Hi everyone, we are half way through the series already! I hope you have enjoyed the first three episodes to date, and we are delighted to bring this fourth episode of “Pages and Play” where Freya and I explore how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support a child by enabling them to externalize their fears through story and symbolic play, and support their nervous-system regulation and emotional literacy.

We discuss research from Jonathan Haidt on the decline of play-based childhood and the rise of phone-based childhood, urging adults to be curious about children’s online lives.

We also share practical guidance including validating feelings, being transparent about what to expect, and building adult and child emotional regulation tools, including sensory strategies and narrative reflection prompts.

Our bibliotherapy client story illustrates the use of the picture book “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes to help a child label worry as a transitory visitor and practice reflective questions to navigate this worry/anxiety.

We end this episode, like all the others, with book recommendations for children, teens, and adults on anxiety, emotional literacy, and regulation.

We hope you enjoy this episode and Pages and Play Series! And as always we’d love to hear your reflections and thoughts.

Chapters:

00:00 Anxiety Hidden Signs

00:47 Anxious Feelings Explained

03:18 Books And Play Heal

05:21 Play Therapy Benefits

07:17 Why Anxiety Rising

11:04 Support At Home

14:39 Wemberly Worried Story

20:48 Transparency Builds Safety

24:09 Adult Nervous System Check

28:25 Rewrite Your Inner Story

33:32 Book Picks For Anxiety

41:54 Closing Thoughts

Book Recommendations:

• The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
• Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
• Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents by Reid Wilson & Lynn Lyons
• Nurturing Natures by Graham Music
• Ruby’s Worries by Tom Percival
• The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside
• The Invisible String by Patrica Karst
• The Boy Who Made Everyone Laugh by Helen Rutter
• The Worry (Less) Book: Feel Strong, Find Calm, and Tame Your Anxiety! By Rachel Brian
• The Final Year and The First Year by Matt Goodfellow
• First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
• The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
• Wemberley Worried by Kevin Henkes
• The Girl Who Thought in Pictures (Young Aspiring) By Julia Finley Mosca
• The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright and Jim Field
• The Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt
• What to do when you worry too much by Dawn Huebner
• The Anxiety Workbook for Kids by Robin Alter & Crystal Clarke
• Breathe like a Bear by Kira Willey
• Feelings by Aliki

Support the show

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

Or email us at bijal@booktherapy.io or freya@playrefuge.co.uk