What is play therapy?
Play therapy is an approach to working with children's emotional, behavioural, and social difficulties, which utilizes PLAY, the mode of expression with which children are most comfortable. Garry Landreth, one of the founding fathers of play therapy, stated, "Toys are children's words, and play is their language."
Play therapy is a research- based method, with scientifically proven benefits for children.(see Resources ) Through play, children connect with the therapist , learn and explore, master new skills and ways of coping , and express and process their life issues. Play is a gentle, yet powerful healing tool for a child. The trained play therapist skillfully uses play based methods to help the children grow and develop,and resolve their difficulties.
Play therapy is a research- based method, with scientifically proven benefits for children.(see Resources ) Through play, children connect with the therapist , learn and explore, master new skills and ways of coping , and express and process their life issues. Play is a gentle, yet powerful healing tool for a child. The trained play therapist skillfully uses play based methods to help the children grow and develop,and resolve their difficulties.
Who can be helped with play therapy ?
Play therapy is an appropriate form of treatment for a wide range of children's issues, including difficulties in the social emotional and behavioural spheres.
Typical difficulties which are suitable for treatment with play therapy are:
- emotional issues, such as anxiety,depression or anger.
-emotion regulation difficulties
- behaviour problems
- major life changes which cause a disruption in the child's emotional development
- family difficulties , such as conflict or divorce
- self- esteem issues
- health issues, such as a child's illness, or illness of a parent or sibling
- bereavement
- the emotional aspects of a child with severe learning disabilities , or special needs
- social challenges
- trauma
- selective mutism
- ADHD
-OCD
-Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
If you are unsure as to whether play therapy is appropriate for your child's difficulties, feel free to contact me, and I will be happy to discuss it with you
Ages for Play Therapy
Play therapy is typically used for pre- and primary school aged children. For older primary school aged children who may not engage in spontaneous play,I use age appropriate creative therapeutic techniques, such as art, drama, storytelling and games.
Are Parents involved in the Play Therapy ?
Typically , I meet with the parents before meeting with the child. In this initial session , I take a thorough developmental history, and hear all the parents' concerns about the child. Ideally both parents are present and I try not to set a time limit on this session, as I want parents to feel free to express all their concerns, and have all their questions about the play therapy process answered.
I also ask parents to detail their goals for their child, and what they would like to get out of the play therapy.
After this I meet with the parents every 4-6 sessions of the child's play therapy. The purpose of this is to give feedback to the parents and provide guidance on parenting issues which are relevant to their child's progress. I also get feedback from the parents as to what is happening in the child's world outside of the playroom.In some cases where I feel it is beneficial, I will include the parent in the play session with the child.
Research shows that parent involvement supports better outcomes in treatment, and I regard the parent sessions as a key component of the play therapy process. Parents are the most significant figures in the life of a child , and I value the contribution that parents are able to make in helping the child resolve her difficulties
See more about parents' involvement in the parenting section of this website
I also ask parents to detail their goals for their child, and what they would like to get out of the play therapy.
After this I meet with the parents every 4-6 sessions of the child's play therapy. The purpose of this is to give feedback to the parents and provide guidance on parenting issues which are relevant to their child's progress. I also get feedback from the parents as to what is happening in the child's world outside of the playroom.In some cases where I feel it is beneficial, I will include the parent in the play session with the child.
Research shows that parent involvement supports better outcomes in treatment, and I regard the parent sessions as a key component of the play therapy process. Parents are the most significant figures in the life of a child , and I value the contribution that parents are able to make in helping the child resolve her difficulties
See more about parents' involvement in the parenting section of this website
How long can I expect my child to be in play therapy?
This is a question most parents ask me at the beginning of therapy, however there are no hard and fast rules.
When I start working with a child , I feel as if I have been given a sapling to nurture. Being a mother myself , I take great responsibility in safeguarding this sapling , just as I would expect a professional to care for my own child that I had entrusted to her. I spend a great amount of effort in discovering what elements each sapling needs to grow, as each one has its own unique needs. I will gently and lovingly nurture the sapling, however a plant's growth cannot be hurried, and it will blossom when it is ready, with the help of all the nourishment that it is given.
Some children's issues may be resolved in just a few sessions, however children who have experienced more serious trauma, or who are currently living with serious life stresses, will obviously take a significantly longer time to heal.
When I start working with a child , I feel as if I have been given a sapling to nurture. Being a mother myself , I take great responsibility in safeguarding this sapling , just as I would expect a professional to care for my own child that I had entrusted to her. I spend a great amount of effort in discovering what elements each sapling needs to grow, as each one has its own unique needs. I will gently and lovingly nurture the sapling, however a plant's growth cannot be hurried, and it will blossom when it is ready, with the help of all the nourishment that it is given.
Some children's issues may be resolved in just a few sessions, however children who have experienced more serious trauma, or who are currently living with serious life stresses, will obviously take a significantly longer time to heal.
What do I tell my child who will be starting play therapy ?
The video below contains an explanation of play therapy for children
You could show this video to your child , or use the information in this video as a basis for explaining in simple terms what play therapy is about. I also have a book which explains play therapy to children, which you may borrow at the intake session.
Parents may be concerned that their child will feel stigmatized, or that something is wrong with them, if they tell their child that they are going to play therapy. In my experience, however, I find that this preconception is more a belief of the parents than that of the young child. Deep down, children know that something is not going well for them, and they are relieved and appreciate that someone has noticed, and is supporting them in finding a solution to their difficulties. Children usually look forward to their weekly play therapy session. As one child told his mother, "Every time I left Andy, I was singing in my heart."
Parents may be concerned that their child will feel stigmatized, or that something is wrong with them, if they tell their child that they are going to play therapy. In my experience, however, I find that this preconception is more a belief of the parents than that of the young child. Deep down, children know that something is not going well for them, and they are relieved and appreciate that someone has noticed, and is supporting them in finding a solution to their difficulties. Children usually look forward to their weekly play therapy session. As one child told his mother, "Every time I left Andy, I was singing in my heart."
Take a tour of my playroom
In play therapy, each toy in the playroom is selected for its therapeutic value, providing the child with the maximum opportunity for different types of expression. For example, there are real life toys, such as a dollhouse with a doll family, schoolroom, park, shopping and kitchen items. These toys allow children to play out happenings and events they have experienced. There are toys for aggression release, such as the bop bag and a darts game. There are toys for creative expression and emotional release, such as art supplies, sand, water and clay.There are various fantasy figures and fantasy puppets, if real life toys are too "close to home". Feeling faces encourage learning feeling word vocabulary. Dress-up clothes and masks allow the child to try out various roles. There are toy weapons for play around themes of power or protection; medical toys for play around themes of hurt and healing; soldiers and war figures for play around themes of conflict; scary toys for play around themes of fear; baby dolls and food for play around themes of nurturance. Tiny figurines can be used for building a world in the sand tray. There are also various therapeutic board games and books; as well as toys and games for mastery, and play around competitive themes. In addition, I am continually amazed at how children will use toys in unusually creative ways to express their unique inner world.
Take a look at some of the toys you will find in my playroom.
Take a look at some of the toys you will find in my playroom.