DREAM together, Cambridge (2026)

27/08/2026

Today, after holding space for clients and clearing the room, I chose to stay.

I ordered some food, slowed down and gave myself space to experience rather than immediately move on.

I created in the sand tray. I chose images. I moved. I allowed the creative mediums to express some of what I was experiencing.

I didn’t need to put everything into words.

Sometimes the creative medium can be powerful enough.

In dramatherapy, we work with experiences that can exist at a pre verbal and embodied level. Not everything is accessible through language. Movement, image, objects, sand and other creative forms can offer another way of processing and experiencing what is held in the body and mind.

I left feeling lighter, more grounded and with a greater sense of integration.

Later, I can return to what emerged and explore the images, choices and movements, allowing meaning to unfold over time. Some of this will inform a project, and I’ll likely bring other layers into supervision and my own therapy.

There is also something clinically important about therapists continuing to experience these mediums themselves.

It gives us a felt sense of what it can be like for clients to enter a creative process, discover something through the medium and eventually leave the therapeutic space feeling different.

It also supports the parallel process.

We invite clients to slow down, express, process and make meaning. We need opportunities to do the same.

Taking time after clients leave can help us notice what belongs to us, what may have been stirred by the work, clear emotional residue, reconnect with ourselves and support sustainable practice.

So perhaps it’s worth asking:

How do we use the space after our clients leave?

Today, I used it to create, move, feel and process.

I didn’t have all the words.

I didn’t need them.

And I left feeling lighter. 🤍

15/08/2026

Finding the rhythm of leading and following 🪘🥁

There is something deeply important about allowing children to lead in the therapy room, particularly when their parent or carer is there too.

For some children, especially those who have experienced adoption, care or disrupted attachment, being able to say “I choose,” “I don't want to,” or “Let's do this instead” can be a powerful experience of agency, autonomy and selfhood.

It isn't simply about letting them have their own way.
It can be about discovering:

I can have a voice.

I can have my own rhythm.

I can be myself.

And the adult is still here.

Early relationships teach children about rhythm: leading and following, reaching and responding, coming together and having space. Through responsive co regulation, children gradually learn that they can have their own rhythm while staying connected to another person.

When those early experiences have been disrupted, some children may people please to preserve attachment, while others may push adults away, reject help or need to feel in control.

This is where the therapist supports both child and parent.

The therapist can help the parent notice what happens when their child says no, rejects their ideas or wants to take the lead. It can feel uncomfortable when a child's autonomy is experienced as rejection or defiance.

The therapist can help the adult slow down and become curious:

Can I follow my child's rhythm here?

Can I let them lead without feeling that I am losing control?

Can we stay connected even when they don't want my help?

And sometimes the child needs the adult to lead. Sometimes they need choices because too much freedom feels overwhelming.

The therapist holds the safety and boundaries, while helping parent and child discover this rhythm of leading and following together.

Because the goal isn't for the child to always lead, or the adult to always lead.

It is for the child to experience:

I can have my own rhythm, and I can still be connected to you.

Perhaps that is part of what regulation and co regulation really are: finding our own rhythm while learning how to move alongside someone else.

13/08/2026

Anger is often treated as something children and young people need to control, suppress or “get out”.

Anger makes sense!

It can arise from hurt, fear, neglect, injustice, disappointment, powerlessness or not feeling cared for.
. anger is often layered. Underneath it might be grief, shame, sadness or fear.

If we dont make space for anger and we suppress or hide anger, we may see ill health, self-harming, and similar behaviours, which can develop over time as emotional distress builds up...

So what does it mean to make space for anger?

Sometimes, we don't need a child to tell us.
We can offer clay to squeeze, paint to make marks, puppets to speak through, music to drum, movement to push against, stories to explore, or simply a safe relationship in which the feeling can exist.

BUT REMEMBER 💡

Expression isn't the same as discharge!!!

Expressing anger doesn't necessarily mean “getting it out”.

The aim isn't to empty the child of anger.

It's to create enough safety and choice for them to experience it, communicate it and stay connected while we gently notice what is happening.

We don't need children to “get the anger out”.

Instead, we can gently move through a sequence:

🍃 Contact, a little contact with the anger, noticing sensations, movement, voice or expression.

🍃 Regulation, (often co - regulation), staying within what feels manageable; slowing, pausing or stepping back when needed.

🍃Orientation, noticing the room, looking around, feeling feet on the floor, noticing the chair.

🍃 Connection, returning to relationship, responsiveness and shared attention.

🍃 Return to safety, settling, grounding and reconnecting with something familiar.

The aim isn't to discharge or eliminate anger.

It's to help a child experience and express it with choice, safety and connection.

