Play Therapy offers therapy for children and adolescents to help support them with a medium to express their thoughts, emotions, and needs through play, art, and sandtray. The toys are their words, and the play is their language. The kids can also process stress and trauma with the play. Filial therapy is offered as a way to include parents to learn the play therapy techniques to do at home. This type of therapy is also ideal for toddlers who are not as verbal.
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy refers to a large number of treatment methods, all applying the therapeutic benefits of play. Play therapy helps children to address and resolve their own problems and builds on the natural way that children learn about themselves and their relationships in the world around them.
APT defines play therapy as the “systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.”
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
Play therapy aims to help a child’s growth and development. The practice of play therapy requires extensive, specialized education, training and experience. With my knowledge and background, I am confident that you and I can set your child up for success.
If you’re interested in learning more about play therapy and how it can help your child grow, contact us today for a free consultation.