More Play Required
More Play Required: Reflections from July’s Creative Counsellors page by page workshop
By Louise Malyan / Integrative Counsellor Psychotherapist / Creative Counsellor Ambassador
July’s Creative Counsellors Book Club was something really special. It was one of those evenings where the room fills with warmth, reflection, creativity, and the gentle magic that happens when counsellors come together with openness and curiosity.
Our theme for July was:
Wellbeing, Identity & Finding Ourselves Again.
We explored the tender places where we may have drifted from parts of ourselves — the parts that once sparked joy before the roles, responsibilities, and emotional labour of this work quietly reshaped our identity. As counsellors, we hold so much for others… but sometimes, we forget to hold ourselves in the same way.
✍️ A Creative Journey Through Time
We began with a reflective timeline:
What came before — who we were before the weight of work, before burnout, before the boundaries blurred.
Where we are now — what still feels alive, and what might feel a little forgotten.
Where we want to be — not in a goal-driven sense, but in a soulful, joy-led way.
And the brushstrokes in between — the small, subtle shifts that got us here.
📚 Books, Stories, and Shared Meaning
As always, books grounded our session. Memoirs, fiction, and therapeutic texts that reminded us of who we are beyond the therapy room — books that helped us feel, remember, and return. Stories that held our hands when we couldn’t hold our own. And yes, I have a few newbies to add to my ever growing collection!
🎒 A Suitcase Full of Joy
One of my favourite moments? When we packed a metaphorical suitcase full of the things that once brought us joy.
various joys came up, maybe music or a memory. For others, colours, hobbies, silly childhood snacks, or the feeling of being barefoot in the garden.
We used the brilliant Badass Affirmation Cards and Reflective Endings Cards to guide and prompt this exploration — both of which I highly recommend for clients and practitioners looking to bring more creativity and depth into their sessions.
🧡 Grab your own set of Badass Affirmation Cards (affiliate link – thank you for supporting my work!)
🔗 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DRL7ST6B/?tag=louisemalya0d-21
🧳 Explore the beautifully designed Reflective Endings Cards
🔗 https://yourtimetherapy.uk/resources-&-training
💫 The Takeaway?
That there is beauty in us, even when it feels distant. And often, we find it not in logic, theory, or even words… but in unexpected items, silly memories, and play.
As soon as we found that moment of joy, we knew.
We remembered who we were.
We gave ourselves permission to go there.
And that’s the real work sometimes — giving ourselves permission to be fully human. Messy. Playful. Free.
🖌️ So What Now?
More play.
More joy.
More of doing things differently.
Whether you're a counsellor, creative, or someone who feels a little lost at the moment — maybe this is your reminder to pack your own suitcase. To revisit the parts of you that once brought life, laughter, and ease.
Because healing doesn’t have to be heavy.
Sometimes, it looks like colour.
Sometimes, it looks like connection.
Sometimes, it starts with a scribble on a page.
You can learn more about me and my approach here:
🔗 www.wildfirecounsellingtherapy.co.uk
📧 louisemalyancounselling@gmail.com
Let’s do therapy — and life — a little differently.
Because more play is always a good idea.
With warmth,
Louise x
