About
Freya Howard is a BAPT-registered play therapist and founder of Play Refuge, where she works alongside families to support children and young people through difficult times. Through postgraduate study in play therapy, psychology, and literature, Freya is uniquely placed to help families use reading and play to support children, utilizing play therapy, child-parent relationship therapy, bibliotherapy, and therapeutic life story work. Her practice supports children experiencing anxiety, behavioural difficulties, trauma, and significant life disruption, with a particular specialism in working with children and young people who are seeking asylum or have refugee status. Freya carefully integrates The Book Therapy Method™ into individual play therapy sessions and therapeutic consultations (a specialist integrated approach of play therapy and bibliotherapy) with families, drawing on thoughtfully selected literature to support guided reflection, play therapy techniques, emotional understanding, and practical integration at home. Freya also offers standalone online bibliotherapy consultations for parents, carers, and families. These sessions provide a thoughtful, accessible space to explore how carefully chosen stories, reflective prompts, and play-based understanding can help children and families make sense of feelings, strengthen connection, and support emotional well-being at home. Freya’s therapeutic foundation is rooted in literature, with a BA (Hons) and MRes, followed by further training in psychology and play therapy through an MA in Psychology and MSc in Play Therapy. She has published in peer-reviewed journals on supporting children and co-presented the limited podcast series “Pages and Play: The Power of Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy in Nurturing Young Minds” with Bijal Shah.
How I use The Book Therapy Method™
As a master’s-level play therapist with postgraduate training in literature, I bring a distinctive depth of clinical and literary experience to supporting families through reading and play when a child is struggling. In my online bibliotherapy consultations, I use The Book Therapy Method™ to work with parents, carers, and families to explore carefully chosen stories, reflective prompts, and practical integration activities tailored to their child’s needs. These sessions offer a calm, supportive space to think together about feelings, relationships, family connection, and emotional well-being, with gentle guidance that families can carry into everyday life at home. I also integrate The Book Therapy Method™ into individual play therapy sessions and therapeutic consultations withfamilies, using carefully selected literature to support therapeutic exploration, emotional understanding, and meaningful reflection. Alongside play-based approaches, stories can offer children and families a gentle, accessible way to make sense of experiences, open up conversation, and continue therapeutic insights at home.
Areas of focus
Services offered
- One-to-one bibliotherapy consultation
- One-to-one therapeutic consultation
- Play Therapy
- Workshops