Episode Details
Back to EpisodesEP 63 Inside Sheffield Children's Hospital; Play, Therapy and Healing; A conversation with Joanna Blundell Jones
Description
Julie welcomes clinical psychologist and Theraplay practitioner Joanna Blundell Jones, who works at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in paediatric oncology/haematology and supports patients across their cancer experiences, often especially during and after treatment, with flexibility around timing and session numbers. Joanna shares how play shows up in her own life (gospel choir, board games), how during treatment therapeutic work sometimes focuses on containment and helping families “get through,” and how after treatment she uses Theraplay to rebuild connection, especially when medical procedures and necessary restraint have affected children’s comfort with touch and closeness. They discuss the distinct role that hospital play specialists have in supporting children’s wellbeing with play opportunities whilst they are inpatients, procedure preparation and distraction.