’t feel like rejection. They also consider adults interrupting “dark” or violent play, urging curiosity and presence, and note that wider systemic interruptions (funding, service changes) will be explored in a future episode.

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Julie welcomes Viv Norris, founder and CEO of the Family Place on the Welsh borders, supporting adoptive and other families across Wales and parts of England, and co-founder of Theraplay UK. Viv traces her path from intense residential therapeutic work with adolescents, through music therapy training and clinical psychology, into 20 years in the NHS and later fostering and adoption services. She explains why she built an independent, team-based service centred on carers, group supervision and video review, and approaches like DDP and Theraplay to support regulation, attachment and relationship, often as “therapy before therapy” for highly dysregulated children and families in crisis. Viv also outlines her “By Your Side” transition model, using predictable play rituals, shared language and adult support to help children navigate placement moves and multiple losses.

Website: https://thefamilyplace.co.uk/

By Your Side Model: https://thefamilyplace.co.uk/by-your-side/

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In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, host Philippa welcomes back Chicago-based child therapist Mandy Jones to discuss how COVID continues to affect children and families five to six years on. Mandy shares what she’s seeing in her practice with mostly under-8s, especially “COVID babies” now entering or finishing kindergarten: higher baseline anxiety, difficulty with transitions, separation distress, shutdowns or big behaviours, and heightened concerns about germs and mess. They explore how pandemic stress during pregnancy, disrupted birth experiences, reduced touch and co-regulation, and isolation may have shaped children’s nervous systems and sense of safety. The conversation highlights practical support through predictability, attunement, co-regulation, and parent and school understanding, emphasising hope, brain development, and that parents are not to blame.

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Philippa welcomes Sarah Naish, bestselling author of The A–Z of Therapeutic Parenting, adopter of five siblings, foster carer, agency founder and keynote speaker. Sarah explains how the book grew from real-life notes and emails into a practical guide that helps carers understand fear-based, trauma-driven behaviour and respond with firm, fair boundaries, nurture, curiosity and linked logical consequences rather than punishment. They discuss how therapeutic parenting differs from “gentle parenting,” the exhaustion and repairs after ruptures, and how Sarah’s children’s books (including William Wobbly and others) help families “name the need” through story. Sarah outlines training and accredited qualifications via the Centre of Excellence in Child Trauma and the Trauma-Informed Parents Hub, plus tools for professionals to prevent blame and placement breakdown. They explore trauma-informed schools, supporting “fizzy” children with exit plans, concerns about screens for vulnerable children, and an upcoming A–Z for teens and tweens.

Books - https://uk.jkp.com/collections/author-sarah-naish

Website: https://www.coect.co.uk/

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In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Julie speaks with newly qualified play therapist Ellen Dempsey about her Roehampton University dissertation, “Oh, What a Mess,” exploring messy play and therapeutic presence. Ellen shares how her own preference for tidiness created tension, shame, and distraction in the playroom when children used sensory materials, and how supervision and an embodied messy-paint exercise helped her reconnect with the felt experience behind her topic. Using qualitative interviews with three experienced BAPT play therapists and thematic analysis, Ellen examines how therapists stay present during messy play, highlighting preparation, time and space constraints, emotional grounding, experience, and limit setting, as well as refocusing on the child’s needs and meaning-making. She reflects on how the research shifted her from shame to acceptance and offers training recommendations for more embodied “messy” workshops.

website: https://www.embraceplaytherapy.co.uk/

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Siblings, Roles, and Therapy: Connection, Conflict, and the “Pie” of Attention

Philippa and Julie explore sibling relationships through personal experiences and clinical work, discussing how children take on roles (e.g., “good child,” eldest organiser, protector) and how grief and major life events can reshape sibling bonds. They reflect on how siblings can remember the same childhood events very differently, how play and shared memories can build belonging, and how conflict may reflect developmental negotiation or unmet needs—especially for children affected by trauma, neglect, or instability. They consider “trauma bonds,” parentification, jealousy and competition for attention using the “pie” metaphor, and the complex decisions around separating siblings in foster care/adoption. The episode also covers ways therapists assess and work with siblings (separately, together, and via family tasks like drawing), funding constraints, confidentiality, and using therapy to support felt safety and healthier family dynamics.

00:00 Exploring Family Ties: Childhood, Therapy, and Sibling Bonds, With Philippa and Julie
00:00 Sibling Roles and Memories
15:37 Therapy Siblings and Trauma Bonds
34:17 Only Child Parents And Sibling Conflict
37:24 Therapy Plans MIM And Sibling Work

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