We can make space for anger without being overwhelmed by it.

DREAM together offers workshops and psychoeducation on working with anger safely with children and young people.

Find out more: dream-together.co.uk

11/08/2026

BEFORE YOU SAY NO, SEND A SAFETY SIGNAL

For children affected by trauma, how we hold a boundary can matter.

NO. It’s only two letters.

But for a child who has experienced relational trauma, abuse, neglect, no can sometimes mean much more than we intend it to.

It can feel like:

I have no choice.

I have no power.

You are controlling me.

You are rejecting me.

and much more...

Of course, sometimes we need to say no.

As parents, teachers, social workers and therapists, part of our job is to keep children safe, hold boundaries and provide the containment they need.

But before the boundary lands, we have an opportunity to send another message:

“You are safe with me.”

For a child who has experienced adults as unpredictable, unsafe or controlling, a sudden no can sometimes feel like a threat or another loss of control.

And when that happens, the nervous system can respond.

Fight.

Flight.

Freeze.

Shutdown.

So what if, before we lead with no, we lead with safety, connection and attunement?

For example, if a child is trying to go somewhere that isn't safe, instead of simply saying:

“No, you can’t go in there.”

We might say:

“It’s important that I keep you safe, so you can’t go in there

The boundary is still there.

The adult is still leading.

But the child also hears:

I’m here.

I see you.

You’re safe with me.

I’m going to keep you safe.

We can work this out together.

That is not permissive parenting/caregiving.

It is loving, connected parenting/caregiving.

We are not trying to remove every frustration, disappointment or difficult feeling.

We are trying not to turn a necessary boundary into an unnecessary battle.

Because for children whose early experiences have affected attachment, regulation, behaviour, cognition and their sense of self, how we hold a boundary can matter just as much as the boundary itself.

So before we say no, perhaps we can pause and ask:

“What safety signal can I send first?”

Sometimes love looks like holding the boundary.

Sometimes love looks like saying no.

“The boundary is firm. And so is my love for you.”

My love is your love. ❤️

07/08/2026

When Words Are Not Enough

Sometimes the therapy room fills with all the parts and all the feelings at once. Feeling cards scattered across the room...

Cushions becoming houses.

Puppets with something to say.

Terrified babies.

Evil wolves.

Fast cars.

Houses that crumble.

Metaphors are everywhere.

What looks scattered on the outside can reflect something scattered on the inside.

For some children, overwhelming experiences can leave them feeling fragmented, with different parts developing to help them survive.

Play gives those parts somewhere to exist.

A puppet can hold a feeling.

A mask can show what is hidden.

A story can hold what is too difficult to say.

The child is communicating.

They may not have the words, but they can show us through play.

Our role is to notice, wonder, reflect and witness:

I wonder if this character /or a part of you feels frightened?

Have I got that right?

Yes. No. Maybe.

The child remains the expert.

We don't decide what the metaphor means. We offer our understanding and allow the child to tell us whether we have understood.

The metaphor is witnessed. The feeling is reflected.
The child is heard.

This is the power I see in Dramatherapy, PACE and DDP.

The child communicates creatively.
The therapist stays curious.
The parent becomes curious about what lies beneath the behaviour.
The fear beneath the anger.
The loss beneath the control.
The longing beneath the pushing away.
The vulnerability beneath the armour.

And the armour doesn't have to be taken away.
Within a safe therapeutic relationship, the child can decide when it feels safe enough to soften.

For children who have experienced adoption, care, separation and loss, themes of safety, belonging, grief and identity can emerge through play.

The child brings the chaos and confusion.
The therapist stays.
The parent stays curious.
The relationship holds.

Slowly, different parts can feel less alone.

They can be angry and loving.

Scared and brave.

Grieving and grateful.

Wanting closeness and needing space.

The pieces can belong.

Perhaps, over time, the child begins to learn:

I can be known and still be safe.

My feelings can be held.

All of me can belong.

The relationship can stay.

06/08/2026

Back with clients after a dreamy few weeks Summer Leave...🤗 🌅

Returning with focus, compassion, and heart to help with life's serious stuff! 🤍

22/07/2026

A typical week reminds me that the ability to anchor and stay present for others begins with the ongoing practice of anchoring myself.

Therapeutic work asks a lot of us, client work, safeguarding, learning, collaboration, therapy, clinical supervision, and the continual work of staying embodied and regulated enough to meet others with presence, curiosity, compassion and care.

Alongside this, I’m learning to pay attention to the people, places and spaces that help me return to myself.

The moments of movement, nature, dance, laughter, rest and connection that allow me to keep showing up with an open heart.

I’m learning to trust the process, value the journey, and make room for what helps me bring my whole self to this work.

