Every chapter in a child’s life matters. We aim to help children meet each chapter with a sense of safety, a connection to themselves and others, and inner contentment. By offering connection to a child through play and storytelling, they can make meaning of their world and begin each new chapter with an opportunity for learning, growth and healing.

Welcome to The Chapters.

The Chapters is fundamentally about the children.

We help to equip children and their key adults with effective strategies for self-awareness, self-care, and communication so they can navigate the chapters of their life with happiness, resourcefulness and resilience.

Welcome to the Chapters! Are you a...

Child who has had, or is having a tricky chapter in your life? This happens a lot in children’s lives, well done for getting curious about what might help.

Parent who feels overwhelmed, at a loss with where to turn next or, whose own tricky chapters are getting in the way of providing for a child?

Professional who has read this chapter about lots of different children and you’d love to learn more about the best ways to support them through?

Hi, I’m Di

I’m the founder of The Chapters Therapy Services. I live in beautiful Lincolnshire with my son, husband and two mischievous Bearded Collies, Whitby and Buzz.

I’m a children’s therapist specialising in the field of trauma. I use play and storytelling to help children, their families and the professionals that support them to minimise the impact of trauma on their development and their future.

With over 30 years of experience, I’ve dedicated my life to working in the field of trauma recovery. My work draws upon the theories of child development, Transactional Analysis, attachment, play therapy, body-based psychotherapy and other therapeutic models. These give children the tools to make meaning of the world around them in a way that promotes accurate understanding rather than mistaken beliefs.

Play is a child’s primary medium of expression (Virginia Axline). Play is not a rehearsal for life, it is their life, and we must learn to make meaning of it to support positive change and growth.

Through individual and group play therapy with children, I provide services, support and opportunities for learning that help children feel safe enough to step out of the past, live in the present and shape their future.

If we are not self-compassionate, we can’t meet the needs of the children in our care, so, whatever your role is as an adult, I aim to help you be the best version of yourself to support the child in your care at that moment through consultation, resources and training.

Children are our future and we all have a responsibility to optimise their opportunities to develop a sense of self, good relationships, positive life skills, and healthy aspirations, to serve them well as custodians of the world.

Where would you like to visit today?

The Library

In our library you’ll find a range of useful resources and information to purchase. These will support you in developing your skills and knowledge in a caring or professional capacity.

The Reading Room

The reading room is where you can find free, simple resources to get you started and give you a flavour of what we do here at the Chapters.

Parents & Carers

We are busy developing our services and offers to support parents and carers. Follow us and keep checking back for updates but until then, please visit our library and our range of therapeutic stories which would be a wonderful starting point for you to explore with your child.

How does The Chapters Help…..

THE CHILDREN

Through individual and group play therapy sessions, Di supports children in exploring their five core organising systems (thoughts, emotions, sensation, five-sense perception and movement) to help them make sense of their world and develop new strategies for living within it.

tHE FAMILY

Children are part of a system so you cannot work with a child alone, therefore it is important to offer both individual support to parents and carers when they need it, and offer strategies that households and family systems can use to manage the challenging chapters of the child’s life. Through our work, we both individually and dynamically, support parents and children in their everyday interactions to develop healthier ways of managing their world together.

The professionals

Di provides consultation and training services to professionals to expand their knowledge and understanding of development and trauma and provide strategies for meeting the difficulties the families and children they work with are faced with.

Welcome to The Chapters.The Chapters is fundamentally about the children.