Pondering Play and Therapy Podcast
Episodes
EP64 Bridging Childhood Trauma and Therapeutic Practices; A conversation with Sarah Dillon.
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Philippa Kelly speaks with Sarah Dillon, consultant psychotherapist and head of therapeutic services for True Fostering and Safer Fostering, about how...
EP 63 Inside Sheffield Children's Hospital; Play, Therapy and Healing; A conversation with Joanna Blundell Jones
17 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Julie welcomes clinical psychologist and Theraplay practitioner Joanna Blundell Jones, who works at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in paediatric onco...
EP62 When Adults Push Back - Therapy Resistances;
27 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Philippa and Julie continue their conversation on resistance, focusing on the adults around a child—parents, carers, and professionals—and how “...
EP61 Magic, Mindfulness and Mimes. Transformative play with Marneta Viegas
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Philippa interviews Marneta Viegas, founder of Relax Kids, which began 25 years ago as the UK’s first company offering children’s relaxation and m...
EP60 Understanding Resistance - A Deep Dive into Child and Therapist Dynamics
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Philippa and Julie introduce the first episode in a two-part series on resistance, focusing here on children and young people in therapy (with a follo...
EP59 Exploring Therapeutic Life Story Work with Katie Wrench
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Philippa talks with Katie Wrench, a social worker, psychotherapist, head of service at BUSS, and an aut...
EP58 Exploring the Journey to becoming a Clinical Psychologist. A conversation with Oliver
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' host Philippa welcomes Oliver, a trainee clinical psychologist. They discuss the extensive ...
EP57 Healing Journeys; In Conversation with Kim Golding
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, host Philippa interviews Kim Golding, CBE, a clinical psychologist, author, and expert in dyadic develo...
EP56 Towards a Play-Based Future - Eugene Minogue's Journey with Play England
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The State of Play in England: A Deep Dive with Eugene Minogue, Executive Director of Play EnglandWelcome to this week's episode of Pondering Play...
EP54 The Heart of Justice - Child First Approach. A conversation with Ruth Hayles
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' Philippa interviews Ruth Hayles, service lead for Contextual Safeguarding and Youth Justice...
EP55 The Essence of Play - Nurturing Development in Children
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' Philippa and Julie explore the concept of 'just playing' in therapeutic contexts....
EP53 Behind the Quiet Child - Play Therapy for Young Carers; An Interview with Frankie
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' host Julie interviews Frankie, a recent graduate with a master's degree in play therap...
The Therapeutic Treasure Box: Insights from Dr. Karen Treisman
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding Trauma in Children: Insights from Dr. Karen Treisman | Pondering Play and TherapyWelcome to this week's episode of Pondering Play a...
EP51 - Stories of self-doubt and Imposter Syndrome; Julie interviews Philippa
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' Julie interviews Philippa Kelly about her career journey in play therapy with children and ...
EP50 One year and 50 Episodes - Lessons Learned
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the milestone 50th episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' Philippa and Julie reflect on their podcast journey over the past year. They ...
EP 49 Exploring the Role of Play in Northern Ireland: A conversation with Alan Herron
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Julie hosts Alan Herron, CEO of Play Board Northern Ireland. They discuss the organisation’s 40-year ...
EP 48 The Power of the Theatre: A Conversation with Sara Amanda
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Philippa interviews Sarah Amanda, a relationship manager for the Arts Council England and a playwright,...
EP47 Exploring Professional Love in Therapy and Teaching; A conversation with Julie
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, host Philippa interviews her co-host Julie about her diverse career path. Julie shares her ...
EP46 Parenting the Child in Front of You; A Conversation with Dr Vanessa La pointe
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting Insights with Dr. Vanessa LapontJoin Philippa in this illuminating episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy' as she sits down with D...
EP45 School Anxiety; A Conversation with Claire
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy' with Philippa, guest Claire discusses the growing issue of school anxiety among children. Th...
EP44 Finding your Inner Child with Play - A conversation with Greg
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy', host Philippa interviews Greg, an author and child advocate from 'Can I Go and Play No...
EP43 What is Play Therapy? - Julie and Philippa in Conversation
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' Philippa and Julie delve into the essence of play therapy. They discuss the common misconce...
EP42 Empathy and Attachment: A conversation with Dr Sharon Giblin
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy', host Philippa welcomes Dr. Sharon Giblin, a consultant clinical psychologist wi...
EP41 Balancing Education Practices - Structure Learning Vs Free Play
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy' with Philippa, the guest is Charlotte Booth, the owner of Leek Play Hub and form...
EP40 Navigating Therapeutic Support in Fostering; and Interview with Jaid Bennett
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 39 – Navigating Therapeutic Support in Fostering with Jaid BennettIn this episode, Philippa is joined by Jaid Bennett, Deputy Regional Manag...
EP 39 Exploring play and Symbolism in Therapy
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Philippa and Julie dive into the concepts of play and symbolism in therapeutic settings. They discuss h...
EP38 Play Therapy and Animal-assistance- Insights from Jasmine Williams
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
 Play Therapy and Animal-Assistance with Jasmine WilliamsIn this episode, Philippa is joined by Jasmine Williams, a play therapist, teen counsellor, ...
EP37 Building Underdeveloped Sensory Systems an interview with Sarah Lloyd
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, our host welcomes Sarah Lloyd, a consultant occupational therapist and play therapist, who introduces h...
EP36 Play and Creative Arts; an Interview with Peppy Hills
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy', Philippa is joined by Peppy Hills, a multifaceted professional with extensive t...
EP35 Pondering Review - The Honour of the Last Seven Months
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join hosts Julie and Philippa as they reflect on the last seven months of 'Pondering Play and Therapy' podcast. They discuss their experienc...
