Newsletter 2025:2
'Playing with Heart around the Globe'
Dear Members and Followers,
Well I have had a very positive start to 2025 which I am delighted to share with you. Having established NDP Greece and NDP Malaysia (Jungle), with our intensive live courses, NDP China with online training, and NDP India with a mixed online and live training, we are about to launch NDP Romania which will mainly be online with the occasional live inputs.
As well as contributing to the Romanian Summer School for the Play Therapy and Dramatherapy students in the second half of July, I shall get to know the Carpathian Mountains again, and Romania’s very rich heritage. I have so many fond memories of Romania and the work we did with the people from the orphanages as well as older groups. I am sure there will be news and pictures to share later in the summer. And more stories to gather. As I said in the previous Newsletter, this year is my year of storytelling.
The Story of Mihai the Shepherd Boy
Mihai was already in bed when he was thinking about his father’s sheep, and more importantly, the wolves who might attack the sheep. He knew that tomorrow was 16 January, which was the day that St Peter would give every wolf in the country, their allowance of animals for the year. Mihai decided he wanted to hear what St Peter said and if he would give away any of his father’s sheep. He climbed out of bed, got dressed and crept silently down stairs. He put on his warm sheepskin coat and pulled on his thick sheepskin boots and quietly left the house. He walked across the crunchy snow to the forest and into the clearing. There was a large oak tree which he climbed, and sat on a branch, with his back securely against the trunk. And he waited. It seemed a very long time and he was beginning to feel cold. Just as he began to wonder whether he had the wrong day, he heard some sounds. Peering out between the branches he could see wolves, hundreds of them, slowly advancing towards the forest. There were families and lone-wolves, teenagers and friends together, and grey and several shades of brown, wolves.
The wolves move forward into the clearing and lay down with their heads on their paws and there was quiet muttering. Mihi could not believe what he was seeing. He kept very quiet, scarcely daring to breathe. Just then, St Peter came through the trees in his long dark cloak and hood, carrying his staff. He greeted the wolves, who snuffled back, and he started to tell them their allowance for the year, as each individual or group came forward: three rabbits here, a cow there, two deer, four sheep and so on, until all the wolves had been promised some food for the coming year. Mihai was delighted that none of his father’s sheep had been given away. He was also very cold and stiff!
The last wolf had left, and St Peter was getting ready to leave, when a very old and lame wolf entered the clearing. ‘I hope you have saved something for me,’ said the wolf, trying to bow to St Peter, ‘I’m very old and lame so it has taken me a long time to get here’. St Peter scratched his head and looked around and then said, ‘I’m sorry but everything has been given away, but there is a young shepherd boy up that tree’. St Peter gathered his cloak around him, put up his hood and left the clearing.
The wolf looked towards the tree….
And it is for you to write the ending!
[There is a selection of different endings that have been written by various individuals and groups in the paid section, so over the wall if you are a paid subscriber! If you’re not then sign up soon for this and more invaluable content!]
However, I will say here that an issue with this story is that it is incomplete and there is no resolution. One young adult who was homeless and was usually full of energy and bounce, came to me, very anxious and pulled my sleeve, saying, ‘The wolf didn’t eat Mihai, did he?’ When I reassured him that he could have any ending he wished, he was still anxious and kept repeating his question. Finally I said to him, ‘You create the end and make sure that Mihai does not get eaten,’ which finally he was able to. We do need to take care when creating therapeutic stories and the impact they may make on our listeners.
And remember that the stories can be moved, danced, painted, modelled and enacted through dramatisation, or ‘freeze frames’. This is a technique where a story can be told by a small number of still pictures created by the group, or sub-groups if there are large numbers. One can use three frames, beginning, middle and end, or a single frame to illustrate the title of the story. You are inviting participants to ‘show and share’ the story without using words, through their movement and gesture - then freezing it like a still photo. It is a very good technique to use when the idea of role play or enactment seems too scary!
My eventful life!
In the last Newsletter I shared a traumatic experience that I suffered when I was four years old. Although we only lived at this house in Appledore, North Devon, for less than two years, it seemed a very eventful time. I have a lovely memory of going with my mother, to the seashore which was on the estuary. This was one of the few occasions when I had her to myself! She was always so busy helping with my father’s GP practice and having three older children to look after. The house itself was huge with a built in surgery, waiting area and dispensary. We didn’t have a proper beach immediately in front of our house, it was mainly stones and mud, with a lot of ships and boats moored. Nevertheless we found a sunny place to sit and found there were small pieces of slate, rubbed smooth by the sea, drift wood and some shells. My mother started using the slate pieces to build what we called ovens – so simple but I was fascinated as a child – making small, slate ovens and putting things around and inside such as sea-weed and shells.
