Blog

Check in here for updates on our work and what our therapists are up to...

We use this space to reflect on our work in the city and the changes we are seeing around us.

Postcards from our BTH Ambassadors…

Thoughts on a postcard to children who are waiting for their appointments.

Postcards from our BTH Ambassadors…

Encouraging words from our BTH Ambassadors to those who are waiting for appointments.  

Georgie’s Blog

Autumn term 2022 has been my first term working full-time as a play therapist for Beyond the Horizon and it has gone by so quickly! Working more hours has meant more clients, and that means a lot more meetings with lots of people. A great part of my role is meeting so many family members and professionals who are working hard to provide the best possible outcomes for my clients. Meeting so many caring and nurturing people is a great reminder of the goodness in the world even in difficult times. Another part of working with so many different young people is that I am holding lots of different thoughts, feelings and issues over each week. This can feel tough at times, so many of the young people I’m working with have had to deal with very challenging circumstances. This…

Who am I?

Starting back this week has been a bumpy ride!  After a relaxing break, time back at my computer has made me feel like everything has sped up suddenly! I have been getting over Covid (it’s still out there!) and reviewing cases of families we are hoping to support with therapy this term… there are so many emails to answer and so many families facing difficult grief or life changing loss.  Can I do this, I ask myself?  And if I can’t… or I can’t keep up…  my self-esteem starts to wobble and I feel overwhelmed. It brought to mind the words my son’s headteacher shared in the last school assembly in July and sent out in the school newsletter.  She wanted the young people to know “you are awesomely and wonderfully made”.   Young people do ask me in therapy sessions,…

A very big thank you!

We were really impressed this week by two groups of young people who represented their schools in the Envision Community Apprentice Programme and chose Beyond the Horizon as the charity they wanted to champion in a pitching challenge.  The young people worked with coaches from businesses across Birmingham to help them with confidence, team building and communication skills and the winning team won £100 for their chosen charity which we are very pleased to say, was us! The young people spoke so passionately about why they wanted to support our work and shared with the audience that it was their own lived experiences of bereavement and loss that motivated them to choose Beyond the Horizon.  We are extremely grateful! They got creative in their presentations too.  One young person wrote a poem which they were happy for us to share…

Positive thought of the week!

This week’s positive thought from a parent is… ‘We can only do our best with what we know at the time’

Freedom through play

This week I have begun Play Therapy with four new children. Being with them as they begin to explore in a new way, has reminded me of the freedom that play can bring. Play Therapy is based on creating a safe accepting relationship, within a consistent time and space, and then enjoying creating and playing together. Through this, children naturally begin to process their feelings and experiences through play. And then very gradually, often something a bit like magic begins to happen… children who are nervous try out being brave, quiet voices start to speak a bit louder, boisterous energy settles and becomes a bit calmer, and children who have been hurt begin to trust again. But you don’t have to be a therapist for this magic to happen. Whether you are a parent, teacher, brother, sister or friend –…

This too will pass

On Sunday, I felt rubbish. I woke up with back pain and heard torrential rain being blown against the window by heavy wind. Everything felt horrible, inside, and out. I wanted to hide in bed and not face the day. But with a long list of things to do, I reluctantly crawled out of bed and got on with the day. Later, that afternoon, I was walking through my local park and reflecting on the unexpected turn of the day. The rain had cleared, the sun shone gloriously, my jobs were mostly done, and my back pain had eased as I walked. The changes were so gradual, that I had hardly noticed them happening. But suddenly I was aware of feeling completely different: relaxed, at peace and happy. If you had told me at 7am that this is how the…

Meet the Team

Questions children have asked our therapists and their answers!