Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings. In play therapy, toys are the child’s words and play is the child’s language. Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits.
The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions provides a safe container for the expression of intense feelings that often overwhelm a child. In this therapeutic environment, a child can learn to manage themselves better with increased understanding of themselves and their feelings.
- Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more successful coping strategies.
- Develop new and creative solutions to problems.
- Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.
- Learn to experience and appropriately express strong 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.
Even the most troubling problems can be confronted in play therapy. Lasting resolutions can be discovered, rehearsed, mastered and adapted into lifelong strategies.
In play therapy, I help children gain a better understanding of how they view themselves, others, and the world and to learn new attitudes to replace self-defeating attitudes.
Play therapy is used in conjunction with parent and/or family sessions so that gains made in therapy can be transferred into the child’s home and school environments.
Play therapy is beneficial for:
- anxious and withdrawn children
- aggressive and acting-out children
- children with severe behavior or conduct problems
- children whose parents are divorcing, are divorced, or remarried
- children with specific fears, such as separation anxiety or school refusal
- grieving children
- children who have experienced trauma
- children with attention or impulse control difficulties