Play Therapy
What is Play Therapy?
Play besides being fun, it also has therapeutic benefits. Play Therapy uses the therapeutic powers of play to help clients resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development. Play therapy is known for being the most effective method of treatment for children between the ages of 3 and 12 years old.
The practice of play therapy requires specialized training and experience.
I am a certified play therapist through Play Therapy UK (https://playtherapyregister.org.uk) and Play Therapy International (https://playtherapy.org).
My model of practice is non-directive child centered play therapy, which is a gentle way of child counseling where the therapist enters the world of the child through their play – using art, puppets, sandplay, music, games, and therepautic storytelling.
Children approach their therapy experientially; they use play to work through their thoughts and feelings, whatever they might be (experiencing anxiety, difficulty making friends, attention and learning challenges, adjustment to a loss, difficulty to changes in their lives and family, bullying, etc.). In play therapy, children find a space to freely express their inner word, not having to say a lot.
What does Play Therapy help?
Play therapy helps children:
- Become more responsible for their 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 a better assuredness about their abilities
If you’re interested in learning more about play therapy and how it can help your child work through difficult emotions and experiences, contact me today for a consultation.