And of course this sweet play episode was in the middle of the Second World War, and there were war ships moored in the estuary; blackouts were the order of the day and food was rationed; wool for knitting and material for clothes were hard to come by. Everything was ‘for the war effort’ – whether it was organising a concert, sticking stamps on a bomb that was located in the main street, donating your aluminium saucepans – everyone felt they were helping the success of the war! Even four year old me, spending the cost of a savings stamp from my own money and sticking it on a bomb – especially when my sister told me that this actual bomb would be used to win the war – and it had my stamp on it!
Thank you so much for being a part of my network – it feels as if I have lots of friends who are willing to hear about new ideas and contribute their own.
With Love
Dr Sue
Forthcoming Courses
We have some more of our new popular ‘Whistlestop’ Webinars coming up this spring – just the right thing if you are looking for extra CPD or only have time for brief encounters, wherever you are!
NDP and Self-Harm
Wednesday 19 March, 1800-2000 (UK time)
Friday 21 March, 0900-1100 (UK Time)
NDP and Attachment
Monday 28 April, 1200-1400 (UK time)
Wednesday 30 April, 1800-2000 (UK Time)
NDP and Sand Play
Monday 19 May, 1200-1400 (UK time)
Wednesday 21 May, 1800-2000 (UK Time)
NDP and Social Anxiety
Monday 23 June, 1200-1400 (UK time)
Friday 27 June, 0900-1100 (UK Time)
NEW COURSE: ‘NDP and Attachment’
This practical online course is in response to the many requests for experiential learning about attachment. All information will be available in the next Newsletter.
Remember that you can study for the NDP Diploma as a Self-Guided course, in your own time and at your own pace. There are optional ‘live’ tutorials. The elements are the same as the live training and so are the assessments.
Announcing the ‘NDP Student of the Year’, which is awarded to someone who has consistently shown a high standard in their assessments, course work and workshop.
For 2024, it is Em Inman who is our NDP Student of the Year. Congratulations Em!
Just a little nudge – please consider becoming a paid subscriber – not only does it help me as a writer – you also gain more, with additional article, stories and techniques, 4 free webinars each year, and 10% discount on any UK training. As a paid subscriber you are supporting new things that I am creating and are closely involved in the process. Just £65 per year or monthly instalments. Thanks and a hug. De-luxe membership is £120 per year and gives free monthly consultations, 6 free webinars per year and 15% off UK training.
Miss Penny-Weather’s Country School
And finally, our bed-time story. This time it is the next section from our story about life at a rural school after WW2.
The Story of Jimmy Swift, the Boy from Somerset:
Miss Penny-Weather’s Country School story is based on events that the author experienced or that she heard about as a child in post-war Britain. It creates the atmosphere of the rural school and is a useful addition to lessons about social history. It will eventually be published as a book, but meanwhile look out for the recording on YouTube.
Episode 10
Everyone on the barge had a good night’s sleep, despite the late working delivering the timber. Jimmy was feeling a bit more optimistic that his dad would be more encouraging about his school work, because he could see how it had been helpful in working out the payments due for his father’s delivery. Jimmy stayed on the barge to help his dad through the next three locks, and then they moored while Jimmy went to school. There was always plenty to do on a barge, things that needed mending, engines needed cleaning, also soot would build up in the chimney where they had the log fire. Depending on the time of year, mum would go with his little sister to pick wild fruit or berries, or pretty flowers that she would bring back in a posy. Once the barge was securely moored, Jimmy jumped off, remembering his school bag, and followed by his dog.
He ran back along the tow path towards the school and was surprised to see Mathew by the school gate and not wearing his school clothes. They called out to each other, and Mathew explained that the school was closed because there had been a flood. A pipe had burst after the weather warmed up too quickly. He had helped Miss Penny-Weather deliver notes to all the houses the evening before, which explained that the school would be closed for a few days while the pipe was mended and the room dried out. There might be some flood damage too… He stopped talking, as Jimmy’s face showed such disappointment that there was no school. Mathew exclaimed, ‘But most children enjoy a holiday from school, especially when it happens suddenly like today and maybe tomorrow as well! Why don’t we find somewhere where we can talk but not get cold?’
