Child Therapy in Sligo

Specialising in Play Therapy for Emotional & Behavioural Support

“Play is the gateway to healing and growth in children.”
— Sue Bratton

Is your child experiencing…… Anger, sadness, fear, frustration, anxiety (worry), overwhelm?….. If so, Play Therapy can help.

Children often express difficult emotions through intense or challenging behaviours because they don’t always have the words to explain how they’re feeling. That’s where play therapy can help. Instead of relying on talking alone, it gives your child the chance to express themselves through play, which feels much more natural and familiar to them.

Play therapy can help children manage a wide range of emotional and behavioural challenges, such as anxiety, low self-esteem, family separation, bereavement, or difficulties at school. It encourages self-expression, builds emotional resilience, and supports your child to navigate their emotional struggles. 

Discover if play therapy can help your child.

During this 15 minute call we will chat about your main concerns & referral reasons. You will also have a chance to ask any questions that you might have about the play therapy process. There is no obligation to book a full consultation.

Schedule A call

  • My child was extremely anxious.....

    My child was extremely anxious as a result of a traumatic experience. I felt I needed professional help for my child to reduce the stress and help process everything they had been through. Our therapist was a huge support to, not only my child, but also to me as we regularly discussed how to handle difficult conversations and support my child in navigating their way through their feelings. I would 100% recommend this service as a great support to families going through something no matter how big or small.

  • Our child was showing signs of overwhelm.....

    Before starting play therapy our child was showing signs of overwhelm, excessive stimming (known autism), appeared anxious at times. He absolutely loved his weekly appointments with Stephanie and did’t want to miss them no matter what. The setting was so relaxed and welcoming and Stephanie is incredibly gentle warm intuitive and kind. Since his sessions, he's very content and relaxed and symptoms have definitely settled massively. We also gained some very valuable insight into how to help our son with various issues going forward, it was great to work together on this and good to get objective input from Stephanie. - Mother of boy age 9

  • Huge explosions of anger, rage....

    Before play therapy our child could not cope with her emotions leading her to have huge explosions of anger, rage and complete and total despair. I rang Stephanie in tears as I was at a total loss as to how to help her. Stephanie has been amazing at her work. Our child has become more confident, can sit and talk about what is bothering her and the explosions are pretty much non existent and when they do occur are only minor, and we as parents now know with certainty how best to support her and guide her. We got that certainty from Stephanie's feedback after a set amount of sessions. I cannot say enough good things about not only play therapy but Stephanie too. She really connected with our child who loved going for her sessions. Our child's ability to cope with her emotions is evident to see and has had a huge impact in our family dynamics as her siblings no longer feel like they are walking on eggshells. Thank you, thank you, thank you Stephanie. - Parent of a girl age 8

  • Anxiety showed up as frequent stomach pains and waking at night in tears.....

    “I brought my five-year-old son to Stephanie Barnes for play therapy when he was experiencing anxiety around school and going on the school bus. This anxiety showed up as frequent stomach pains and waking at night in tears. Since starting therapy with Stephanie, he has become a completely different child. He now mixes well with his classmates, is much more confident in himself and his abilities, and genuinely enjoys going to school and going on the bus. I would highly recommend Stephanie to anyone considering play therapy for their child.” - Parent of a 5 year old Boy

  • Play therapy definitely worked for us.....

    “Therapy started as my little girl had lost her grandmother and a separation with her parents . Stephanie was very supportive and helpful and helped my child deal with and talk about her grief. I would be happy to recommend Stephanie to and parent whom has a child struggling. Play therapy definitely worked for us”

    - Parent of a happy child

  • We are so grateful for the time Stephanie gave our daughter....

    “My daughter was really struggling with issues in school. Which resulted in school refusal, anxiety and fear of me and her daddy dieing. My daughter left play therapy Happy confident and resilient to life's challenges and we are so grateful for the time Stephanie gave our daughter”

    - Mother of an 8 year old.

  • Since starting with Stephanie the improvements in my son are remarkable...

    Since starting with Stephanie the improvements in my son are remarkable, he now knows how to communicate with me with words instead of angry outbursts, he is happy and content in his school life again, he is able to manage his emotions so much better. As a family we are so greatful for work that Stephanie has done with our son. I would recommend to any parents unsure about play therapy to give it a go, it really has made all the difference in our sons life.

    - Parent of a 10 year old boy.

  • Frequent if not daily emotional outbursts, and did not want to go to school....

    “My child was having frequent if not daily emotional outbursts, and did not want to go to school. Now after completing their sessions of Play Therapy with Stephanie, they go to school happily, self confidence has increased, no more sleepless nights, is able to self regulate their own emotions. I cannot thank Stephanie Barnes enough for the support and tools she has given to both myself and my child and would highly recommend this service to any parent who feels their child needs this support.”

    - Mother of a 9 year old

  • We found the sessions very helpful and noticed changes in his behaviour from the early stages....

    “As a family we were struggling with the best way to cope and approach the issues our 5 year old son was having. Our son struggled with his emotions and taking directions from authority figures and had outbursts if circumstances were not going the way he wanted. We found the sessions very helpful and noticed changes in his behaviour from the early stages. We were very pleased with the progress that our son had made. We would highly recommend Play Therapy. We were very grateful for the effort and professional manor in which Stephanie conducts the play therapy sessions” .

    - Mother of a 5 year old boy.

Logo of the Professional Standards Authority in purple with a checkmark symbol, and a purple button labeled 'accredited register'.

Stephanie Barnes is an Accredited Play Therapist.

A professional who has met rigorous training, clinical practice, and supervision standards set by recognised professional bodies. Accreditation typically requires completing a substantial number of clinically supervised hours working directly with children as well as fulfilling ongoing requirements for professional development and supervision. Accredited play therapists demonstrate a high level of competence, ethical practice, and commitment to maintaining current knowledge in the field. This accreditation assures clients and families that the therapist has achieved a recognised standard of expertise and is accountable to a professional register that is overseen by regulatory authorities