About Us
The Windfall Centre provides short and long term programmes of Play Therapy and Child Psychotherapy for children and young people. Windfall takes a holistic and systemic view of healing through close collaboration with caregivers and family members. We work closely with parents/carers through attachment focused interventions that attend to the caregiver & child relationship. See also the information section: Working with Families.
We also work closely with professionals, offering advice and support to school staff, social work teams and others working on behalf of children at risk. Our team is trained to post-graduate levels in the developmental and mental health needs of children and young people. Our work is underpinned by intensive training, high levels of clinical supervision, personal therapy and rigorous continuing professional development.
Gabrielle Eisele
BAPT approved Supervisor and BAPT Registered Play Therapist and Filial Therapist
Gabrielle is the co-founder of The Windfall Centre and has guided its development through its eventual move to becoming a charity and the CIC organisation it has now become. She is a qualified Play Therapist and Filial Therapist accredited with the British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT).
In addition to her Master’s degree in Play Therapy, her academic credentials include a MSc in Psychology and distinction in a Masters in Developmental and Therapeutic Play. Gabrielle works directly with children through Play Therapy and with parents, carers and professionals within our Filial Therapy, Nurturing Families and Hand in Hand programmes.
Gabrielle brings a therapeutic emphasis on the importance of secure attachment relationships for emotional health, together with an understanding of the impact of trauma on children’s developing brains. She initiated and co-developed our Nurturing Families programme specifically to promote the early attachment relationship between parents and carers and their infants and young children. Gabrielle is a Clinical Supervisor for practising play therapists working outside of The Windfall Centre, and supervises student play therapists who come to us for placements.
Gabrielle has also delivered training extensively across the UK to numerous other organisations and agencies and given keynote presentations at conferences. As part of our valuable link with the University of South Wales, Gabrielle has been a regular guest lecturer on the Play Therapy Master’s degree course.
Gabrielle has appeared as an Expert Witness for the family court, assessing the attachment relationships of very young and disabled children with their caregivers. Drawing on her 30 plus years of working with children and young people in the UK and America, she has particular expertise and sensitivity towards the needs of neuro-diverse children and young people and those who have experienced poor attachment formation and trauma.
Maggie Fearn
BAPT Registered Play Therapist, Filial Therapist, Child Psychotherapist ECIP BAPT Approved Clinical Supervisor
Maggie was a play practitioner for 30 years, a Forest School Practitioner between 2001-2018 and an outdoor therapeutic play practitioner since 2009. She completed her Masters training in Developmental and Therapeutic Play at Swansea University in 2010, qualified as a Play Therapist in 2014 and a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist as well as a Filial Therapist in 2016.
Her clinical approach focuses on developmentally sensitive, and trauma informed therapeutic work with children, young people and their families. She is also developing nature-based approach to play therapy at her beautiful bespoke clinic in Carmarthenshire, and trains play therapists and other mental health professionals to incorporate nature into their practice.
Maggie offers child centred Play Therapy with children as well as working with parents and carers in Filial Therapy. She helped develop the Windfall Centre’s Nurturing Families programme, supporting and strengthening attachment relationships between mothers and their little ones under five.
She was Senior Lecturer on the MSc Play Therapy at University of South Wales until April 2022 and she is currently Assistant Director of Academic Affairs (MA Creative Psychotherapy) at the Children’s Therapy Centre, Ireland. Maggie’s academic work includes being published in journals and regularly contributing book chapters, and combined with her clinical practice, her work is of immense value to the high standard of service delivered at the Windfall Centre.