A Journey Into Your Child's World

Dr Yana Varlakova is running a creative parent-child workshop at Homewood United Reformed Church in St Albans this November, and it's one of those things that's easier to describe by what it isn't. It's not a parenting assessment, and it's not a substitute for individual therapy. Instead, it's a gentle space for children aged 5 to 12 and one parent to slow down and explore each other's inner worlds together.

The sessions run on Saturday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:15, with three in-person dates: 14, 21, and 28 November. Each one lasts 75 minutes, so you're looking at a bit over two hours of shared time across the three weeks. The work happens through sandplay with miniature figures, art, metaphorical cards, and therapeutic exercises — the kind of creative, hands-on stuff that lets a child show you what's on their mind without having to find the words for it.

Dr Varlakova leads the group, and she brings a fair bit of weight to the room. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience, and her approach pulls from attachment-informed practice, Gestalt therapy, and creative, experiential methods. The sessions are run in English, with translation into Russian possible if that helps. It's a small setup, limited to three parent-child pairs per group, so it stays quiet and focused rather than turning into a busy classroom.

The whole thing costs £45.00 for the three sessions, and you'll find it in the back hall of Homewood United Reformed Church on Homewood Road, right on the corner of Sandpit Lane (AL1 4BH). If you've got a child in that 5-12 bracket and fancy a few Saturday afternoons of just the two of you, it's a good place to start.