Philippa and Julie close the UK summer term with a Q&A episode featuring listener and play therapist Becky Webb, who shares her career path and asks about working therapeutically during family transitions and around bereavement. They discuss moving beyond blanket rules about waiting for stability or set time periods, focusing instead on assessment, goals, and providing supportive, relational therapy without necessarily doing deep trauma processing, while also supporting “big people” and other professionals around the child. They explore how to respond when children bring trauma into the room, the importance of titrating and ending sessions regulated, and using clear, shared language about death to address misunderstandings and self-blame. A listener question covers when and why sessions are recorded (training, therapy play, video analysis, ethics and confidentiality). They share practical “backup” regulation activities and announce an August break, returning the first Friday of September.

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Julie hosts Simon Kerr-Edwards on Pondering Play and Therapy to discuss clinical supervision for therapists and school staff, plus Simon’s parent consultations. Simon, a Buckinghamshire-based practitioner, describes training first as a drama therapist, later completing a play therapy master’s at Roehampton after meeting Anne Cattanach, and moving from local authority and CAMHS work into independent practice. They explore why supervision is essential, how it differs from personal therapy, and how supervisors are themselves contained through their own supervision. Simon outlines Hewson and Carroll’s “six supervisory spaces” model: sitting room, studio, observatory, plus office, lecture theatre, and exam room, and warns against the “manager’s office” and “cellar” of control and shame. He also describes structured supervision in schools to improve reflective practice, and parent consultations focused on nonjudgmental listening, confidence, and differing parenting styles.

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In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Philippa interviews Matt Wesson, former president of EMDR Association UK, EMDR Europe senior accredited trainer/consultant, and BABCP-accredited CBT therapist with 30 years’ mental health experience across the military, NHS, industry, and private practice. Matt explains EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) as an eight-phase psychotherapy developed for PTSD and now used for wider issues (e.g., phobias, social anxiety, depression linked to bullying), noting eye movements are a key component but can be replaced with tapping, buzzers, or audio when needed. He describes his path from Royal Navy weapons engineer to Defence Mental Health Services, then private practice, EMDR training/teaching via the EMDR Academy, and current NHS forensic work in outpatient services and a Category B prison. He outlines practical challenges of prison therapy, EMDR phases (history/formulation, preparation, assessment/activation, desensitisation), and how to find EMDR via NHS talking therapies, EMDR Association UK, or private care.

https://www.emdracademy.co.uk/

https://emdrassociation.org.uk/

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Host Philippa interviews social worker, therapist, author, and international presenter Steph Hunter about her current work and career, largely supporting children in care and trauma-informed services. Steph describes preparing a Canada keynote, “Humanising Services,” through the international Children and Youth Care (CYC) Network, and discusses clinical supervision and training for children’s home providers, work with inpatient services, and association with Mark Finnis on restorative practice. They explore how systems can unintentionally dehumanise and re-traumatise people (e.g., being treated as case numbers, medical assessments, inpatient restrictions, frequent moves), and emphasise curiosity, story-based understanding, trust, and relationship-centred practice. Steph explains restorative practice as a system framework focused on working “with” people to repair harm, and both discuss inequities for care leavers, promising practices like staying put/close, and learning from international policy differences, such as Malta extending care beyond 18.

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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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