Community Programmes

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‍Play Therapy in the Community

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For families in Glasgow we are providing Play Therapy and parent/carer support for children 2-10 who have experienced adversity. Referrals can be made by social work, health, or parents and caregivers.

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With Kids is working in collaboratively with partner SAMH, Space, and Big Hearts Community Truest to bring a community mental health partnership to young people aged 5-26 in South West Edinburgh. Together we provide a range of essential local mental health services to meet a diverse range of need.
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We are delivering 2 days of Play Therapy at the City of Edinburgh Council Corporate Hub for Parents and a day each in 5 schools, who receive funding form Edinburgh’s Promise, a local plan that aims to improve the lives of children and young people who are care experienced.

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Community, Family and Parent Support groups

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Also funded by the Glasgow Community Fund, we offer parent groups where parents can explore and share their experiences, gain confidence, strengthen their resilience and reduce isolation.

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Our family group activities provide a chance families to take part in a chosen activity together where they are supported with their children to maintain boundaries, create routine and bond/connect with their child.

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We often have family group activities over the school holidays which are run from our centre in Dennistoun.

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Our Community Café which operates on a Monday from 12-2pm provides people in the community a hot meal and a chance to talk to others.

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Download our latest flyer to find out about ‘What’s on @ With Kids?’ in Glasgow, or follow us on Facebook.

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Nurseries in Glasgow

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With the support of the Glasgow Community Fund, we have two Play Therapists who are supporting children, their families and staff in two Bridgeton, Green Trees and Silverdale and Winter Garden nurseries in Glasgow’s east end.

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They are delivering Watch, Wait and Wonder, by creating and environment which allows parents to observe and follow their baby’s spontaneous activity in a free play format, observing body language, facial expressions or interactions their child initiates. Following reflective discussion this increases parents’ knowledge about their baby’s cognitive, physical, emotional and social development and helps them to know that they don’t ‘need to intervene or be directive.

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We train the nursery staff in Watch, Wait and Wonder techniques so that they are skilled to build strong connections with the babies and toddlers which makes them feel seen, building the child’s confidence and resilience.

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Nurseries in Edinburgh

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Thanks to 3-year funding from RS MacDonald, With Kids are currently delivering Play Therapy in Calderglen nursery in Edinburgh, training for nursery staff and providing drop-in support sessions for parents and carers.

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Nurture, Connect, Thrive and Kidshaven projects (Edinburgh)

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Our Nurture, Connect, Thrive services is a collaboration between With Kids, Wester Hailes Medical Practice and Westerhaven cancer support project.

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We are working with children and parents/carers who repeatedly present at the GP with complex social and emotional issues, including a rising number of neurodevelopmental concerns which manifest as difficult-to-treat health issues.

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Children's whose parents/carers have received a terminal cancer diagnosis are often left unseen and unsupported. Working with Westhaven cancer project, children are receiving Play Therapy while their parents/carers are supported by a specialist cancer nurse and through counselling.

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Together we are providing early intervention support to children and their families, preventing long-term mental health problems.

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Adult Therapy

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We provide a free mental health support service for parents and carers in Glasgow. If you are finding it difficult to manage, we can offer free one-to-one counselling and therapy in a relaxed, friendly setting.

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Our Sandplay Therapy is also for parent and carers. Sandplay Therapy is a form of counselling/creative therapy that makes use of sand and small world objects and figures to help express emotional issues that might be hard to put into words. It can help with trauma, anger, low mood/depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, relationship problems, stress and much more.

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Contact Us for a confidential chat about how we can support you.

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Summer programmes

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This summer (2025), the With Kids Edinburgh team delivered two creative, therapeutic workshops for families already engaged with our Nurture, Connect, Thrive and Kidshaven services. These two-day workshops aimed to support children and their caregivers to strengthen their relationships, deepen their
understanding of emotions, and integrate learning from the therapeutic process.

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Using Inside Out as a thematic anchor, each workshop supported families to explore different emotions in a safe, creative and embodied way. We offered a mixture of play, storytelling, movement, yoga and arts/crafts — with time for reflection, laughter and connection throughout. Emotions were explored through dedicated “zones” which families journeyed through together. Each zone was designed to offer both emotional insight and practical strategies for co- regulation and expression.

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Get in touch if you want to be added to a mailing list for future summer programmes in either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

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