Play therapy in our nursery school has been an incredibly valuable tool for helping our young pupils work through their emotions and develop important social skills. Patricia provided a safe and nurturing environment where children could express themselves and learn how to navigate the world around them. Our staff team also noticed a significant improvement in the children’s behaviour and ability to communicate effectively with their peers and teachers. This was corroborated by parents, who also told us how behaviour had improved at home too. We highly recommend Patricia as a play therapist and that play therapy is a valuable addition to any school or nursery provision.

Louie was born Premature, and through a combination of continuous illness, operations and partial deafness, he was behind with his speech, communication and his social and emotional development . Sadly, the Covid pandemic prevented us from accessing vital services to help with this. He started Nursery in January 2021 after turning 3 in the December. Shortly afterwards they asked if they could apply for funding for Play Therapy.  I had never heard of this before, but was willing to try anything to help him. I had the chance to meet Patricia beforehand, she outlined everything the sessions would entail and obtained my permission. She was extremely kind and approachable. Louie saw her every Friday, and we saw an immediate difference in his attitude, behaviour and communication. Louie had always found it difficult to regulate his emotions, and because he could not speak many words, did not know how to communicate his needs effectively. A few weeks in, Louie was noticeably calmer both at home and in social situations, and was more responsive to adults and other children. I believe, as his Mum, that his experiences as an infant and young toddler had left him with some trauma that was never properly addressed. Patricia helped him overcome those issues and without a doubt his mental health improved. We are extremely thankful to the Nursery and her for providing that vital intervention. He is now a thriving 5 year old who has caught up with his peers.