Play Therapy

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 To meet children where they are at developmentally, play therapy is the best modality to create growth and change. Through play, a child is able to show us their internal social-emotional world and how they go about interacting with the external social-emotional world. By taking abstract concepts, such as anxiety, anger, social skills, emotional regulation, grief and loss, etc., and making them concrete, we have something tangible that children can understand and work through in the moment.  The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions can provide a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing (Moustakas, 1997). Play therapy may also be used to promote cognitive development and offer the child insight about and resolution to inner conflicts. Please check out the Play Therapy website for a fuller understanding of Play Therapy. 

Is Play Therapy the right fit for my child or family?

 Once again your child has had a meltdown of epic proportions. Just when you think you are on the right track to help them figure out what they are feeling and why even the smallest stressor tips them over the edge, it happens again! Just as there are hundreds of reasons that you’re child could be having more difficulty that some in handling life’s ups/downs, there are a lot of different modalities that mental health professionals are trained in to help children and families overcome difficulties, develop social/emotional skills, and increase regulation. Figuring out what type of help your child needs can be overwhelming.​

How Will Play Therapy Benefit My Child:

Research supports the effectiveness of play therapy with children experiencing a wide variety of social, emotional, behavioral, and learning problems, including: children whose problems are related to life stressors, such as divorce, death, relocation, hospitalization, chronic illness, assimilate stressful experiences, physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, and natural disasters (Reddy, Files-Hall, & Schaefer, 2005). Play therapy helps children:

• -Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more   successful strategies.
• -Develop new and creative solutions to problems.
• -Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.
• -Learn to experience and express emotion.
• -Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others.
• -Learn new social skills and relational skills with family.
• -Develop self-efficacy and thus a better assuredness about their abilities.

In addition, positive treatment effects were found to be greatest when there was a parent actively involved in the child’s treatment.