What Is Inner Child Therapy?
One of my specialisms is Inner Child Therapy, a gentle yet powerful approach to healing emotional wounds from the past.
We all carry an “inner child” – sometimes several. If childhood was safe and nurturing, this part of us shows up as joy, creativity, and playfulness.
But where there were attachment difficulties, trauma, loss, or painful transitions, inner children may remain frozen at a younger stage, carrying fear, shame, or unmet needs that continue to affect us in adulthood.
Relational Templates and Attachment Styles
From our earliest caregivers we learn a relational template – a blueprint for how we expect relationships to feel.
When we were met with love, consistency, and safety, we may grow into secure, confident adults. But neglect, inconsistency, criticism, or abuse can create insecure attachment styles.
These patterns can leave inner children with unmet needs and self-defeating behaviours. Therapy allows us to update this template.
By offering your inner child new experiences of attunement, safety and compassion within the therapeutic relationship, healing becomes possible.
Healing the Inner Child
Helping your inner child feel safe and valued can cultivate self-compassion and break negative patterns.
As a sensitive, nurturing (and sometimes playful) practitioner, I support you in gently connecting with younger parts of yourself. Together we create a safe space to recognise, listen to, and care for your inner child.
Approaches may include:
- Grounding practices to help you feel safe and present
- Mindful enquiry, using bodily awareness to “listen” to younger parts
- Symbolic work, such as stones, toys, or an empty chair to encourage dialogue
- Creative expression, including writing, drawing, modelling, play, and storytelling
The therapeutic relationship itself becomes a new, healthier relational template, helping your inner child feel safe, valued, and understood.
Benefits of Inner Child Therapy
Inner Child Therapy helps people heal from childhood wounds, leading to benefits such as improved self-awareness, better emotional regulation and healthier relationships.
When we react strongly to present-day situations, it can indicate that a younger part of us is triggered. Inner Child Therapy helps you to:
• Recognise when your inner child is activated
• Step back from overwhelming emotional reactions
• Offer comfort and reassurance to younger parts of yourself
• Build new relational patterns for healthier adult connections
• Respond more calmly and clearly in the present
Relieving inner children of adult burdens often reduces stress, strengthens relationships and fosters self-acceptance.
“I was able to work through some painful childhood abuse and discovered it’s possible to befriend your child self. It was painful work and I had to face difficult memories but it was worth it.” – Adam
Childhood Trauma & Healing
This therapy is particularly helpful if you experienced emotional neglect, physical or sexual abuse, trauma, or misattunement in childhood.
I see this work as gently going back to “collect” the child self left behind in painful situations. Inner children often continue to live as though the trauma is still happening.
Therapy allows them to feel heard and understood, and reassures them that the danger has passed. Your adult self, with support, can now provide the care and protection they needed.
If these issues resonate, I can help you.
Practicalities
Sessions last 60 minutes and usually take place weekly.
To get started, simply reach out by phone, email or text – sharing as much or as little as you wish. We can then arrange a free phone call if you like, giving you the chance to see how it feels to work together and whether I can support you.
Alternatively, some people like to jump right in, try an initial session and see how it feels. It’s your choice!