One a Penny, Two a Penny (2025:3)
Notes, Thoughts, and Notions
Hello All!
I’m writing from Delhi where I am working with the wonderful centre, Children First. They are about to complete the NDP Diploma with a second group; they now have four NDP Trainers, and the very first NDP trained supervisors.
We shall be offering the NDP Supervision Training online in the UK later this year. Initially, it will be available as a specialism for people already trained and experienced as supervisors.
We shall also be building in NDP supervision into the Diploma and for the Extended Diploma. We have observed that tutorials are functioning more as supervision! So the next group of people, embarking on the NDP Diploma next autumn, will have a slightly changed syllabus. Fees will remain the same for as long as we can manage to peg them. We are encouraging NDP Trainers in other countries, so please think of that, whether you work in education or clinically. As I wrote in the last One a Penny, teachers currently need lots of support, with the cut backs and the increase in neurodivergent children and those with learning needs.
Teaching Assistants of all kinds could be additionally helpful by acquiring the NDP skills, and creating a safe den in a corner of the class room. It is so important that we can create the ‘safe place’. As safe as the womb, which is where most of us learn about safety. And if the womb isn’t safe because of drug and alcohol intake or domestic violence or permanent unhappiness, it is even more important that we have a safe place where we know we are safe. We always need to remember that we are biologically programmed to seek safety.
This year with the NDP Diploma in India we had the Mahabharata stories instead of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Although most Indian students know AMND, there was a difference working with stories from their own culture. More on this in the next Newsletter.
O the difference in the shopping! In the UK we are watched like hawks as we take only three garments into the fitting room, (sometimes less). Here, there is no limit as assistants come with armfuls of tops to try on. And then the patience as they are re-folding them, even the security guard joining in! A thistle motif seems popular here this year!
The Trainers here explored the Sumerian myth of Inanna, reputed to be the first myth that was written down. Inanna was the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of the Earth and was responsible for the fertility of the flowers and the fruit. Sometimes in the UK we portray abundance with the cornucopia: the horn shaped basket brimming over with fruit, vegetables and flowers.
Inanna decides to go to the underworld to meet her dead sister. The myth is the story of her journey and her eventual rescue. We shall go further into this important story in the Newsletter, but you may care to look at the book ‘Descent to the Goddess’ by Sylvia Brenton Pereira.
I recommend this book to everyone as a reminder to give prominence to stories from ancient history as well as the more recent.
The question I get asked most frequently is ‘How do you stop siblings fighting?’ and the second most frequent, ‘How can I successfully toilet train my child?’ I will address both of these issues in a future Newsletter – tho’ not the next one as that is already in the system.
I am thinking of the spring flowers in my garden that should be showing when I get home for the coming weekend. I hope Inanna has been kind!
With love,
Dr Sue
Forthcoming Webinars:
[Remember, if you are a member of The Nest then you can use a discount code to gain access to the webinars for FREE, AND you get 10% off any of our training courses]
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)
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.
Please be aware that the Naxos Course is filling up very quickly!
Naxos NDP course (Diploma, Advanced, Trainers) is Monday 26 May – Saturday 31May. Just a few places left – remember it is my last one! More information on website Naxos Creative.
Supervision Groups and Individual:
We have one place in our evening Supervision Groups
Individual Supervision – there is currently one space available.
Other recommended courses:
Escape into Literature on Naxos
Naxos Creative are also running unique literary retreats on the stunning island of Naxos. Whether you crave uninterrupted reading time or engaging discussions with fellow book lovers, these retreats are yours to shape. Meet bestselling authors, enjoy curated reading lists, book discussions, and Greek wine tastings—all against a breath-taking Mediterranean backdrop.
Upcoming Retreats:
📚 5th–9th May – Nikki Smith
📚 12th–16th May – Louise Fein
📚 13th–17th October – Jennifer Saint (Limited places)
📚 20th–24th October – Naomi Wood
Empowerment Through Action: A School Tour
Bullying thrives in silence—but together, we can break the cycle.
Our interactive creative drama workshops empower young people with the tools to stand strong, support one another, and create positive change. Through immersive storytelling and role-playing, students develop empathy, confidence, and real strategies to tackle bullying head-on.
Tailored for primary and secondary schools, this nationwide tour runs throughout 2025 in the UK. Let’s inspire a generation to lead with kindness, courage, and action.
Huge thanks to all you people who are subscribers to my Substack Newsletter – it makes such a difference to enable me to write, instead of chasing other free-lance work. There are 2 subscription rates.
£65 per year or £6 per month for The Nest. As well as your own Newsletter every 10 days or so, you get 4 free webinars per year, and 10% reduction on any UK course. You also get your own stories, techniques, reviews and recommendations.
£120 per year is for the Founders. You get all of the above but 6 free webinar per year and 15% reduction on any UK training. You also get free consultations on any aspect of NDP and its application, or support for any writing you may be doing.