Episode Details
Back to EpisodesEP76 Gardens & Guidance: Finding Joy in Play Therapy; with Simon Kerr-Edwards
Description
Julie hosts Simon Kerr-Edwards on Pondering Play and Therapy to discuss clinical supervision for therapists and school staff, plus Simon’s parent consultations. Simon, a Buckinghamshire-based practitioner, describes training first as a drama therapist, later completing a play therapy master’s at Roehampton after meeting Anne Cattanach, and moving from local authority and CAMHS work into independent practice. They explore why supervision is essential, how it differs from personal therapy, and how supervisors are themselves contained through their own supervision. Simon outlines Hewson and Carroll’s “six supervisory spaces” model: sitting room, studio, observatory, plus office, lecture theatre, and exam room, and warns against the “manager’s office” and “cellar” of control and shame. He also describes structured supervision in schools to improve reflective practice, and parent consultations focused on nonjudgmental listening, confidence, and differing parenting styles.