Podcast Description:

This week, we are pondering the fascinating world of play—specifically, can play be learned? Over the past few weeks and months of recording, we've been reflecting on how play happens with children, babies and adults. We’ll start by looking at the early stages of life—how even before birth, the unborn child begins to interact with the world around them. From there, we'll explore how play unfolds in early childhood and how, as we grow, we may discover new ways to play and embrace a playful mindset. This is from our own perspective not as experts but as adults who enjoy play both in our personal and professional.

We’ll also ask if play is something we can relearn later in life. Can we rediscover playful ways of being in the world and develop new play skills, or is it something we experience through lived moments with others? Is play something that’s taught, or is it more of an embodied experience we share and pass on to others?

Join us as we unpack the beginnings of play and whether it’s something we can learn or simply experience as we move through life.

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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 the importance of having toys, books and figures in psychology to support her aspirations. She gave a beautiful insight into her childhood growing up in the west midlands, in a big family and how she and her siblings continue the traditions of play.

Dr Mayers has a private practice, and she explained about EMDR and attachment trauma and how this can support adults in their everyday lives.

Website: https://www.mayerspsychology.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayerspsychology/

Dr Chanae Mayers is a passionate Senior Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Therapist,
specialising in trauma and attachment difficulties. She has over 5 years’ experience working
with children, young people and families within the care system. She is trained in several
therapeutic approaches including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
(EMDR), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and many more, helping clients to
process complex emotional experiences, build resilience and develop healthy attachment
relationships.
Driven by a passion for trauma-informed care, Dr Mayers’ private practice stems from
wanting to support adults who have experienced significant childhood trauma. Through her
work, she highlights the substantial impact of unprocessed trauma on interpersonal
relationships, friendships and professional lives. Her mission is to raise awareness of
developmental trauma and its biological impact, understanding how this leads to attachment
difficulties and impacts mental health.
Dr Mayers is deeply committed to black mental health, understanding the stigma and
barriers to accessing services within the black community. She is an advocate for addressing
intergenerational trauma, racial trauma, and the systemic challenges that contribute to
mental health disparities. Her published Thesis, Exploring the Experiences of Black Men
Through the Decision-Making Process in Secure Settings: A Qualitative Study, featured in
The Journal of Black Psychology, highlights the experiences of black men in secure inpatient
services. The study focused on biased decision-making processes related to conflict
management and their impact on black male service users. It highlights how these decisions
affect care, including seclusion, the use of restraint, and the application of the Mental Health
Act.
Dr Mayers is also dedicated to mentoring aspiring Clinical Psychologists, particularly those
from minority backgrounds. Having faced her own struggles seeing few professionals who
reflected her identity, she is passionate about reducing the barriers to entry for
underrepresented groups in Clinical Psychology and increasing diversity within the field.

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Podcast Episode Description:

In this week’s episode, Philippa and Julie ponder the role that everyday things can play in fostering connection and playfulness within families. They explore how simple, daily moments can create meaningful rituals, promote connection, and offer a playful approach to life. Sharing personal stories from their own families, they discuss how incorporating playfulness into the ordinary can help with emotional regulation, especially on those days when things feel a little tricky. Tune in for some thoughtful insights on turning the everyday into an opportunity for joy and connection.

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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 love of Sylvanian families and how she wanted to move away from corporate life and spend more time with her children and family.

Vicki shares the excitement that little people get from role-playing real-life experiences, and how this develops connection and shared joy with parents, caregivers, and the staff themselves. The mobile city is inclusive and diverse and the staff adapt sessions to support the communities and groups that are accessing them from all over the country.

Website: https://www.littlecityuk.com/

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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-parent violence. In today’s episode, we explore the complex relationship between a child’s anger, rage, and violence, and how these behaviors can fit into the broader context of their development. While it’s normal for children to experience intense emotions at different stages of their growth, for some families, these aggressive behaviors can escalate and become a source of fear and isolation.

The question we’re pondering today is whether play can play a role in addressing these challenges. Can it serve as a therapeutic tool during moments of heightened aggression? How can play be woven into the parent-child relationship to foster connection and help manage emotions during difficult times?

Join us as we explore how play, in its many forms, might support moments of connection, understanding, and strengthening bonds between parents and children facing these struggles

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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 stepchildren, birth children, and a huge amount of, grandchildren, at least two football teams worth of grandchildren, along with, her husband, Brian, and they've been foster carers for 13 years. She shares how she has noticed the huge role play has in fostering, especially when caring for children who've maybe experienced trauma or adversity. Sometimes they can get some muddles and can be quite fizzy and have quite a difficult time expressing their feelings or thoughts and play can really help them to come through some of that and remain connected and together even if they can't work out the muddles.

But play can keep them as a family that connected, and keep them moving forward.

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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 explore why rupture and repair are essential, not just for child development, but also for building strong relationships. The ability to repair is something that starts with adults modeling the process, as children need to experience and understand it before they can fully grasp the concept themselves. We also reflect on the nuances of saying sorry—does reconnection always need words? Is acknowledging a rupture essential for healing, or is there another way to mend? Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on the complexities of parent-child connection and the importance of repair.

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This week our guest is Hilary Kennedy. She is a leading developer of video interaction guidance called VIG in the UK, an educational psychologist and an honorary research associate at the University College of London. She has co-edited 2 books.

Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) is an intervention which builds positive relationships through filming and feedback sessions. It is a strengths-based, brief intervention that promotes attunement, sensitivity, and mentalization in relationships. The principles and practice can be used to work within any relationship.

https://www.videointeractionguidance.net/what-is-vig

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/video-interaction-guidance-a-relationship-based-intervention-to-promote-attunement-empathy-and-wellbeing-miriam-landor/4731563?ean=9781849051804

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