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Lee Matthews

Play Therapy

Meet the team

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Lee Matthews

Certified Play and Creative Arts Therapist and Clinical Supervisor

Lee is a Certified Play and Creative Arts Therapist and Clinical Supervisor. She has worked with children and parents for the past 25 years.

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Lee is a Certified Play and Creative Arts Therapist and Clinical Supervisor.

She has worked with children and parents for the past 25 years. Her background is in education. Lee has had a special interest in children’s mental health and parenting, since graduating in 2000. She has attended numerous conferences and workshops pertaining to this area. Lee is continuing her studies towards her Masters in Play Therapy.

In her private practice, she offers play therapy for children and consulting for parents and caregivers as well as works with children at a local school. Lee combines theoretical knowledge, practical skills and personal qualities of warmth, acceptance and non-judgement to build a positive therapeutic relationship with her clients.

Lee is passionate about attachment, developmental trauma and neuroscience, so these theories underpin a lot of her work. She has completed her Level one Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy, Integrated Attachment Family Training and Sand Tray training. She has a special interest in working with adoption, foster, loss, anxiety and trauma cases. She also offers attachment therapy and integrative attachment family therapy. Lee is a clinical supervisor and offers clinical supervision to play therapists and other mental health practitioners.

For the safety of the children, Lee always ensures that she meets the following requirements:

An up-to-date clear police check
Receives clinical supervision of her play therapy work
Works to the PTI/PTUK ethical framework
Has Private Practice Insurance
Regular CPD training

Lee is registered and accredited by the Play Therapy International (PTI), Play Therapy United Kingdom (PTUK) and Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC)

PTI

Play Therapy International membership number: 202104776

PTUK

Play Therapy United Kingdom

APAC

Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy

Helpful Tips for Parents

The journey of Play Therapy is new and unfamiliar to many families.

Here are some guidelines:

When bringing your child for their play therapy session, it is important to convey your support for their therapeutic process. You can communicate this to them by staying nearby while they are having their session.
The best thing to say before a session is something along the lines of, “I’ll be right here in the car waiting for you while you are busy in the playroom”. This supportive and neutral comment does not put any expectations on them in terms of what to do or how to behave.
Please avoid saying things like “have fun” or “be good”, as the therapy space is quite different from many other environments your child may experience during their day. Therapy sessions can be intense and emotional. Your child does not have to “be good” in the playroom as it is more important for them to be able to express any and all emotions.
After your child’s session, it is best to be available and present for them. Allow them to share whatever they would like to about their session (this may be nothing or a lot of things). Avoid the temptation to ask too many questions such as “did you have a nice time?” or “what did you play with?”.
Some children find it difficult to part from their parent / carer when going into therapy sessions. Please offer your child a day’s preparation for going to therapy.
Your child will be easily distracted if he / she hears your voice or vehicle during a session. Please be mindful of this.
Please be mindful of the space for your child and do not discuss any concerns about your child with the therapist in your child’s presence.

Here are some helpful resources to learn more about play therapy:

Frequently asked questions

Play therapy is a form of therapy where children use toys and play to express their emotions and experiences, allowing them to process difficult feelings in a safe and natural way, especially when they might not be able to verbalize them fully. Play is a child’s natural way of expressing themselves, and play therapy provides them with an opportunity to ‘play out’ their thoughts, feelings and problems in a safe environment. It is a gentle, yet profoundly effective process that builds therapeutic rapport while nurturing overall emotional well- being.

· To respect themselves · That their feelings are acceptable · To express their feelings responsibly · To assume responsibility for themselves · To be creative and resourceful in confronting problems · Self-control and self-direction · To accept themselves · To make choices and to be responsible for their own choices.

About the Play Therapy Process:

While some play therapy approaches might be more directive, most therapists primarily observe and follow the child's lead in their play, providing support and interpretation as needed. I follow a integrative holistic child centred approach. An integrative holistic child-centered approach to play therapy prioritizes the child's well-being and development by utilizing a combination of different play therapy techniques and perspectives, while focusing on the child's individual needs and experiences. This approach views the child as a whole, considering emotional, social, and spiritual aspects, rather than just addressing specific problems.