Gabrielle Eisele

Gabrielle is the co-founder of The Windfall Centre and guided its development through its eventual move to becoming a charity and the service 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.

She is a popular trainer, having trained extensively across Wales 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 lectures 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 disabled children, those on the autistic spectrum and children who have experienced poor attachment formation and trauma.