Tracie Faa-Thompson, primarily works as a Qualified Play and Filial Therapist.  She has a number of qualifications including Advanced Award (MA) Social Work, MA Sociology with Criminology, MA- non-directive Play Therapy   dipClin Hypnotherapy, Cert EAGALA, Certified; Filial Therapist, Cert Animal Ethology and behaviour consultant – Instructor, consultant AHC,  Supervisor & Filial Therapy Instructor. IIAAPT Instructor, supervisor, International trainer and speaker

Tracie for 30 years was a specialist social worker in adoption working with traumatized children , birth parents and their adoptive and foster families. Her social work dissertation was on maintaining meaningful contact between adopted children and their birth families. She is a British Association of Play Therapists-registered play therapist who uses a mix of individual play therapy, filial therapy, and group filial methods. Tracie is a practice teacher of social work students and newly qualified social workers, and a trainer in Life Story Work, Attachment Theory and resilience in adversity. As a clinical hypnotherapist, Tracie incorporates EMDR, Eye Movement Integration with Emotional Freedom Technique as an effective approach to trauma. Her passion is working outdoors in nature and since 2000 has been amalgamating Nature family therapy with Equine Assisted Family Play Therapy. Lover of the natural world she is an Applied herbal choices animal health professional consultant. And a Certified Animal Ethology and Behaviour consultant Instructor.   She also has a unique approach to therapeutic life story work  and developed a model utilising nature and animals to plot adopted children and adults journeys in 3D!!!!

Hailing from a Scottish/Romany Traveller family, Tracie has grown up with multiple dogs and horses as integral to her native culture. She is the Founder of Turn About Pegasus, an Equine Assisted Programme for a range of client issues. Tracie believes even when clients have endured terrible traumatic events that the power of play and laughter is as cathartic as tears.   Tracie is EAGALA (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association since 2005) certified, dual approved as both mental health and horse specialist.  Positive reinforcement works for humans and animals alike.

Tracie is the author of numerous manuals, articles, and training programmes on attachment and resilience, life story work, sibling contact in adoption, introductions of adoptive families and children, EAL/EAP, and Animal Assisted Play Therapy. She is co-author of the book Animal Assisted Play Therapy which won the coveted Maxwell Award 2018 under the Category Human Animal Bond.

Tracie and Dr Rise Van Fleet have been collaborating since 2004 to bring together the modalities of play therapy and animal-assisted therapies into a positive, cohesive ethical and playful way of working.  Tracie and Rise co-founded the  field of Animal Assisted Play Therapy ® 

Tracie is one of only 2 certified Filial Therapy Instructors in the UK and Ireland approved by the Original Family Enhancement and Play Therapy Center. Training as a Filial Therapy Instructor is by invite only.

Tracie and Rachael Driaasma have been collaborating for many years and have developed a range of training workshops  amalgamating scentwork, Calming signals and Play therapy to enhance the lives of both horses and humans in the fields of equine assisted services.

A humble person with an innate sense of fun, a doer rather than a talker Tracie believes in collaboration rather than competition. 

Her Motto for life is Egotism the enemy of Empathy.