Caring for ourselves isn’t separate from the work.

It is part of the work, part of how we continue to offer compassion, steadiness and care for others.

🤍🍃🌳

09/07/2026

Supporting creativity in reflective practice with Lifecraft Cambridge. 🧡 🤍

It was a real pleasure to support the counselling leadership team at Lifecraft Cambridge, a charity that has been close to my heart for the past 15 years.

Lifecraft provides free, person centred mental health support across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including counselling, peer support, groups, activities, a mental health helpline, and su***de bereavement support. Their work helps people build confidence, connection, and hope.

Together we explored the sand tray as a reflective tool, not as therapy. Therapeutic sand tray work requires specialist training. Instead, we focused on how the sand tray can offer a safe, structured way to move beyond words, explore what's happening beneath the surface, and gain fresh perspectives when feeling stuck.

The workshop was based on an ten step reflective framework that I developed, drawing on my training as a dramatherapist, my experience of using sand tray therapeutically, and evidence from qualitative literature, including Amas (2007), which highlights the value of sand tray as a tool for critical reflection and reflective practice.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a thoughtful and committed team, and to continue supporting an organisation that means so much to me.

If you'd like to learn more about Lifecraft and the incredible support they provide, visit: https://lifecraft.org.uk/ 🧡 🤍

Lifecraft, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough

25/06/2026

Self Care is super important for those of us who spend our days caring, supporting, advocating, listening and holding space for others.

Stepping outside our caring roles and allowing for;

Playing

Laughing

Dancing

Wondering...

For we are more than therapists, Social workers, Caregivers..

We are more than our caring roles and responsibilities.

Professionals, carers and families supporting children who have experienced trauma can become incredibly skilled at noticing everyone else’s needs while quietly placing their own rest, joy and wellbeing at the bottom of the list.

Over time, we know this can contribute to exhaustion, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.

But sustainable care requires us to include ourselves in the circle of care.

When we allow ourselves to take up space, to be seen, to play, to laugh, to be silly, to explore joy and connection without worrying whether we are enough, we begin to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that may have been hidden beneath responsibility.

And when we experience that freedom ourselves, we create more space for the children, young people and families we support to discover that they are enough too.

Children don’t only learn self-worth from what we say.
They learn it from what we model.

When they see the adults around them resting, connecting, setting boundaries, having fun and embracing moments of joy, they learn that wellbeing matters.

This weekend was a reminder that filling your own cup isn’t about indulgence.

It’s about remembering who you are underneath the responsibilities.

The music

The dancing

The wildflowers

The water

The people

The Play

The open skies.

Small moments that bring us back to ourselves.
Because caring for others begins with remembering that we are worthy of care too. 🤗

Thank you for holding us

16/06/2026

Can you help me learn that I am safe?

Can you be the safe person with me long enough, consistently enough, that my brain and body begin to experience safety?

Because I’m not sure I’ve always known what safe feels like.

When I was growing inside my mummy’s tummy, my little body was already learning about the world around me.

Maybe there were times of calm.

Maybe there were times of stress, worry, fear, or things that felt too much for my tiny body to understand.

I didn’t have words then.

But my body was listening.

And when I arrived, I needed to know:

“Will someone see me?”

“Will someone hear me?”

“Will someone keep me safe?”

But sometimes adults couldn’t always see me.
Sometimes they couldn’t always understand what I needed.

Sometimes they couldn’t always help me feel safe.
Sometimes my world changed when I needed things to stay the same.

Sometimes I experienced loss, separation, fear, or moments that were too much for me to carry.
So I adapted.

My brain learned to stay alert.

My body learned to protect me.

My nervous system learned to be ready.

I’m not trying to make things difficult.

I’m trying to feel safe.

So please don’t just look at what I’m doing.

Try to understand what is happening inside me.

I don’t need you to fix me.

I need you to help me learn something new.

I need your calm when I can’t find mine.

Your steady presence when my world feels too much.

Your rhythm and routine so I know what comes next.

Your choices so I know my voice matters.

Your curiosity when I don’t have the words.

Your playfulness, warmth, and connection.

I need you to come back after hard moments and show me that relationships can be repaired.

I don’t need you to be perfect.

I need you to keep showing me:

“I see you.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’m here.”

Because healing happens when, over time, my brain begins to learn:

“I don’t have to stay on guard all the time.”

My body begins to feel:

“I am safe here.”

And I begin to know:

“I don’t have to protect myself alone anymore.”

📷 Steven Creamer Photography

DREAM together

27/08/2026

15/08/2026

13/08/2026

11/08/2026

07/08/2026

06/08/2026

22/07/2026

09/07/2026

25/06/2026

16/06/2026

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