EP34 Play and Play Therapy in Bangladesh; An interview with Mostak Imran
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Julie from South London welcomes Mostak from Dhaka, Bangladesh. They discuss their shared qualification...
EP33 Play and NVR; an Interview with Penny Willis
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Philippa welcomes Penny from NVR Northampton to delve into the concept of Nonviolent Resist...
EP32 Play and Neurodiversity
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Julie as she interviews Simon Airey and they delve into the intersection of neurodiversity and play. In this episode, Simon shares his personal e...
Ep31 Play and Criminal Justice an Interview with Joe Franks.
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' host Philippa welcomes Joseph Franks, a veteran in the field of mental health nursing since...
Ep30 Play and Child against parent aggression; an interview with Matt.
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, host Philippa welcomes Matt, a senior practitioner at CAPA First Response. Matt shares his expertise on...
Ep29 Play and Residential Care; an interview with Angela Griffiths
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' host Philippa interviews Angela Griffith, a registered social worker and independent social...
Ep28 Play and the nervous system; an interview with Charlotte Jenkins
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering and Play Therapy, host Philippa Kelly interviews Charlotte Jenkins, founder of Beacon Family Services and co-founder of t...
Ep27 Play and Online games; an interview with Jessica McLauglin
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' the host converses with Jessica McLaughlin, a senior creative director with 20 years of exp...
Ep26 The child's right to play; an interview with Marguerite Hunter Blair OBE DL
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, Philippa interviews Marguerite Hunter Blair, OBE, the Chief Executive of Play Scotland. Marguerite disc...
Ep25 Play and Sand Tray; An interview with Marshall Lyles
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast Episode Description:This week on the podcast, I'm joined by Marshall Lyles, an expert in using sand tray therapy to support children, adu...
EP24 Play and Schools
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' Philippa and Julie dive into the critical role of play within school environments. They dis...
Ep23 Play and Attachment; an interview with Colby Pearce
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast Description: This week, I had the privilege of interviewing Colby Pearce, who shares his wealth of experience working with care-experienced fa...
EP22 Play and Poverty
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, hosts Julie and Philippa explore how poverty affects children's ability to engage in play. They di...
Ep21 Play, Mental Health and CBT; An interview with Claire
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this week's episode of Pondering Play and Therapy. Claire, a clinical service lead for CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Servi...
Ep20 Play and Traditions
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, hosts Philippa and Julie ponder the playful traditions that shape who we are—past and present. From cherished family games...
Ep19 Play in an American Private Practice; an interview with Mandy Jones
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast Episode Description:In this insightful episode, we sit down with Mandy Jones, a skilled therapist, based in Chicago, who shares her expertise ...
Ep18 Play and the impact of disadvantaged communities
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of 'Pondering Play and Therapy,' hosts Julie and Philippa discuss the significant reduction of play spaces for children and ...
Ep17 Play and Cheerleading; an Interview with Tilly and Sarah
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Pondering Play and Therapy, the podcast where we ponder the worlds of play, passion, and personal growth. In today’s episode, we have the...
Ep16 Play and can it be learnt?
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast Description:This week, we are pondering the fascinating world of play—specifically, can play be learned? Over the past few weeks and months ...
Ep15 Play, The Importance of representation and EMDR; An interview with Dr Chanae Mayers
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It was an honour to interview Dr Mayers and hear about her journey to becoming a clinical psychologist. She talked about her experience of play and th...
Ep14 Play and Everyday Things
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast Episode Description:In this week’s episode, Philippa and Julie ponder the role that everyday things can play in fostering connection and pla...
Ep13 Play and Little City; An interview with Vicki Fletcher
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Philippa interviews Vicki, the founder of Little City, which is a mobile role-play centre for little people. She shares her l...
Ep12 Play and Child on Parent Violence
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to this week’s episode of Pondering Play and Therapy, where Julie and Philippa think about an important and often difficult topic—child-to...
Ep11 Play and Fostering and Interview with Venny
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Philippa's guest for this episode is Venny, who shares her experience as a foster carer and how important play is when fostering. She also has st...
Ep10 Play, Rupture and Repair - Part 2
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode, part two of our Rupture and Repair series, we ponder how play and playfulness can be a key role in the process of repair. We...
Ep9 Play and Video Interaction Guidance; an interview with Hilary Kennedy
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
 This week our guest is Hilary Kennedy. She is a leading developer of video interaction guidance called VIG in the UK, an educational psychologist an...
Ep8 Play, Rupture and Repair - Part 1
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
 This week, we are exploring how play relates to the concepts of rupture and repair within relationships, particularly focusing on the bond between a...
Ep7 Play and Parental Guilt
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we will ponder the feelings of guilt experienced by parents, caregivers, grandparents, and adults. A listener's question about the lac...
Ep6 When play becomes frightening
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Julie and Philippa ponder when the play becomes frightening. They consider the role of rough-and-tumble play, how it can be part of childhood, and whe...
Ep5 Differences V's Expectations in play
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Julie and Philippa ponder when play doesn't appear to be within the expected typical development. Considering neurodiversity and their experience...
Ep4 Filling in the Gaps with Play
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Julie and Philippa ponder when children and young people ‘regress’ in play, thinking about how this can ‘fill in early life gaps’. P...
Ep3 Play and Pets
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Julie and Philippa ponder how pets and animals can at times help children, young people and adults. Whether this is in everyday life,...
Ep2 Play and Safety
29 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Julie and Philippa ponder can play help us find our way back to safety if we are feeling unsafe. Do we need to be safe to play? They ponder relational...
Ep1 - First Ponderings
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the very first episode of Pondering Play and Therapy. Julie and Philippa share their journey to creating this first episode, their hopes for t...