Thanks to the Merchant House more children like Ella will be provided Play Therapy by With Kids…
Ella, age 4, was referred rom her nursery because she was withdrawn and struggled to interact with her peers/nursery workers. Over her Play Therapy sessions she played the part of a dog looking for its owner. She would go from house to house, knocking on doors, but the wee dog could not find its owner. Ella had been taken into care at 2 and her mum had died while she was there. She was never going to get a reunion with her mum and this play helped her communicate her feelings surrounding the permanence of this loss. After 12 sessions of enacting the same scenario over and over, nursery workers and her carers began to see positive changes in Ella. She was more able to engage with other children and could join in with activities while at nursery. Through Play Therapy she was no longer overwhelmed by her emotions and could engage in her life again. Research suggests that these positive changes will improve Ella’s life chances both now and into her adulthood.
Monies awarded from Merchant’s House will enable us to provide Play Therapy to more children in Glasgow’s East End who are struggling to concentrate at school/nursery due to trauma//adverse experiences. Play Therapy is based on the theory that play is the primary language of the child where toys are the words the child uses to express their inner emotional experiences and how they experience the world. It offers a way of working that is minimally intrusive and allows the possibility of exploring issues and concerns important to the child.
Typically following Play Therapy children are reported to be more able to make friends, concentrate at school/nursery and regulate their emotions, such as anger. Research suggests that these small changes can make a radical difference in a child’s future prospects.