Play Therapy with Karen Hammond

19/03/2026

One of the most powerful aspects of Play Therapy is that it honours the child’s pace.
For many neurodivergent children, the world can feel overwhelming, fast-paced, and full of expectations to adapt or “keep up.” In the play therapy space, there is no pressure to perform, explain, or mask.
Instead, the child leads.

Whether a child communicates through movement, imagination, sensory play, silence, or storytelling, their way of being is respected and valued. The therapist joins the child in their world, creating a relationship built on safety, curiosity, and acceptance.

When children feel truly seen and understood, their nervous systems can begin to settle, their confidence grows, and their authentic selves have space to emerge.

08/03/2026

Play is how children make sense of their world.

What may look like “just playing” is often a child:
• Exploring big feelings
• Re-enacting experiences
• Testing out relationships
• Finding ways to feel safe and in control

In play therapy, play becomes the child’s language.

Not all children have the words to explain what’s happening inside them, but through play, they can show us.

A safe, attuned therapist joins the child in their world, offering acceptance, consistency, and understanding. Within this relationship, children can begin to process experiences, develop regulation, and build resilience.

Play is not a break from learning or healing…

It is the process.

08/03/2026

Lev Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) describes the space between what a child can manage on their own and what they can achieve with the support of a safe, attuned adult.

It is within this “in-between space” that the most meaningful learning and development takes place.

In play therapy, this idea is central.
Children don’t need to be taught or directed, instead, they are gently supported through a therapeutic relationship that meets them exactly where they are.

Through play, the therapist provides:
• Emotional scaffolding – helping children name, express and regulate feelings
• Relational safety – offering a consistent, attuned presence
• Developmental support – enabling children to explore experiences just beyond their current capacity

This might look like:
- A child who cannot yet talk about their worries, but can show them through play
- A child who feels overwhelmed, but begins to regulate with co-regulation support
- A child who tests boundaries, and learns that relationships can remain safe and consistent

Over time, what was once only possible with support becomes something the child can carry within themselves.

The ZPD reminds us that growth doesn’t happen in isolation;
it happens through connection, attunement, and play.

08/03/2026

At the heart of his theory is the idea that children learn best through relationships, social interaction, and play. He introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) – the space between what a child can do on their own and what they can achieve with the support of a safe, attuned adult.

In play, children naturally step into this zone.

They explore roles, express feelings, test boundaries, and make sense of their world.
For play therapists, this is where the magic happens. ✨

Through a trusting therapeutic relationship, we offer scaffolding; gently supporting the child’s emotional and developmental growth at their own pace.

Within the safety of the playroom, children are not just “playing”…

They are:
• Processing experiences
• Developing regulation
• Building confidence
• Strengthening relationships

Vygotsky reminds us that healing and growth happen in connection.

07/03/2026

Play is not “just play.”

It is a child’s natural language and a powerful vehicle for emotional expression, communication, and healing.

Through play, children can:
• express feelings they may not yet have words for
• process difficult or overwhelming experiences
• explore relationships and build trust
• develop emotional regulation and resilience

Play Therapy provides a safe, consistent, and attuned space where children can work through challenges at their own pace, supported by a trained professional.

✨ When we honour play, we honour the child’s voice.

07/03/2026

For those of us working with children, the early stages are especially important. In infancy, children are developing a sense of trust and learning whether the world feels safe and predictable. As they grow, they begin to seek independence, testing their autonomy and developing a sense of control. During the preschool years, children explore initiative through play, building confidence and purpose. As they move into the primary years, they begin to compare themselves to others, developing a sense of competence — or, at times, feelings of inferiority.

In the playroom, these stages are not just theoretical — they are lived out through play. We may see a child testing whether the space and the therapist feel safe, exploring control and independence, expressing worries about getting things “wrong”, or striving for mastery and becoming frustrated when something feels too difficult.

Through a safe, consistent and attuned relationship, children are able to revisit and repair these developmental stages.
Erikson’s theory reminds us that children’s behaviours often reflect underlying developmental needs, rather than simply being seen as “difficult behaviour”. When we respond with attunement, consistency and acceptance, we support children to move forward with a stronger sense of safety, confidence and identity.

07/03/2026

Erik Erikson was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst whose work continues to shape how we understand children’s emotional and social development today.

He introduced the idea that we move through a series of psychosocial stages across the lifespan, each centred around a key question — Am I safe? Can I do things for myself? Am I capable? Do I belong?
These aren’t questions children necessarily ask out loud, but they are expressed through behaviour, relationships and, importantly, through play.

In the playroom, we often see children revisiting these developmental stages:
✨ Testing whether adults can be trusted
✨ Exploring independence and control
✨ Working through feelings of shame or guilt
✨ Building a sense of competence and self-worth

Play provides a safe, developmentally appropriate way for children to explore and make sense of these experiences.
Erikson’s work reminds us that development happens within relationships.

As play therapists, we offer a consistent, attuned and emotionally safe space where children can express themselves freely, process their experiences and begin to heal.

🌿 Development isn’t always linear and that’s okay. With the right support, children can revisit earlier stages and move forward with greater confidence, resilience and a stronger sense of self.

09/02/2026

We don’t give children directions. Huh? Why? We help them find their own. Children are born with an internal system that helps them make sense of the world: their feelings, body cues, curiosity, and instincts. In play therapy, we trust that system.

When adults constantly direct children (what to feel, how to respond, what choice to make) children may comply, but they don’t learn how to decide. They learn how to look outside themselves for answers.

When we slow down and allow children to explore, struggle a little, and notice their own signals (with a safe adult nearby), something important happens:
They build self-trust; They learn emotional awareness; They develop confidence in their own judgment.

This doesn’t mean children are left alone or without boundaries. It means adults provide safety, structure, and relationship, while children practice choice, voice, and agency.

In play therapy, direction comes from within the child, not imposed from outside. Over time, this helps children: Regulate emotions more effectively; Solve problems independently; Navigate relationships with greater confidence.

We don’t remove guidance. We shift it from control to connection. And from that connection, an inner compass begins to form.

09/02/2026

06/02/2026

This year, we are taking a global tour 🌍 and we want to see your healing space. We have a lovely photo from Play Therapy with Karen Hammond's playroom based in Norwich, UK.

® Play Therapy with Karen Hammond International Consortium of Play Therapy Associations