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Graduation Newsletter 2015
Lisa’s pioneering work helps children
and young people through play
A Swansea University
student who has pioneered
a way of helping children
in hospital to understand
their own medical
procedures through play
has achieved academic
success. Lisa Morgan from
Bryn, Port Talbot, has been
awarded a Master’s degree
in Developmental and
Therapeutic Play.
Lisa has been a nursery nurse
for 20 years, and was working
as a play leader in Morriston
Hospital when she first decided
to apply for the Master’s Degree.
Her work with children led her to
develop a passion in relation to
hospital play, and she decided
to implement the use of puppets
to help prepare the children
for medical procedures and
treatment. She also wanted
to study and gain theoretical
knowledge about children’s
development and therapeutic play
at university.
Lisa said: ‘I have been fortunate
enough to have been given the
opportunity to study at Swansea
University on a part-time basis to
further develop my knowledge of
therapeutic play. I work within a
team of five play leaders and we
see children from birth up to 16
years old. We provide structured
age appropriate play in the
playroom or at the bedside for
short stay or long term children.
I have seen first-hand how vitally
important it is to prepare the
children for their procedures
using age appropriate language
that they can understand. I
encourage the children to blend
the fantasy with the reality of their
admission,
and by introducing the puppets
this enables them to use their
imagination to create their
own story about their hospital
experience. This helps to relax
them and distracts them from
uncomfortable procedures,
which in turn makes their family
less anxious.”
Her University studies helped
Lisa to develop a deeper
understanding of this subject
and have led to her giving guest
lectures on this topic. She also
co-authored a book chapter
focused on play for children in a
hospital setting and is currently
writing a full book proposal on
developmental and therapeutic
play for children in hospital with
Dr Justine Howard from Swansea
University. Her achievements in
this area were also recognised
when she was granted the
runner-up prize in the Welsh
RCN Nurse of the Year
Awards 2014.
Lisa said: “Last year, from
generous donations from
the general public my
department was able
to purchase a whole
family of puppets so
that children across all
wards could benefit
from their use. My
aim is to build upon
this and help spread
the word about the
benefits of this kind
of therapeutic play
for children across
the whole of the
hospital trust.”
Lisa’s personal tutor, Dr
Justine Howard said: “Lisa
was nervous when she joined
the MA Developmental and
Therapeutic Play programme
as a part time student in 2011.
She had no undergraduate
degree and entered via the
non-graduate route based
on her extensive experience
of working with children as a
play professional at Morriston
Hospital. Her dedication,
commitment and enthusiasm
has meant that Lisa excelled in
all elements of the programme
and was consistently one of our
highest achieving students.
“I was fortunate enough to
spend time with Lisa on the
ward at Morriston which gave
me first hand insight into the
exceptional work she does
as a Developmental and
Therapeutic Play Specialist at
the hospital. Not only does
Lisa’s work have a profound
impact on the lives of the
children with whom she works,
but also, on the lives of the
parents and carers who she
tirelessly makes time for in her
busy schedule.”
Lisa Morgan