Child Therapy Toolbox

23/06/2026

Next online workshop for parents & teachers 😊

Anxiety is one of the most common challenges facing children and teens today.

Many anxious children become trapped in cycles of avoidance, reassurance-seeking and trying to control uncomfortable feelings. While these strategies may bring short-term relief, they often keep anxiety going in the long run.

Join me for this practical workshop where we’ll explore what anxiety really is, how it presents in children and teens, and what parents and teachers can do to help children build confidence, resilience and emotional flexibility.

You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of anxiety and practical strategies you can use immediately at home or in the classroom.

Option 1 - Evening ✨

Date: 28 July 2026
Time: 7pm - 8:30pm

Option 2 - Lunch time 🌞

Date: 5 August 2026
Time: 1pm - 2:30pm

Cost: R200pp

To register email [email protected]

23/06/2026

Working therapeutically with children and adolescents invites us not only to support growth and healing in others, but also to remain attuned, regulated, and grounded ourselves. Nature-based therapy offers a powerful way to do both.

Come and join me for the online Nature-Based Therapy Workshop with Children & Teens, designed for psychologists working with children and adolescents, including registered psychologists, intern psychologists, and community service psychologists.

Nature-based therapy draws on growing research highlighting the role of natural environments in nervous system regulation, emotional processing, attention, and restoration. Time spent in nature has been shown to reduce stress, support self-regulation, enhance emotional awareness, and foster a deeper sense of connection - benefits that extend to both clients and therapists. Nature Therapy also creates opportunities for self-esteem building, emotional expression,

This workshop explores how the natural environment can be thoughtfully and ethically integrated into therapeutic work with children and teens. Nature becomes more than a setting; it becomes a co-therapist - offering opportunities for symbolic play, sensory regulation, embodied exploration, reflection, and meaning-making.

Beyond its therapeutic value for clients, many practitioners find nature-based work deeply nourishing for themselves. Being outdoors invites us to slow down, reconnect with our own bodies and rhythms, and experience restoration alongside the children and adolescents we support.

We will explore how to use nature-based therapy in individual work, group settings, with children and their caregivers and families.

Workshop Details

Online Workshop

Date: 29th Jul, 2026

Time: 8:00 am – 3:30 pm.

Cost: R1100 pp

Presented by Lauren Snailham – Clinical Psychologist

HPCSA ACCREDITED for 6 CPD points for psychologists. Certificates of attendance can be provided for other mental health therapists/counsellors and social workers.

To register, please email [email protected]

19/06/2026

🎈🔨 Big feelings need somewhere to go.

One of the simplest activities in my play room has become one of the most loved.

The Balloon & Hammer activity was originally created to help younger children externalise uncomfortable emotions in a safe, contained and playful way. Instead of holding big feelings inside, children can express them through movement, play and laughter.

But what surprised me most was how many other therapeutic benefits emerged:

✨ Builds connection and rapport
✨ Encourages emotional identification
✨ Supports emotional regulation
✨ Develops focus and attention
✨ Creates opportunities for storytelling and imaginative play

Children love bouncing the balloon back and forth with an adult, often leading to lots of laughter and connection. Once their energy has settled, the balloons can be transformed into characters by drawing faces of family members, friends or important people in their lives and creating stories together.

Perfect for use at home, in the classroom or in the therapy room.

Sometimes the most effective therapeutic tools are also the simplest. 💛

Available from Child Therapy Toolbox.

10/06/2026

I recently had the privilege of joining Timothy Wood on The Natural You podcast to chat about nature-based play therapy, the power of play, and how simple moments of connection can strengthen our relationships with children. 😊🌈

As parents and caregivers, we often think we need the perfect words to help children open up. But for many children, talking isn’t their primary language of communication - play is.

When we sit in the garden together, build with sticks, kick a ball, draw in the sand, or simply share a playful moment, we create a safe and non-threatening space where children can relax, feel seen, and begin to share what’s happening in their world. Through play, children often reveal their dreams, worries, friendships, challenges, and joys in ways that feel natural to them. 🌸☀️🌳

Research consistently shows that secure, connected relationships are one of the strongest protective factors for children’s emotional wellbeing. When children feel safe, understood, and connected to their caregivers, they are more likely to develop healthy emotional regulation, resilience, and positive mental health outcomes.

In this conversation, we explore how nature, play, and everyday interactions can help us build these connections and support children’s emotional development.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast below:

Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-natural-you/id1663677306?i=1000771876093

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1dpZ8apxjCX6O58tC96xBF?si=Bz_uRs5ISvCHPNd7liq42w

YouTube:
https://youtu.be/fgQOyo3JUOg?si=jqLouK4njk-0xrE_

I’d love to hear your thoughts - what are some of your favourite ways to connect and play with the children in your life?

“Play may look simple, but connection is one of the most powerful tools we have to support children’s emotional wellbeing.”

Child Therapy Toolbox - http://www.childtherapytoolbox.co.za/Faceb...

