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Junglemind therapeutic arts and crafts group
Thursdays 4.30pm
Every junglemind needs a den
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A therapeutic arts and crafts group to build emotional resilience to better navigate today's and tomorrow's challenges
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For children ages 8-12
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This small, nurturing group offers space for children to develop grounding, confidence and resilience through creative expression and open discussion.
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Led by Marion Laleve, a registered child psychotherapist (special focus on attachment and neuroscience of emotional regulation and child development) with a warm, attuned approach to emotional wellbeing.
Location: St Mary's Parish, Langham Road, TW11 9HF, Teddington
Group size: Small and nurturing (up to 8 children)
Price: £15 for one session (includes material)​​​
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Junglemind: An Antidote to Technology — A Creative Den for Calm, Confidence and Connection
Screens are everywhere — in our homes, our schools, our pockets. For many children, they are both a source of stimulation and a place to escape.
Yet constant stimulation can make it hard for young minds to slow down, feel, or imagine. Many children I meet struggle to relax or to find pleasure in offline activities. Their attention is often externally driven — by notifications, fast images, or expectations — rather than by curiosity or inner motivation.
Junglemind arts and crafts therapeutic group was created as an antidote to that.
Every Thursday afternoon in Teddington, a small group of children gathers to make, play, and create together. The sessions are grounded in therapeutic arts and crafts — a space where imagination leads, and the nervous system can finally settle.
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Why Art Helps Regulate and Protect
Art-making is more than a fun past time. It boosts emotional development. When children paint, sculpt, or build, they give form to what they feel — without needing words. The process of touching, shaping, or moving materials helps them regulate big emotions and reconnect to a sense of presence.
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Unlike art lessons, these sessions are not about technique or skill. They are about expression, regulation, and discovery. Within a gentle rhythm of activity and rest, children learn to:
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Find calm through sensory engagement — textures, colours, and repetitive gestures soothe the body and mind.
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Process emotions symbolically and safely.
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Enjoy quiet connection by creating side by side, without pressure to perform.
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Recognise what calm and focus feel like — experiences that are easily lost in digital life.
How It Supports a Healthier Relationship with Technology
When children rediscover calm, curiosity, and imagination through hands-on play, they begin to feel less dependent on screens for stimulation or comfort.
The creative process teaches them how to self-soothe, stay present, and enjoy boredom — all protective factors against compulsive technology use.
Over time, parents often notice:
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More balanced use of screens.
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Greater confidence and self-expression.
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More empathy and patience with peers.
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A stronger sense of inner safety — what I like to call a (psychological) den — a calm, grounded place inside themselves.
Equipping Children for Life
We cannot be by our children’s side every moment of the day. But we can equip them with an inner sense of what it feels like to be grounded, psychologically safe, calmly assertive, boundaried yet engaged with life.
Jungle Mind groups were created in response to the growing challenges children face today—difficulties with attention, rising anxiety, navigating friendships, the pull of technology and social media.
Rooted in attachment theory, the neuroscience of emotional regulation, and evidence-based therapeutic practices, these groups provide early intervention by helping children build a secure foundation for emotional wellbeing and resilience - that they can carry with them everywhere.
Facilitator:
Marion Laleve, MA
registered child psychotherapist
Private Practice: www.laleve.com
I’ve spent over a decade working with children and adolescents struggling with a wide range of emotional and mental health challenges. In my private practice, I treat complex difficulties (anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse).
I care deeply about offering not just treatment, but early support to children and parents. I believe prevention begins with safe play. When children feel safe, seen, and engaged creatively, they develop resilience for life’s inevitable challenges.
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I have particular experience of how to develop self awareness, emotional regulation and a sense of agency through the use of arts and play. Building a den - an inner space of grounding, safety and trust is fundamental to growing. It is also preventative of major mental health and relational crisis.
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My therapeutic approach is informed by attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, psychodynamics, and creative therapies.
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Address
Langham Road
Teddington
TW11 9HF
UK
Contact
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