Services offered
Play Therapy
Play Therapy helps children to explore their feelings and to make sense of things that have happened to them in their life. Playing is one of the ways that children learn. For children who have had torrid experiences Play Therapy allows them to express themselves freely in a safe and comfortable environment. The therapist helps the child to look at their emotional experiences, thoughts and feelings. The healing of stress, neglect and trauma occurs by stimulating a flow of contactful dialogue through a psychological and therapeutic intra personal relationship.
Psychotherapy and Counselling
Psychotherapy and counselling explores thoughts, feelings and behaviour to help people who have long-term or recurring problems to find the reason for their difficulties. It involves speaking about the past to help overcome problems that are happening in the present. There are different types of psychotherapy but all of them aim to help the client to understand more about him or herself.
Theraplay
Theraplay is a dyadic psychotherapy for two individuals: the child and her caregiver. The main focus of the therapy is to improve the relationship between adult and child through direct interactions between the two individuals. An additional unique feature of Theraplay is its focus on non-verbal communication. The use of voice, facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye contact, and rhythm communicates directly with a child’s right brain, that part of the brain which processes relational information, but which is non-verbal. It is accurate to say that Theraplay works on a “gut” level, imbuing safety and meaning into relationships through non-verbal communication sequences. Theraplay is a child and family treatment for enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement. It is based on the natural patterns of healthy interaction between parent and child, and is personal, physical, and fun. Theraplay interactions focus on four essential qualities found in parent-child relationships: Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge.
Because Theraplay works in the “here and now” at the pre-verbal, pre-symbolic level, it benefits children who are not developmentally or emotionally prepared for non-directive play therapy. In Theraplay the adult is in charge structuring the treatment, attuning and adjusting to the needs of the child, providing nurture and challenge. In this way, the child who is accustomed to being bossy and controlling has her familiar defence mechanisms challenged. An oppositional child usually believes that the world is an unsafe place, and he cannot count on anyone to take care of him. Theraplay’s directive model challenges these defences.
Theraplay sessions create an active and affective connection between the child and parents, resulting in a changed view of the self as worthy and lovable and of relationships as positive and rewarding. (Theraplay Institute 2012 http://www.theraplay.org)
Ideally A programme of true Theraplay involves a MIM (Marshack Interaction Method which is an assessment of the attachment the child has with each carer individually. The areas of Structure, Engagement, Nurture and Challenge are assessed. Once this has been assessed a full interview is conducted with parents to gain further insight and to inform them of findings.
From this point sessions of Theraplay are conducted with the therapist and the child in order to form a bond - ideally the carers can observe the sessions. After 3-4 sessions the carers are introduced initially separately and then together to participate in sessions. Carers are also introduced to the interactions prior to sessions so that they know what to expect. After every three sessions a meeting is held with carers to discuss the child’s and their progress.
An ideal programme of this type would take between 19-28 sessions.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
I am a member of Equine Assisted Growth and Learning (EAGALA) and use the EAGALA model to practice EAP.
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) is an in depth experience and is an innovative approach to therapeutic intervention. Horses are never ridden as all the work is done on the ground. The sessions are taken by a team which consists of me, a horse specialist and of course the horses. For more detailed information please see the EAP leaflet - follow this link to download a copy of a new leaflet detailing my work with Equine Assisted Psychotherapy.
Group Therapy
I use Group Therapy to provide therapeutic intervention to a small number of clients altogether. Being part of a group helps people with the same experiences realise that they are not alone. The group is specifically enabled to develop, explore and look at relationships within that group to find solutions to their problems.
Team Building
This approach is useful for teams of colleagues either in businesses or organisations. I utilise skills within Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) to create specific activities which promote team working, communication and leadership. Exercises can be tailored to your team’s specific objectives. Through EAP I use the relationship between the horse and client to enable communication and bonding in a team inspired way.
Testimonials
"I have been in primary education for 17 years and have worked with some extremely challenging children, who have required high levels of quality support for emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. That support has been provided for the last 5 years by Vicky Howden Green. The quality of her work is outstanding and the children who she sees adore her. Her professionalism is beyond question, and she supports the children, parents and teachers using her wealth of experience and knowledge. She effectively liaises with other agencies, is always prepared and punctual, and provides detailed, helpful reports about her work. I highly recommend Vicky Howden Green to other schools, which require a range of counselling services because she is fully committed to the welfare of the children she works with and the school she is working in."
L.Hatch SENCo Greenlands County Primary school
"It has been a very positive experience for school to work with Mrs Howden Green, an outside agency offering play therapy, she is reliable and consistent. The children thoroughly enjoy their sessions and are keen to work with her; J went off to his sessions quite happily. Communication and questionnaires are encouraged between staff, parents and the pupil to identify the behaviours/emotions of the pupil in different settings and an end of unit report written."
JL SENCo Aughton School
"Vicky has been working in our school now for well over five years.
We obviously do have a very focused approach to all of our work with a high emphasis on monitoring and evaluation.
Vicky has worked not only with not only some very demanding pupils here over the years but also with some incredibly challenging families.
In all of my time working with Vicky, she always exhibits a very calming persona, she is very conscientious and is just determined to do a very effective
worthwhile job.
I have shared some of the strategies that Vicky devised when she has been counselling the children with representatives of the LEA. These strategies have helped to unearth some fascinating explanations as to just why certain children behave and react like they do.
I would recommend Vicky to any organisation looking to provide the highest quality play therapy."
M Charnock Headteacher
Greenlands C P School
Bereavement
Bereavement is a very difficult time and often by talking about losing someone it helps the person left behind to adjust to their new circumstances. So that people can move forward and cope with their loss it is better not to keep the sadness to themselves and locked inside. Bottling feelings up can prolong the agony. Therapy helps clients to express their emotions and to gradually carry on with their lives.
Anger Management
Anger management is aimed at reducing the feelings and outbursts that anger creates. Learning how to recognise and express anger in the correct way helps people to manage and control their reactions.
Consultation
I am available to attend meetings either to discuss your needs further or to provide advice on how to move forward with your difficulties. If you would like to discuss any issues with me or ask for advice please contact me by using the form on my web site, by email cpoffice2015@gmail.com or ring my mobile 07821 480182.