Training for Children’s Professionals Across Ireland, Northern Ireland & the UK

Calling all children’s professionals — teachers, early years staff, youth workers, social workers, and health visitors.


Are you witnessing a surge in emotional and behavioural needs in the children you support? Are your team members feeling overwhelmed, under-resourced, and unsure how to respond? You’re not alone — and we’re here to help.

The Healing Power of Play is a dynamic training session designed to deepen your understanding of what children are really communicating through their behaviour — and how play can be used as a powerful tool for connection, regulation, and recovery.

While play is widely recognised in early years education, its therapeutic potential is often overlooked. This training invites you to enter the child’s world, understand the why behind their actions, and challenge the pressure to measure everything by outcomes.

You’ll be guided through reflective, creative techniques rooted in therapeutic practice — enabling you and your team to:

  • Make sense of rising emotional needs in children

  • Reignite your confidence and sense of purpose

  • Explore what’s working and what needs to change in your setting

  • Build practical strategies to support wellbeing — for children and staff alike

Whether you work in a school, nursery, youth centre, family hub, Sure Start, or health setting — this training is tailored to help you respond with empathy and effectiveness.

Delivery available in-person across Ireland and Northern Ireland, and online across the UK, including Scotland.

You’ll be guided through reflective, creative techniques rooted in therapeutic practice — enabling you and your team to:

  • Practitioners will gain a good understanding of why the needs of children are increasing in society today

  • Go beyond trauma informed, to realistically understand how trauma presents with the children on a daily basis

  • Understanding of the impact of trauma and ACEs

  • Understanding of the impact of retained reflexes

  • Have a good understanding of the benefits of play for children and families

  • Knowledge and experiences of the power of child led play

  • Have a tool kit of several play-based techniques to implement practically in their professional setting

  • Understand how to use play to create healthy boundaries

  • Notice connection seeking behaviour and implement playful techniques

  • Knowledge of play therapy and when to refer a child.

Created and developed by professional play therapist Eileen Russell. Eileen has 20 years of experience working with children and parents in some of the most deprived areas throughout Northern Ireland. Over the years she has created many family leaning and training programmes. After training as a play therapist in 2017 Eileen is passionate about early intervention and empowering professionals to become curious about the WHY in every child’s story.

One professional participant stated:

"I really enjoyed getting into the mindset of children whose behaviour can be challenging and thinking about how they feel in moments when they are struggling, very thought provoking."

This training was awarded silver in innovation from Invest NI.

Sliver award

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Sliver award •

For more information or to book a session

Training can be delivered in your setting to a group of staff over a full day or two half days.