Testimonials

My son’s school journey has been sadly a difficult one from the start and was only made more so after the interruption of Covid. His teacher at the time struggled with keeping on top of behavioural difficulties which made my son’s anxiety so high that he could no longer cope in the classroom environment, we had no choice but to home school.

Feeling very much on my own with his mental health struggles I decided to reach out for help and looked for a play therapist. The challenges at the time were clear as my son wouldn’t leave the house, experiencing huge waves of anxiety, so even getting to the therapeutic space was a struggle. Natasha was very understanding of this and reassured me that the process was already beginning with this first step.

After several weeks of difficult and what felt like sometimes impossible Saturday mornings to get to Natasha, we began to make it on time — and I’d often have to stay with my son before he felt comfortable to ‘play’. Gradually his therapeutic play became a healing modality and when things became too much once again to attend in person, he was given the option of conducting the sessions online which has been seamless and a successful way for him to carry on his therapy.

It has been almost two years since my son has been guided by Natasha and I’m pleased to say he’s back at school on a reduced timetable, enjoying his social time and is continuing to learn to work with his own anxieties in all situations that life brings to a 10-year-old.

There are several reasons I would recommend your child working with Natasha. She has an excellent knowledge of the school system and how it works. She is a trained primary school teacher and currently works in school settings as a play therapist in the Sussex area. Her knowledge proved vital for me as a parent as I had to appeal for a place back into the same school once we had elected to home educate.

Natasha was able to provide a report on my son’s progress at home, the reasons that his feelings should be honoured and her recommended guidelines for reintegration back into the school environment. Because of this we were successful in gaining a place and have been given an extended amount of time to give my son the incremental pace that he needed to feel safe and limit his tendencies to feel overwhelmed.

Natasha’s guidance has always been perfect and now my son is able to attend school every morning which has restored his confidence. He is able to express himself at school and at home with ease and is less likely to mask his feelings. The therapy has helped loosen the ties inside, helping him to approach situations feeling less critical and more open. He also has gained the ability to self-learn and is motivated and driven to follow his own interests — something I know he didn’t have access to prior to Natasha’s therapeutic work.

Natasha’s personality suited our family’s needs in terms of her warmth, humour and flexibility. With my son’s condition we needed all of these to help with the ups and downs. She can see the importance of the whole family’s well-being in the child’s wellness and has supported this throughout.

My child didn’t want to do anything without me before, but by allowing this natural want and need and inviting myself into the therapeutic space, our bond was given room to breathe. I cannot express how much I feel this was a major part of the wellness journey of our son.

Play therapy sessions with Natasha have supported our son when words were not possible, anxiety was high and self-confidence was low. My son is now continuing his journey of growing up, playing with friends and exploring his new independence with much less fear and I’m so grateful to have had the support of Natasha and her incredible work as a play therapist. I cannot recommend her enough.