Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we go beyond the surface to explore what really happens in play therapy. Guided our play therapist Aleisha, we unpack how play becomes a child’s natural language allowing them to express thoughts, emotions, and experiences that they may not yet have the words for. This episode offers a clear, practical insight into what sessions look like, how therapists engage with children, and why play is such a powerful therapeutic tool.

Through a trauma-informed lens, we explore how play therapy supports emotional processing, regulation, and healing. Whether you are a parent, carer, or professional, this conversation provides a grounded understanding of how play therapy creates a safe space for children to explore, make sense of their experiences, and begin to feel more in control.

You can also check out this episode where Alisha Explains Play Therapy: https://youtu.be/OerBO-ucQyw

Episode Highlights:

• What actually happens during a play therapy session
• Why play is a child’s primary form of communication
• The role of the play therapist in guiding and responding
• How play therapy supports emotional expression and processing
• Supporting children who struggle to talk about their experiences
• How play therapy can help children with trauma histories
• What progress can look like in play therapy over time

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we explore a situation many parents recognise: teachers report that a child is calm, cooperative, and thriving at school—yet at home the same child seems overwhelmed, emotional, or prone to meltdowns. This contrast can be confusing and sometimes even lead parents to feel that their concerns are being dismissed.

Through a trauma-informed and developmental lens, we unpack why children can appear regulated in structured environments like school but release their emotions in the safety of home. We discuss the emotional effort it takes for some children to hold things together during the school day, why home often becomes the place where feelings finally surface, and how adults can respond in ways that support regulation rather than increasing stress.

Episode Highlights:

• Why some children “hold it together” at school but struggle at home
• Understanding emotional effort and the after-school release
• How safety and attachment influence where emotions show up
• The impact of masking, pressure, and self-control during the school day
• Why this pattern is often misunderstood by adults
• Working together to build shared understanding and support

For more information on TRIBE Trauma Informed Care visit: https://www.tribecare.org/

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we explore one of the most important shifts in trauma-informed care: learning to see behaviour as communication. For children who have experienced trauma, behaviour is often the language through which distress, fear, confusion, or unmet needs are expressed. What may appear as defiance, withdrawal, aggression, or avoidance is often a signal about what the child is experiencing internally.

This conversation focuses on how adults can move beyond surface behaviour to understand the meaning underneath it.

Episode Highlights:

• Why behaviour is often the clearest form of communication for traumatised children
• Understanding the needs and emotions that may sit underneath behaviour
• The difference between reacting to behaviour and understanding behaviour
• How trauma shapes the way children communicate distress
• The role of adults in interpreting and responding to behavioural signals
• Supporting children to develop safer, more effective ways to communicate

For more about TRIBE Trauma Informed Care Check Out:

https://www.tribecare.org/

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we explore a question that many parents and professionals quietly wrestle with: does it matter whether we view a child’s difficulties through a trauma lens or a diagnostic lens? Is one more helpful than the other, or are we asking the wrong question entirely?

We unpack how trauma histories and diagnoses can overlap, and where they diverge. This episode moves beyond polarised debates to focus on what truly matters, understanding the need, recognising developmental impact, and ensuring children receive support that is compassionate, individualised, and evidence-informed rather than label-led.

Episode Highlights:

• Trauma-informed understanding vs diagnostic frameworks
• How labels can help—and where they can limit
• The overlap between trauma responses and neurodevelopmental diagnoses
• Why formulation often matters more than categorisation
• The risk of missing trauma when focusing only on diagnosis
• The risk of missing additional needs when focusing only on trauma
• Moving towards integrated, child-centred support

For more information on TRIBE Trauma Informed Care visit: https://www.tribecare.org/

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we explore what truly makes a difference for children who have experienced trauma: adults working together with clarity, consistency, and shared understanding. When carers, teachers, therapists, and social workers operate in silos, children often experience mixed messages and inconsistent responses. But when adults align around shared principles and coordinated strategies, outcomes improve significantly.

