Meet the Play Therapist

My name is Claire Walsh and I come from Summerhill in Co.Meath.  I originally did my honours degree in Early Childhood Education with DIT and worked in a range of pre-schools, creches, an ASD preschool, and a Barnardos Preschool over a period of 10 years. Through these experiences, I discovered that I had a special interest in helping children with challenging behaviours and big emotions. I wanted to further my knowledge around this and through my own research, I discovered Play Therapy.  I was fascinated with learning a creative method of therapy to help children who really needed it.

In 2018, I began studying for my Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills and progressed onto the Post Graduate Diploma in Practice Based Play Therapy  with APAC. These courses are accredited by PTUK/PTIRL and NUI Galway. As part of my studies, I completed clinical hours in both schools and a family resource centre where I worked with children with a variety of issues such as ASD, ADHD, bereavement, parental separation, anxiety and domestic violence to name but a few. 

I am on the register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists that has been accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. This demonstrates my commitment to high professional standards, to enhance safety, and to deliver a better service.

I fully believe that Play Therapy as a therapeutic intervention can be hugely beneficial in helping children to explore, discover, and manage their big feelings no matter what the cause. As they don’t always have the words to talk about their problems like adults can, it provides them with a safe medium for exploring their problems through their natural medium of self-expression: play. I feel confident that play therapy can benefit most children and help them to become happier, more relaxed and more grounded when things get too much for them.