Jimmy remembered that once when the barge had broken down and his dad had needed some extra help, his mum and his little sister and him had walked across one of the fields, and found a hay barn which was a wonderfully warm shelter. He explained to Mathew that the farmers did not mind people on their land providing they respected it, and didn’t leave gates open or litter around, and certainly no fires. They walked across two fields with Jimmy leading the way and eventually saw the barn near the large five-bar gate in the next field. They went inside and there was plenty of loose hay to sit on and they left the door open a little to let some light in.
Jimmy opened his bag and brought out the sandwich his mum had made for his lunch and he gave half to Mathew; Mathew had never tasted a sausage sandwich before, and thought it was delicious. ‘So why are you upset that there is no school today?’ he asked. Jimmy decided to tell him all about the struggles because his parents could not read or write or do sums; he then told him what had happened last night when the man who wanted the wood tried to cheat his dad and he managed to rescue thew situation, just in time. ‘So,’ said Jimmy, ‘It is really important that I learn to read and write and do sums, so that I can help.’ He paused for a moment and then went on, ‘You see people look down on barge people, which is another reason they cheat them, thinking we will never know.’
Mathew thought about what he had said and then answered, ‘But no-one looks down on you at school, and Miss Penny-Weather is always saying you are doing well.’ Jimmy gave a half smile. ‘Haven’t you noticed Sheena? She is my cousin but she has been told not to have anything to do with me – she avoids me all the time and makes sure she is not my partner for any activities.’ Mathew looked shocked, but also remembered how his own parents would say snobby things about other families and would say to him, ‘be careful who you play with!’
‘Well,’ said Mathew, ‘Let’s imagine we are in school right now, and I am the teacher! I am going to hear you read and then you are doing your sums.’ Jimmy thought he was making fun but realised that he could have some great practice as Mathew was a good reader and pretty good with his sums too. He got out his homework books and started to read the page he had practised. Without realising it, he turned over a page and continued to read, although he stumbled over some of the words. ‘Jimmy,’ said Mathew, ‘Do you realise you have read something completely new? You can read!’ Jimmy could not believe it himself, and realised that he had made progress.
Then Mathew said, ‘Why don’t you tell me a situation where you need your sums, like last night, things like tables we can do later.’ Jimmy described in more detail what they did with the barge and how they might deliver not only wood, but coal, crates, steel, potatoes, a huge variety of heavy stuff. And they all had different calculations. One calculation was the actual journey, the other was the time spent loading and unloading, and whether it was clean or dirty materials, or extra heavy or light weight.
Mathew remarked that it was extremely complicated and that he would also have to think about the calculation! So he planned some simple sums for Jimmy based on the delivery of the night before, when he had used pictures of sticks to represent the journeys that required payment. He changed the number of journeys and whether it was night or day, and Jimmy was getting faster and faster in adding it up without having to write anything down.
Suddenly Jimmy said, ‘I think we need to go, now, it feels like the afternoon.’ Mathew laughed and looked at his watch, ‘You are right, if we were in school, we would just be putting everything away!’ The two boys raced back to the school where Jimmy turned on to the tow-path and ran in the direction of the barge. Mathew had written down several of the sums so he could practice. ‘I won’t be around tomorrow,’ he said, ‘I will be working, so see you the day after.’ And he added, ‘You’ll have lots of time to practice sums!’ Mathew turned to go home, feeling glad he had a real friend, although he had still not told his parents about Jimmy. Would they understand?
Both boys have to face some tough questions in the next part of the story…
(If you prefer to listen to these stories, they will shortly be available on YouTube ‘NDP Storytime with Sue Jennings’ and ‘Stories of Mouse and Mouse’. The ‘Moose and Mouse’ stories are available in the paid section below and are written for children under the age of 6 years. They address important issues in child development such as attachment, loss, playfulness, adventure, safety and fears. See our website here.)
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Dear All –
I have been reading so many books on neurodiversity, including first person stories, books for parents about nurture and manuals of terminology and brain facts. My two Whistlestop Webinars focussed on work with children and teenagers with ADHD or autism or both. We looked at NDP techniques that were more useful and those that were less so. Rhythmic Play is both useful and popular with autistic children, establishing rhythmic patterns and sequencing. By contrast, Messy Play, especially if it is with sticky substances is less popular. However, I have found that dry Messy Play with rice, pasta and lentils, for example, is more absorbing for neurodivergent children.
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