Support for Children

At Kangaroo Family Nurturing, we are deeply passionate about making emotional well-being support accessible to as many families as possible. Every child and family is unique, and so are their needs — that's why we offer a range of tailored services designed to nurture emotional resilience, strengthen family connections, and support children’s mental health in a way that feels safe, compassionate, and empowering.

🌿 Play Therapy 🌿

Our non-directive play therapy offers children a nurturing space to express themselves freely through play — their natural language. Rather than directing the child or imposing outcomes, the therapist creates a safe, accepting environment where the child leads the session at their own pace. Through toys, art, sand, storytelling and movement, children are supported to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without pressure.

This gentle, therapeutic process builds emotional awareness, improves self-esteem, and supports children to make sense of difficult experiences, all while strengthening their capacity for emotional regulation and connection. Play therapy is especially effective for children who may struggle to express themselves verbally or who have experienced trauma, attachment difficulties, anxiety, or behavioural challenges.

🌈 1-1 Emotional Well-being Support 🌈

In addition to play therapy, we also offer 1-1 emotional well-being sessions that are more structured and directive in nature. These sessions are carefully designed around specific emotional needs and developmental goals, offering focused support on areas such as:

Bereavement and loss
Anger and emotional regulation
Anxiety and worry
Low self-esteem or confidence issues
Family transitions (e.g., separation, foster care, school moves)
Coping strategies and problem-solving skills

Using a combination of creative resources, therapeutic tools, and evidence-based approaches, these sessions aim to empower children with practical strategies, while still maintaining a nurturing, child-centred ethos.

🌟 Kangaroo Calm Kids – 1:1 Therapeutic Sessions for Emotional Regulation and Anxiety 🌟

Kangaroo Calm Kids is a gentle and nurturing 1:1 programme designed especially for children who experience anxiety or find it difficult to manage overwhelming emotions. These sessions offer a calming blend of creativity, connection, and emotional insight, providing children with a safe and supportive space to explore and make sense of their inner world.

Each week, children are guided through therapeutic play, creative arts, sensory-based activities, and therapeutic stories that help them understand their feelings and develop emotional language. The sessions gently build a child’s ability to recognise what’s happening in their body and mind, and introduce practical, age-appropriate strategies to help them feel more in control.

Sessions are compassionate, steady, and thoughtfully paced—supporting children to feel calmer, more confident, and better equipped to manage life’s ups and downs. Children leave each session feeling seen, safe, and emotionally supported.

️ Sessions run weekly in term-time blocks and are sensitively adapted to meet each child’s individual needs and emotional pace.

💥 Kangaroo Confident Kids – 1:1 Therapeutic Sessions for Self-Esteem and Social Confidence 💥

Kangaroo Confident Kids is an uplifting and creative 1:1 programme for children who may feel unsure of themselves, struggle with low self-esteem, or find social situations tricky.

Through engaging and imaginative activities, playful exploration, and strengths-based reflection, children are supported to discover what makes them unique and amazing.

Each session helps build emotional resilience, positive self-talk, and social confidence, while offering warm and empowering guidance for navigating friendships and social connections.

Sessions are empowering, energising, and designed to unlock a child's inner sparkle. Using creative arts, therapeutic stories, role-play, sensory play, and child-led exploration, each session becomes a safe and joyful space where children feel free to express themselves and grow. Children leave feeling more seen, heard, and celebrated for exactly who they are.

Sessions run weekly in term-time blocks and are tailored to each child’s individual needs and goals, ensuring a personalised and meaningful experience.

💛 1-to-1 Emotional Well-being Support for Parents 💛

At Kangaroo Family Nurturing, we understand that supporting your child begins with feeling supported yourself. Parenting can be both beautiful and challenging — especially when you're navigating your own emotional well-being or struggling to manage your child’s behaviour. That’s why we offer dedicated 1-to-1 emotional well-being sessions for parents, tailored to meet you where you are.

These stand-alone sessions are a safe, non-judgmental space for parents and carers to reflect, explore, and be supported with the emotional demands of parenting. Whether you are:

Feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or low in mood
Wanting to create a calmer, more nurturing home environment
Struggling with your child’s behaviour and unsure how best to respond
Wanting guidance on how to support your child alongside therapy
Trying to break unhelpful cycles and parent with more confidence and connection.

