Angéla’s fee is €75 per session
Psychotherapy Training and Accreditation
Angéla is a trainee psychotherapist (MA in creative psychotherapy, humanistic and integrative modality) specialising in Child and Adolescent play therapy. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Child and Adolescent Play Therapy from the Children’s Therapy Center (CTC) (QQI certified, Level 9) and a BA (Hons) Degree in Early Years Education from Technological University Dublin (TUD).
She has completed training in suicide intervention (ASIST) and approaches to working with self-harm (USH). Angéla is a pre-accredited therapist with the Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP) and strictly adheres to their code of ethics.
Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Approach
Angéla’s training and approach are humanistic and integrative. The Play Therapy Room provides a therapeutic setting where children and adolescents can freely express themselves in a developmentally appropriate environment that welcomes their expression.
Children age 4 to 12 years old. In the Play Therapy room, children enter into a dynamic therapeutic relationship with the therapist that enables them to express themselves, explore and make sense of the world in which they live, and resolve any difficult or painful experiences through play.
Angéla believes the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the child is crucial for fostering developmental growth, trust, and healing. The language she uses is essential in helping the client feel safe and express their inner world.
Angéla tailors her therapeutic approaches to each child’s needs, utilizing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), the Embodiment-Projection-Role (EPR) model, Jungian analytical play therapy, and Erickson play therapy. Through these models, she offers a variety of creative activities, including art, drawing, painting, sensory play, dance, drama, storytelling, puppets, sand play, pretend play, play creations, and meditation.
Adolescents: early adolescents aged 11 to 14 years old/ middle adolescents aged 15 to 17 years old/late adolescents aged 18 to 24. Angéla’s work with adolescents involves facilitating creative activities and modalities tailored to each individual’s needs. These approaches help adolescents understand their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors in a safe and secure environment, allowing them to access their inner selves.
Angéla schedules intake and review sessions with parents to offer support, believing that partnering with parents is essential in the therapeutic journey.
Counselling Experience and Areas of Interest
Angéla has extensive experience in a community setting, addressing a wide range of issues including emotional and behavioral problems, communication difficulties, delayed or uneven development, learning challenges, relationship difficulties (parent/child/peer/siblings), family disruptions such as illness or divorce, grief or loss, chronic illness/hospitalization, bonding and attachment issues, anxiety, sadness, fear, panic, worry, bullying, low self-esteem, poor play skills, and ADHD.
She is passionate about working with parents to strengthen their bond with their children by offering creative skills and helping them become happier, healthier, and more fully themselves. Angéla is particularly interested in Daniel J. Siegel’s approach, which provides parents with parenting skills and a comprehensive understanding of their child’s whole brain.
Structure of Child Play Therapy
Angéla follows the following structure when engaging in Child and Adolescent Play Therapy:
- Parent Intake Session
- Depending on the case, there may be more than one parent intake session (2 or 3 sessions)
- Child and Adolescent Play Therapy sessions
- Parent consultation/review sessions after every six play therapy sessions
- The minimum number of play therapy sessions for a child or adolescent is between 12 to 15 sessions.
- A closing parent consultation session
