Fiona Kolek
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Welcome! I am a PTUK Accredited Play Therapist and Creative Counsellor for Children and Young People. I offer therapy and counselling sessions for children and young people aged 7 to 18 from my garden studio near Biddenden. My approach is person-centred, which means I work closely with parents/carers as well as the young person, to truly understand the challenges. I take time to build a safe therapeutic relationship with the young person, in which they feel safe and unjudged. When they find it hard to put their experiences into words, I offer play and creative arts materials to help give a voice to their thoughts and feelings, boost self-understanding and ultimately help them find strategies to cope with their challenges.
Training, qualifications & experience
I qualified as a Play Therapist and later as a Creative Counsellor for Children and Young People via Leeds Beckett University. I am registered with Play Therapy UK (PTUK) , I adhere to their ethical standards and have regular clinical supervision. I have a current enhanced DBS and am fully insured to practice as a Play Therapist and Counsellor. You can find me on the Professional Standards Agency accredited register: www.playtherapyregister.org.uk
I have worked as a Play Therapist and Counsellor in Kent schools since 2016, and in 2020, I established my private practice near Biddenden, Kent. I continue to undertake regular specialist training to ensure my continuing professional development. Recent trainings include: 'Developmental Trauma for Professionals', 'Working with Selective Mutism', 'Supporting the mental health of LGBTQ+ Children and Young People','Working with Grief and Loss', 'Working with Autism and Neurodiversity', 'Understanding and Helping Demand Avoidant Adolescents'. In 2025, I will undertake a qualification in 'Post Adoption Therapy'.
Alongside my private work as a therapist, I work as a Family Caseworker at the children’s charity Dandelion Time, offering a systemic therapeutic approach to help children and their families recover from emotional trauma.
*PTUK Post Qualifying Certificate in Creative Counselling for Children and Young People (PTUK, 2022)
*PTUK Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy (Leeds Beckett University, 2021)
*PTUK Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills
(Leeds Beckett university, 2017)
Member organisations
Play Therapy UK is the largest organisation governing therapeutic play and play therapy in the United Kingdom. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
Following a free initial enquiry phone call, I offer a 30 minute in-person assessment for you and your child/young person prior to beginning therapy = £30
Each play therapy/counselling session = £60
Fees valid until 31st Dec 2025.
When I work
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Current availability: Weds 5pm onwards, Thursday 3pm onwards, Friday daytime slots available
Further information
Life is full of challenges for young people and, although many of these can be managed within families, sometimes it can help to seek professional support.
My approach is person-centred, which means I work closely with parents or carers, children (and schools and other services, where appropriate) to truly understand the issues you wish me to tackle. I take time to build a safe therapeutic relationship with the young person, in which they feel safe and unjudged. When they find it hard to put their experiences into words, I offer play and creative arts materials to help give a voice to their thoughts and feelings, boost self-understanding and ultimately help them find strategies to cope with their challenges.
I have extensive experience of working with children and young people of all ages and with challenges relating to a wide range of issues, including anxiety, bereavement, developmental trauma, family breakdown, gender identity, OCD, ADHD, ASC and PDA. I aim to offer a warm, effective and efficient therapeutic service, tailored to the unique needs of the individual.
What is the difference between play therapy and creative counselling?
Play therapy is usually best suited to children in Year 5 and below. This is because it is often child-led. During sessions, your child will be able to use the wide range of resources that will be made ready for them each week. This includes a large array of art and crafting materials, clay, sand and water, puppets, and games. Your child will be able to choose freely what they would like to use, and I will enter their play and follow their lead. Your child will be able to work at their own pace and explore narratives and experiences in the metaphor of play or art.
Creative counselling is usually best suited to those in Year 6 and older. This is because it is largely a talking therapy. I encourage the use of art materials to help put thoughts, feelings and experiences into words and explore them more deeply. This way of working allows us to collaborate to find strategies that may help them manage their challenges.
How play therapy/ creative counselling might help your child:
Talking about problems can be hard. Someone may not have the words to describe how they are feeling, or why they are behaving as they do. A child/young person may not be able to recognise what they find difficult, or explain it to someone if asked. Play Therapy and Creative Counselling provide the expertise and time to do this through play and creativity. My sessions aim to build a child’s ability to develop healthy and resilient relationships, and to work though traumatic experiences which may be preoccupying them. Pre-occupying difficult feelings can make learning at school or managing feelings impossible. Addressing difficult emotions through play and creativity provides a layer of story or metaphor to what is being shared and felt. Metaphor can provide a degree of removal from experience for the child. It can feel safer and less intense for a child to express themselves or explore their experiences through play and creativity.
What to expect in the first session:
When your child is first referred, I will talk to you and listen carefully to what has been happening, how your child is at home and what you (and they, if appropriate) would hope would be the outcome of this help. During an initial referral meeting with the family, I will take detailed background information and we will set ‘Hoped For Outcomes’ for the therapy. Once you have given your consent for the therapy to start, then your child or young person will attend one session a week (or in some cases, once a fortnight)..
Over the first few sessions, I will begin to forge a therapeutic relationship with your child/young person. They will experience the consistency of the session and its predictable boundaries. The aim being that this will enable them to use the time and my knowledge, to express themselves in their own way.
Welcome to my studio
My studio is set in my garden in the Kent countryside. Its natural, peaceful setting enhances the therapeutic experience and enables me to offer therapy outdoors when appropriate.