These sessions are here to support you.

💛 What to Expect 💛

Each session is personalised and collaborative. Together, we explore what’s happening for you and your family, identify patterns or challenges, and work on practical strategies that align with your parenting values and your child’s emotional needs.

You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit — these sessions can be a space for preventative support, gentle reflection, or focused problem-solving.

💛 Flexible & Family-Focused 💛

These sessions can be:

Stand-alone sessions for parents seeking emotional support
Alongside your child’s play therapy or emotional well-being sessions, to help you feel informed and confident in supporting therapeutic progress at home
A shared space for joint parent-child support, when needed

Our goal is to help you feel more emotionally resourced, connected, and empowered in your parenting — because when parents are supported, children thrive.

What Families say about us

I was very fortunate to be put in contact with Kathryn and have access to her services and knowledge at one of the most difficult periods in my life. I was met with an exceptional, understanding and experienced therapist who is caring and compassionate in her listening and I NEVER felt judged.

Her experience is backed up by great resources which helped me develop coping strategies to get me through the difficult moments. I now feel equipped to do things differently and have learnt techniques that will stay with me forever.

The hours I spent with Kathryn have been some of the most valuable of my life. Looking back on it now I do not know how I would have got to where I am now without her amazing support and expertise.

Charlene

The support really helped me through a challenging time with my toddler, I was really struggling with her behaviour and it was having a big impact on our relationship. Kathryn provided sessions for me and my Daughter to attend together and it made such a huge difference. I am so glad we did it. I now understand her so much better and although the tantrums can still be a challenge I have ways to manage them. We now get along great! Thank you.

Samantha

Kathryn is fantastic and I’d recommend her to anyone. She’s built a strong, therapeutic bond with my son, and he looks forward to and relies on their sessions as a key part of his week. His self esteem has increased and he’s better able to articulate his feelings. We’ve also had parent sessions with Kathryn which have been invaluable when picking how to support our son with his early life trauma and have been a great source of support for us as parents.

Louise

Play therapy is the best thing I ever had in my life.

I enjoyed it a lot, I feel like I have a supporter.

It’s been good and helped me to feel calmer. I’ve got a calm tool box of things I can do to help me be calmer.

My child had sessions of play therapy to get help with trauma from war and other life events. The therapist was always available and helpful. Goals were achieved, my child enjoyed the sessions and made significant progress.

Parent and child age 10 from Ukraine

My daughter and son, as well as myself have benefitted greatly from Kathryn’s caring and practical professional advice over the last few years. My children have had enormous emotional difficulties to contend with and I was really stuck with how to best help them both, and survive myself too! To be honest I didn’t think it was possible to change what I felt was an impossible situation. I was so frustrated and down with everything. She is so kind and easy to talk to even about the most personal or challenging things. My daughter has built an amazing bond with Kathryn which is all to Kathryn’s credit because she wouldn’t usually trust anyone at all. I can see hope now as can my son, and my daughter is being listened to and making positive changes in her life.

Natasha

My son has had a course of play therapy with Kangaroo. He needed support with emotional regulation, confidence building and coping strategies. He’s enjoyed every session and understands a little more about where his anger comes from, meaning he can begin to self regulate, and then put those coping strategies in place. I can support these further at home whilst his confidence continues to grow. I would absolutely recommend any parent to support their child through play therapy, especially with Kangaroo, as the help and support has been so worthwhile. Thank you.

Rebecca

Kathryn supported my Daughter when she was feeling really anxious, it was impacting on her everyday life and she was struggling at school. Kathryn was amazing, she gave practical tools to help my Daughter to manage her anxiety better and really helped me to understand what my child was going through and how I could support her at home. Thank you!

Melanie

I began sessions with Kathryn when I had high anxiety during pregnancy, I felt really listened to and understood and it helped me to understand and manage my worries. I continued with support after my son was born and it really helped me to cope better.

Zara

My child had support from Kangaroo for many months after a bereavement, he was very angry and I didn't know how to help him. Kathryn has really helped him to understand what has happened and given him ways to express how he is feeling, and showed us some lovely ways to remember his Grandad.