09/06/2026

Working therapeutically with children and adolescents invites us not only to support growth and healing in others, but also to remain attuned, regulated, and grounded ourselves. Nature-based therapy offers a powerful way to do both.

I warmly invite you to join me for a Nature-Based Therapy Workshop with Children & Teens, designed for psychologists working with children and adolescents, including registered psychologists, intern psychologists, and community service psychologists.

Nature-based therapy draws on growing research highlighting the role of natural environments in nervous system regulation, emotional processing, attention, and restoration. Time spent in nature has been shown to reduce stress, support self-regulation, enhance emotional awareness, and foster a deeper sense of connection - benefits that extend to both clients and therapists.

This workshop explores how the natural environment can be thoughtfully and ethically integrated into therapeutic work with children and teens. Nature becomes more than a setting; it becomes a co-therapist - offering opportunities for symbolic play, sensory regulation, embodied exploration, reflection, and meaning-making.

Beyond its therapeutic value for clients, many practitioners find nature-based work deeply nourishing for themselves. Being outdoors invites us to slow down, reconnect with our own bodies and rhythms, and experience restoration alongside the children and adolescents we support.

Workshop Details

Online Workshop

Date: 29th Jul, 2026

Time: 8:00 am – 3:30 pm.

Cost: R1100 pp

Presented by Lauren Snailham – Clinical Psychologist

HPCSA ACCREDITED for 6 CPD points

To register, please email [email protected]

28/05/2026

FINAL REMINDER 📣

The ‘Lego Therapy with Children & Teens’ online workshop is taking place on Friday, 5 June | 08:30 – 16:00.

Lego Therapy is such a powerful and engaging intervention for working with children and adolescents - whether individually, in groups, or even family sessions.

It’s a familiar and non-threatening medium, so it naturally encourages communication, connection, emotional expression, problem-solving, cooperation, and creativity within the therapeutic space.

This practical workshop will explore ways to use Lego therapeutically across different ages and needs, with ideas that can be integrated directly into practice.

✅ HPCSA accredited for psychologists (6 CPD points)
✅ Certificates of attendance available for non-HPCSA attendees
✅ Practical, creative, and hands-on

If you would like to attend, please email me to register [email protected]

We would love to have you join us!

14/05/2026

What happens when overwhelm becomes chronic?

Many children today are not simply “stressed” for a moment - some are beginning to live in a constant state of pressure, emotional overload, anxiety, shutdown, or emotional dysregulation.

In this follow-on workshop from The Overloaded Child, we explore:

• The continuum from stress → psychological difficulties
• What is developmental vs concerning
• How overwhelm can develop into anxiety, mood difficulties, perfectionism, avoidance, and dysregulation
• What struggling children actually look like beneath the behaviour
• How parents and teachers can intervene earlier and more effectively

Because:

“Earlier understanding changes outcomes.”

✨ Join The Overwhelm Spectrum - an online workshop for parents and teachers.

✨ Two dates to choose from:
🗓 19 May (1:00–2:30pm)
🗓 20 May (7:00–8:30pm)

💻 Online | 💰 R200 pp

Presented by Lauren Snailham, Clinical Psychologist

📧 To register:
[email protected]

05/05/2026

Over time, we come to realise that children don’t always communicate through words - they communicate through play, symbols, and story.

Sand tray therapy offers a powerful way to access this world. It creates a safe, contained space where children and adolescents can express experiences, emotions, and inner conflicts that may be difficult to verbalise.

This upcoming workshop is designed to bridge both theory and practice. We’ll explore the foundational principles of sand tray therapy, while also engaging in hands-on, experiential learning so you leave with tools you can confidently use in your work.

Whether you’re working with trauma, emotional dysregulation, or simply supporting children’s expression and development, sand tray can be a deeply cathartic and insightful modality to integrate into your practice.

If you’re looking to deepen your therapeutic toolkit in a way that is both grounded and meaningful, I’d love for you to join us.

Feel free to reach out for more information or to book your place. Email [email protected]

HPCSA ACCREDITED 7 CPD points (for psychologists)
Certificate of attendance will be given to other professionals working therapeutically with children, if required.

30/04/2026

Take a look at these little ducks 🦆 sitting around a sponge 🧽

This is such a simple but powerful way to understand children’s emotional worlds.

Some children are like ducks - things roll off them easily, and they seem to move on quickly.

Other children are like sponges - they absorb everything around them: tone, tension, emotions, experiences.

Neither is “better.”

But when a sponge absorbs too much, it doesn’t mean the child is being difficult…

It means they are full.

And when children are full, it comes out as:
• big reactions
• meltdowns
• withdrawal
• frustration

Instead of asking,
“Why are they reacting like this?”

We can gently shift to:
“What have they absorbed… and how can I help them release it?”

Play, connection, storytelling (just like this), and feeling truly understood are some of the most powerful ways to help.

💛 Because every child deserves support for the way they experience the world.