Pondering Play and Therapy Podcast

In a world where play can be seen as frivolous or unnecessary, Julie and Philippa set out to explore its importance in our everyday lives. Pondering play and therapy, both separately but also the inter-connectedness that play can in its own right be the very therapy we need. Julie and Philippa have many years of experience playing, both in their extensive professional careers and their personal lives. They will share, ponder, and discuss their experiences along the way in the hope that this might invite others to join in playfulness.

Pondering Play and Therapy Podcast is a health podcast hosted by Julie and Philippa, with 81 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Julie and Philippa hosts Pondering Play and Therapy Podcast, a health show with 81 episodes published.

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  Episode #5

  Pathways to Recovery: Lee Smith on Reforming Children's Mental Health

  Oct 2, 202656 minS2

  Philippa interviews Lee Smith, a mental health nurse with 30 years’ experience in Tier 4 inpatient children’s services, whose NHS roles included ward management, clinical specialist and consultant posts. Lee describes entering nursing via an interest in psychology, working in forensic CAMHS, and helping rehabilitate highly detained young people through structured leave and relationship-based work. He explains CAMHS tiers 1–4, the emergence of psychiatric intensive care units, and how detention under the Mental Health Act operates. Lee and his late wife Beverly Cyrus founded Cove Care (2008–2025), a specialist residential step-down service integrating mental health and social care, supporting about 300 young people with high staffing ratios and clinical input to prevent readmission. He discusses “contamination” and institutionalisation, the value of creative therapies and play, and a patented flexible inpatient unit design with integrated pathways. After Beverly’s death in 2023, Lee sold Cove to ResiCare Alliance in 2025 and now consults in the West Midlands. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-smith-a143926a/ Send us Fan Mail Instagram, Facebook, | Linktree

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  Episode #4

  Beyond the Behavior: Understanding Trauma with Compassion. Dr Lisa Cherry

  Sep 25, 202653 minS2

  In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, host Philippa interviews Dr. Lisa Cherry—author, speaker, researcher, and consultant—about trauma, adversity, attachment, and compassionate responses to behavior. Cherry shares how her childhood experiences of trauma, being in care, emotional neglect, school exclusion, and homelessness shaped her commitment to social justice and a career spanning residential care, leaving-care teams, education, and independent work. She discusses sustaining oneself through rest and boundaries to avoid feeling “trauma-drenched,” and distinguishes trauma-aware from trauma-informed practice, emphasizing systemic support for staff. Cherry introduces a framework of belonging, mattering, and liminality, arguing people in “in-between” transitions need to be held to prevent destructive targeting and exploitation. She describes what trauma-informed relationships feel like—safety and acceptance—and reflects on challenges in schools. She also highlights her books, including Squirrel’s Search For Love, written during her multiple myeloma diagnosis, and upcoming titles on belonging and children entering care. About Dr Lisa Cherry | Discover Trauma-Informed Solutions 2027 conference - https://www.lisacherry.co.uk/conference-2027 Send us Fan Mail Instagram, Facebook, | Linktree

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  Episode #2

  From Aggression to Expression: A Play Therapist's Journey. A conversation with Jeanne McLaughlin

  Sep 11, 20261h 9mS2

  Host Julie interviews Glasgow-based play therapist and With Kids trainer Jeanne McLaughlin about children’s play involving death, dying, and violent themes, based on McLaughlin’s workshop “How to Die Well in the Playroom.” McLaughlin shares her career path into play therapy, With Kids’ work in schools and its MSc training with Queen Margaret University, and why she avoids the term “aggressive play,” reframing it as high-energy play linked to underdeveloped sensory and regulation systems. She describes how children can self-regulate and negotiate rules (e.g., sword-fighting), how reduced free play and adult intervention affect children, and how therapists/parents should set clear, shame-free boundaries based on tolerance and triggers. They discuss literal vs metaphorical “deaths” in play, transitional play like harming baby dolls, play as regulation even in adversity, and the importance of grounding and transitioning children out of intense play at session end. Send us Fan Mail Instagram, Facebook, | Linktree

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  Episode #1

  Unlocking the Sandbox: Therapy Through Play. A conversation with Margot Sunderland.

  Sep 4, 202646 minS2

  Margot Sunderland joins Philippa in this weeks episode of Pondering Play and Theraplay. The conversation explores how “burying” in sandplay can mean different things, from hiding feelings to gaining control, and emphasizes therapist curiosity about what symbols mean for each child. It contrasts direct responses (“Does this feel like something in your life?”) with indirect, metaphor-based approaches for children who cannot or will not talk about feelings, noting metaphor can be more digestible and reduce fight/flight/freeze. A supervision example describes five-year-old Ella, who witnessed domestic violence and uses Pull-Ups while carefully disposing of them; the behavior is framed as protecting her mother from dangerous feelings. A therapeutic story about a tortoise, lilies, and an angry cat models empathy and safety, inviting sandplay responses to process rage and unmet needs. The speakers discuss naming feelings, creating narrative, and training/resources offered via the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education and related books and cards. Send us Fan Mail Instagram, Facebook, | Linktree

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  Pondering Play and Therapy Podcast

  EP77 Therapeutic Journeys: Q&A with Listener Becky Webb

  Jul 24, 20261h 2m

  Philippa and Julie close the UK summer term with a Q&A episode featuring listener and play therapist Becky Webb, who shares her career path and asks about working therapeutically during family transitions and around bereavement. They discuss moving beyond blanket rules about waiting for stability or set time periods, focusing instead on assessment, goals, and providing supportive, relational therapy without necessarily doing deep trauma processing, while also supporting “big people” and other professionals around the child. They explore how to respond when children bring trauma into the room, the importance of titrating and ending sessions regulated, and using clear, shared language about death to address misunderstandings and self-blame. A listener question covers when and why sessions are recorded (training, therapy play, video analysis, ethics and confidentiality). They share practical “backup” regulation activities and announce an August break, returning the first Friday of September. Send us Fan Mail Instagram, Facebook, | Linktree

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