I’m Penni, I am passionate about working with children and embracing their playful nature to support their wellbeing. I believe that Play is something that even adults should include in their day to day lives!  

I started my career as an adoption social worker within Barnsley Council where I assessed and supported families through the adoption process which I thoroughly enjoyed. I found a passion in adoption support and was able to experience the true impact of how therapy particularly for younger children was hugely beneficial in developing their understanding of their experiences and offering them a way to develop a positive sense of self. This lead me on my journey of developing an understanding of the importance of play.

Whilst training as a Play Therapist I worked in several Primary schools in West Yorkshire offering both individual and group support to variety of children helping them understand emotions and feelings particularly to those who had experienced difficult early life experiences.  .

I have been part of a team within South Yorkshire implementing early intervention and prevention support around children’s mental health for children across a number of Primary and Secondary Schools. Within this role I worked very closely with the wider families and education staff to offer support and develop understanding around the importance of children’s emotional wellbeing and how this can be implemented within schools. I became very aware of the importance of sleep and the huge impact lack of sleep can have on not just the child or young person but also the family therefore I trained as a Sleep Practitioner to be able to support families with this and improve sleep for the whole family.

Most recently I have worked within CAMHS offering Play Therapy to wide range of children and young people who have experienced trauma which has impacted on their emotional wellbeing. Within this role I work with children who are Looked After, have neurodevelopmental diagnoses, significant health diagnoses, attachment difficulties, low mood and anxiety, and children who are selectively mute.

In my spare time I love spending time with my family and friends and looking after my horse.  I love to be outdoors as much as I can and enjoy weekend trips to the beach! My family and friends would describe me as an adrenaline seeker and are never surprised when I find a new activity to try, the most recent is zip lining across Snowdonia!