Power of Play Conference 2026

♦ 9.30am Welcome

♦ 9.45am Keynote – Sarah Lloyd

♦ 11.15am Morning Break

♦ 11.30am Round Table Exercise – Sarah Lloyd

♦ 12.15pm Lunch

♦ 1.15pm Workshops

♦ 2.30pm Afternoon Break

♦ 2.45pm Guest speaker

♦ 3.15pm Workshops

♦ 4.30pm Evaluation and Close

Sarah is a Consultant Occupational Therapist, Play Therapist and author of  the BUSS® Model (Building Underdeveloped Sensorimotor Systems). Sarah spent 3 years working in adult mental health services in York and Leeds, and the next 33 years working in Child and Mental Health (CAMHS) teams in England and in Scotland. Building on her core OT training, Sarah has completed a Masters in Psychoanalytic Studies, a training in Non Directive Play Therapy, (BAPT, York University) EMDR and lots of shorter trainings –  including Parent Infant Psychotherapy training and Story Stem Assessments (Anna Freud Centre)., Webster Stratton Incredible Years Programme, Solihull Model for foster carers, Sensory Integration L1 and Sensory Beginnings trainings.

BUSS® is a relationally based model originally developed as a clinical model for working with individual children and parents in foster, adoption and kinship care.  From this, LEAPlets was born, a preschool group for children and parents, which runs across the UK and Ireland with virtual schools, adoption organisations and fostering services as well as children’s centres and nurseries in areas where children are starting education behind age expected norms of development. Sarah is passionate about the role that good bodily regulation has in giving children a foundation for relating, play and learning.

Sarah has published a book for parents and carers about building foundation sensorimotor systems (Improving Sensory Processing in Traumatised Children, 2016, JKP), and a text for practitioners training in the model (Building Sensorimotor Systems in Children with Developmental Trauma: A Model for Practise, 2020, JKP) as well as articles in fostering and adoption journals.  More information about the model, research and publications can be found on the website – www.bussmodel.org

Joe is an Accredited Play Therapist, Clinical Supervisor, and Filial Play Coach with Play Therapy UK. He develops a range of Continuous Professional Development trainings for PTUK and serves as an Assistant Course Director. In his day-to-day work, Joe runs his own practice at Treehouse Wellbeing:

https://www.treehousewellbeing.co.uk

and provides supervision for staff at an SEMH school.

Joe is passionate about compassionately supporting others to hold trauma by celebrating abilities and strengths. Having previously established an autism-specific service in the West Midlands, he has a particular commitment to working with neurodiversity. He holds the belief that expression through play is central to fostering unconditional acceptance of diverse ways of being in children.

Before training as a therapist, Joe worked as a professional a cappella singer and launched a national music-in-education campaign. The healing potential of art and performance continues to be a vital influence in his therapeutic approach.

Honorata is an integrative creative counsellor (MBACP), expressive artist, clay therapist and therapeutic arts practitioner. Her practice blends the concept of Internal Parts, creative counselling and is grounded in principles of nervous system regulation. She is one of the contributors to Tanja’s Sharpe book “Creative Counselling” (2022), and “Creative Counselling for Adults” (2024). She worked for public health, adult education and mental health organisations running therapeutic arts groups and now in the private practice she is focusing on neurodivergent clients and less verbal creative ways of work. Honorata provides training on creativity in therapy for the Creative Counsellors CIC, is a practitioner member of Association for Person Centred Creative Arts and Creative Counsellors Ambassador. As a practicing artist along being a therapist, Honorata works with blocks to creativity rooted in the early childhood experiences, lost connection with the inner child and absence of creative play throughout the life.

In 2025 Honorata trained in Laban movement application with KFA and participated in Open Circle: The Discipline of Authentic Movement Authentic run by Professor Helen Payne. Honorata provides Somatic Drawing workshops (in person and online) as the blend of the creative expression through the body with drawing and emotional regulation.

www.artlysing.com

Sarah is passionate about risky, challenging play. She loves learning, people, and the planet, having worked in education and voluntary youth work for over 35 years in various roles, including teaching in primary and early years, as a Forest School leader, an Early Years Trainer/Consultant, and a lead for nature-based wellbeing projects with NGOs and County Councils.

 A professional certified coach, Forest School Association-endorsed trainer, and education consultant, Sarah co-founded Where The Fruit Is to provide transformational coaching and training in and through nature, advocating for autism-friendly practice. She chaired the Forest School Association for four years and is one of the founders of the Nature Premium campaign.

https://www.wherethefruitis.co.uk/

Accommodation is not included.
Milton Hill House are offering a special accommodation rate to conference delegates if you book before 14 February 2026.

• Bed and Breakfast – Single Occupancy £120.00 / Double Occupancy £130.00
• Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Single Occupancy £145.00/ Double Occupancy £175.00

Please note: rooms are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.

 To book accommodation at Milton Hill House

• Email [email protected]

  with:

  • The date(s) you would like to stay
  • Which room offer you would like
  • Make sure you quote the code CLEA110426

The hotel contact you to confirm your booking. They will require your card details for guarantee, but payment will not be taken until check in.

Looking for alternative accommodation options? Here are some you could try:
Steventon House Hotel
Premier Inn – Oxford South Didcot
Premier Inn – Abingdon 

Both Didcot and Abingdon have lots of other accommodation options. There are also several Premier Inns and Travelodges in Oxford

Please note, we have not visited these hotels ourselves so would always recommend you check reviews before booking.

There are also a number of Airbnbs in the area. www.airbnb.co.uk