Mara Play Therapy

03/09/2026

🧸 The Therapeutic Power of Toys in the Playroom 🌱

Have you ever wondered why a Play Therapist has so many different toys in their playroom?

Children don't always have the words to explain what they're thinking, feeling or experiencing. Through play, they can communicate in ways that feel more natural to them.

A toy might help a child explore:

💭 Thoughts and feelings
🏠 Family and relationships
💪 Power, control and confidence
🛟 Safety and protection
❤️ Nurturing and caring
😡 Anger and aggression
🌎 Experiences from their world
✨ Imagination, creativity and possibility

There is no single meaning attached to a particular toy. A dinosaur, doll, sword or handful of sand can mean something completely different to every child.

That's why Play Therapists don't simply look at a child's play and decide “this means that.” Instead, they stay curious and pay attention to the child's unique play, patterns and experiences over time.

🌱 Over the next few days, we'll be exploring some of the different toys and materials you might find in a play therapy room and the therapeutic possibilities they can offer.

Because in the playroom, toys can be much more than just toys. 💚

27/08/2026

🌱 How Will My Play Therapy Help Me? 🌱

Play Therapy can help in lots of different ways, and it might be different for every child. 💚

Over time, Play Therapy might help you to:

💭 Understand your feelings a little better

🌪️ Make sense of things that have felt confusing, difficult or overwhelming

💚 Find ways to cope when feelings get really big

🗣️ Express things that might be difficult to put into words

🌱 Learn more about yourself and what you need

⭐ Feel more confident in yourself and your choices

🤝 Explore relationships and how it feels to be with other people

🧠 Work through experiences in a way that feels right for you

You might notice some changes quickly, or it might take a while.

Sometimes you might not notice that anything is changing at first and that's okay too.

Your Play Therapist won't expect you to change into somebody different or tell you how you should feel.

They will give you the time and space to explore things at your own pace and in your own way.

🌿 Play Therapy isn't about changing who you are. It's about helping you understand yourself, your feelings and your experiences — and finding ways to make things feel a little easier.

27/08/2026

Love this picture. What is regulation? A term we use a lot. It’s easy to be confused and think it means being calm all the time.

For me, regulation is being aware of what’s going on inside my body and how that’s connected to what’s going on around me, then how I respond to this.

So if I’m in a situation that’s overwhelming I notice my body react, acknowledge it’s ok given what’s going on in the moment and do something to help my breathing settle.

Ride the wave!!

25/08/2026

I love the idea of looking for “glimmers” when things feel overwhelming. It makes me think even more about parents trying to hold their children’s emotions and support them through dysregulation too, while trying to stay regulated themselves 💙

22/08/2026

“Dogs make me really happy because you can just be yourself with a dog. Dogs are always being themselves.” 🐶

Sometimes, children need a space where they feel completely accepted, without having to mask or hide how they are feeling. Animal Assisted Play Therapy®️can provide that space. With Fresa by their side, children can feel safe to express their emotions and most importantly, simply be themselves. 🐾

At Mara Play Therapy Edinburgh, we see how powerful that sense of acceptance and connection can be.

https://www.forresterplaytherapy.uk

14/08/2026

🌈 Port Seton ASN Stay & Play 🌈

📅 Sunday 16th August

Looking for a calm, family-friendly space where your children can play, explore, and just be themselves?

Join us for a relaxed morning of sensory fun in a welcoming, low-pressure environment designed with neurodivergent children and their families in mind 💛

No diagnosis is required

🌟 What’s on offer:
🧸 Sensory toys & deep pressure equipment
🎨 Creative arts & crafts
🫧 Messy play fun
☕ Space for parents/carers to relax and connect

Children attending the quiet session are very welcome to stay on for the general session if they’d like.....no need to leave at 11 👏

🕒 Session times:
🔹 Quiet Session: 10am – 11am
👉https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981965942487?aff=oddtdtcreator

🔹 General Session: 11am – 12pm
👉 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1982006440618?aff=oddtdtcreator

📍 South Seton Park
Port Seton, East Lothian, EH32 0BQ

Come along, grab a cuppa, and enjoy a gentle, inclusive morning focused on connection, regulation, and play 💛✨

11/08/2026

Professional Insight | The Team Around the Child 🌱

Play Therapy might take place one to one, but a Play Therapist rarely works in isolation.

Children are part of a much bigger world. Home, school, family relationships and sometimes a wider network of professionals all form part of their experience. That’s why an important part of our work is collaborating with the team around the child.

Parents, carers, teachers, SENCOs and therapists may all see different parts of the same child.

A teacher might see a child who holds everything together at school but finds transitions difficult. A parent may see the emotional release that happens once they get home. Within the playroom, a therapist may notice themes, patterns or emotional needs being communicated through play.

None of us holds the whole picture on our own.

By bringing these perspectives together, we can develop a richer understanding of what may be happening for a child and importantly, what they need from the adults around them.

This doesn’t mean sharing the details of a child’s play. Protecting the confidentiality and safety of the therapeutic relationship is fundamental.

Instead, we can share broader observations, think together about emotional and developmental needs and support the adults around the child to understand behaviour as communication.

Play Therapy isn’t about trying to ‘fix’ a child in isolation.

Meaningful change is often supported when the adults around a child become curious together.

💚 What might this behaviour be communicating?
💚 What does this child need from us?
💚 How can we respond consistently so they feel safe, understood and supported?

Parents and carers bring one perspective.
School brings another.
The therapist brings another.

And the child remains at the centre of it all.

05/08/2026

We often see children with this quality, or we see it build over time alongside the feeling of hope. Even more so we see it in parents and carers and we feel privileged to work alongside you with your children.

20/07/2026

Congratulations to Spain on becoming World Cup champions! 🇪🇸🏆

Among the celebrations, it’s been especially meaningful to hear Marc Cucurella speak openly about his family’s experience of raising an autistic son.

17/07/2026

This resonates both as a play therapist and parent.

While the playroom is a safe space for children to process big emotions, your home is where those skills take root, through co-regulation with you. Children do not learn to manage their emotions by being told what to do; they learn by watching how you handle your own. Some core emotional regulation strategies you can model outside of our sessions are below:

Model Your Own Calm and Self-Regulation
Narrate your feelings. Say out load your internal feelings so they learn that big emotions are normal
Share your calm. IF your child is dysregulated, do not match your own energy with an anger response, as the situation can escalate. deliberately lower your tone, slow your speech, and act as their anchor.
Show repair. Should you lose your temper, then model accountability.

Practice naming emotions to help reduce them. -
Say outloud words to describe their physical and emotional experience, before trying to fix the situation.
Always use simple, clear language to describe what you see..
Freely accept their emotion by letting them know the feeling is okay, even if the behavior isn't. This builds confidence that their internal world is safe to explore.

Establish some regular 1:1 time at home. Set aside 10 to 15 minutes a few times a week with no phones, work, or distractions.
Stick to some simple strategies of Let your child lead.
Reflect and track.
Blow bubbles together.
Incorporate rhythm.

Remember, you don't have to be perfect at this. Experiencing messy moments and repairing them is actually a healthier model for your child than flawless parenting.

regulation