This conversation focuses on practical collaboration, how to reduce fragmentation, strengthen communication, and create joined-up, trauma-informed systems around the child. We discuss why consistency builds safety, how professional disagreements can impact children, and what it takes to move from parallel working to purposeful partnership.

Find Out More About Us at: https://www.tribecare.org/

Episode Highlights:

• Why traumatised children need aligned, consistent adults
• The risks of siloed or fragmented support
• How inconsistent responses can increase dysregulation
• Practical ways adults can improve communication and coordination
• The importance of shared language and shared goals
• Managing professional differences without undermining support
• Building a trauma-informed network around the child, not just individual interventions

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, Laura is joined by Kim Matthews, co-author of the paper What Is Life Story Work? How defining approaches can bring clarity to research, training and practice. Together, they unpack what Life Story Work actually is, why it is so often misunderstood, and how it can help care-experienced children in foster care, adoptive homes, special guardianship and residential care.

This conversation explores how effective Life Story Work supports understanding, identity, emotional wellbeing, and meaning-making for children and young people in care. Drawing on research, practice experience, and the Five Approaches to Life Story Work, the episode offers clarity for parents, carers, practitioners, and organisations seeking to move beyond tokenistic life story activities towards purposeful, trauma-informed support.

Here is a link to the FREE Five Approaches to Life Story Work Workshop mentioned in the Podcast:
https://www.lifestorywork.com/five-approaches-signup

Episode Highlights:

• What Life Story Work is—and what it is not
• Why Life Story Work matters for care-experienced children
• Common misconceptions and why practice often becomes diluted
• How defining approaches improves consistency, quality, and outcomes
• An overview of the Five Approaches to Life Story Work
• Implications for research, training, and everyday practice
• Supporting identity, understanding, and emotional wellbeing through Life Story Work

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we explore the difference between behaviour policies and behaviour support when working with children who have experienced trauma. We discuss why children who are struggling with behaviour don’t need more consequences they need behaviour support plans that are responsive, individualised, and grounded in an understanding of trauma, development, and regulation.

This episode takes a practical, systems-informed look at how behaviour policies and behaviour support can sometimes work in conflict rather than in alignment. We unpack why effective behaviour support must consider the classroom context, how class-wide strategies can be highly effective particularly when multiple children need support, and why exclusion, while often embedded in policy, is rarely the most effective route for children with trauma histories.

Here is our Deep Dive on School Refusal: https://www.tribecare.org/surviving-the-school-run-57c8c

Episode Highlights:

• Why children who need support require a behaviour support plan, not just consequences
• How behaviour policies and behaviour support can unintentionally work against each other
• The importance of considering classroom context when planning behaviour support
• When and why class-wide approaches can be highly effective
• Supporting multiple children without over-reliance on individual sanctions
• Why exclusion may align with policy but not with effective behaviour support
• Moving from policy-led responses to trauma-informed, practical support

Send a text

In this episode of TRIBE Talk, we explore how friendship difficulties are shaped by complex and developmental trauma, and why it is essential to understand the pre-requisite skills children need before they can successfully build and maintain friendships. We focus on the foundational emotional, relational, and regulatory capacities that are often overlooked yet are critical for meaningful peer connection, offering a trauma-informed perspective on what children truly need in order to develop friendship skills over time.

Check Out Our Episode Emotional Regulation for Children With Trauma Histories HERE: https://youtu.be/hNF_xTuYcaE

Episode Highlights:
How early trauma impacts trust and social development
Why some children push peers away or cling too tightly
The role of emotional regulation in friendship breakdowns
How survival strategies can show up in peer relationships
Why “social skills training” alone is often not enough
Trauma-informed ways adults can support friendship development
Building connection, safety, and belonging over time

Visit www.tribecare.org for more information about TRIBE Trauma Informed Care