Faithful Safeguarding Podcast with Petros

Ep 4 How to Engage Children in Safeguarding with Di Gammage

Season 1 Episode 4

Episode Summary:
In episode 4, we’re joined by Di Gammage, a registered child and adult psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience working in trauma and abuse. Di is qualified in dramatherapy and play therapy and has been invited to the UK Council for Psychotherapy Child Register due to her clinical experience and publications in child therapy. 

Key Takeaways:

  • The significance of listening to children and empowering them in safeguarding.
  • How dramatherapy and play therapy can help children express their experiences.
  • Practical strategies to create trust and support in safeguarding environments.
  • The need for safeguarding systems to be adaptive, flexible, and responsive to children's needs.

Di has worked across various sectors, including co-directing the Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship Project in Devon and consulting for social services. She is also the author of Playful Awakening and lectures on psychotherapy programmes in London, Yorkshire, and Athens.

In this conversation hosted by Madison Clarke of Petros, we focus on the importance of engaging children in safeguarding processes, ensuring their voices are heard, and empowering them to participate in decisions that affect their safety and well-being. 

Di provides valuable insights into the therapeutic techniques she uses to help children express themselves, including dramatherapy and play therapy, and explains why listening to children is crucial in safeguarding.

We also explore how to create environments that foster trust and support, as well as how safeguarding systems can be adapted to better meet the needs of children, particularly those who have experienced trauma or abuse. Di’s passion for resilience and empowerment shines through as she discusses practical strategies for practitioners and faith communities alike.

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