In this final episode of Pages in Play, we explore the transformative journey from adolescence into young adulthood—and how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support young people through this complex stage.

Teenagers are navigating big questions around identity, belonging, relationships, and purpose. In this episode, we unpack how stories and play create safe, powerful spaces for self-exploration, emotional processing, and connection.

We discuss:

• Why adolescence may extend into the early 30s—and what that means for parenting and support
• How books help teens explore identity, reduce isolation, and build emotional insight
• The evolving role of play therapy for teenagers (it’s not just toys!)
• Practical ways to connect with teens, including walking “book clubs” and shared activities
• A powerful real-life case study illustrating how play therapy supports grief, anxiety, and identity formation
• Thoughtfully curated book recommendations to support teens navigating identity, relationships, and mental health

We close the series with reflections, gratitude, and ways to continue the conversation.

⏱️ Timestamps / Chapters

01:05 – Introduction & why adolescence is a key developmental stage
02:00 – Teen identity: “Who am I?” and the role of narrative
03:22 – Research on adolescence extending into the early 30s
04:30 – Brain development, hormones & emotional shifts in teens
09:53 – What play therapy looks like for teenagers
13:34 – Giving teens agency in reading choices
16:29 – Case study: Willow (from Counting by Sevens)
18:00 – Anxiety, identity, grief & transitions in adolescence
20:00 – Inside the therapy room: observation, resistance & trust-building
24:00 – The importance of endings in therapy and development
25:46 – Narrative therapy & re-authoring your story
28:20 – Staying connected: curiosity, presence & shared experiences
29:21 – Book recommendations for teens (identity, belonging, mental health)
38:52 – Final reflections on the series
40:41 – Closing thoughts & goodbye

Book Recommendations

• Are you there, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.
• Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• Every Day by David Levithan
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
• The Final Year & The First Year by Matt Goodfellow
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Bibliotherapy: The Healing Power of Reading by Bijal Shah
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Support the show

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Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

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

In this episode of Pages and Play, Freya and I discuss how bibliotherapy and play therapy can support children and adults navigating grief and loss, reviewing grief models including Kübler-Ross’s stages (noting its origins and nonlinearity), Lois Tonkin’s “growing around grief” metaphor (fried egg), and Shelly Gilbert’s upward-spiral model. We discuss how literature and poetry act as emotional translators through identification, catharsis, and insight, and introduce the “mirrors, windows, doors” framework for connecting to feelings and new understandings. The key to emotional regulation is framed as staying connected to oneself across emotional states rather than constant calm. We use the story of Goodbye Mog to illustrate how a parent used it to help her 7-year-old process their beloved pet cat’s passing through conversation, euthanasia preparation, and imaginative “ghost” play.

This episode also shares children’s and adult book recommendations, creative and play prompts, bibliotherapy techniques (poetry, letters, narrative re-authoring), and resources such as Winston’s Wish.

00:00 Grief and Loss Intro

00:15 Grief Models Explained

01:01 Life Grows Around Grief

02:19 Why Books Help Us Grieve

04:34 Poetry and Group Healing

08:05 Regulation Not Calm

10:05 Narrative Mirrors Windows Doors

15:19 Lucy and Luke Cat Story

21:13 Kids Books for Grief

22:43 More Recommendations and Memoirs

26:34 Play and Bibliotherapy Prompts

30:19 Rituals Creativity and Closing

32:02 Final Reflections and Goodbye

Books Mentioned:

• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
• The Memory Tree by Britta Teckentrup
• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
• Goodbye, Mog by Judith Kerr
• Rabbitiness by Jo Empson
• Mist Monster by Beautyman, Kirsti
• Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
• Mum’s Jumper by Jade Perkin
• A Storm in a Jar by Samuel Langley-Swain and Katie Cottle
• The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
• The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily Pan
• The Grieving Teen by Helen Fitzgerald
• My Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• Lost and Found by Kathryn Schulz
• Grief Works by Julia Samuel
• Finding Joy By Gary Andrews

Play Prompt:

• Recall Luke’s story to highlight compassion, the value of sharing narratives, and the importance of accepting emotions.
• Encourage children to express feelings and be open to your child’s imaginative journeys like Luke’s one of Misty.
• Recommend resources such as Winston’s Wish website for creative activities and conversation starters.

Bibliotherapy Prompt:

• The key is not just which book you choose, but how you engage with it
• Use bibliotherapy techniques: reading/writing poetry, writing letters to lost loved ones, narrative therapy
• Read slowly, pause, ask questions, or sit quietly with the story together

Themes:

• The healing power of play and storytelling.
• The transformative role of literature in therapy and self-discovery.
• Methodologies for recommending books to support mental health and emotional growth.
• Encouragement for parents to observe and nurtu

Support the show

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

Find out more at Book Therapy or Play Refuge

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

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