What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a method of therapy used to help children express their feelings. Play is a child's natural language and it permits the child to make sense of the world around him/her by communicating with adults symbolically and through his or her actions. Play gives a child a feeling of strength and power that adult controlled activities cannot offer. Children make their own decisions of what and how long to play. Play therapy creates a setting and relationship where your child can express what he/she cannot say in words.
Your child will:
- feel empowered
- use his/her natural abilities to develop in a beneficial way
- makes decisions and cope with real life situations
- further his/her natural development.
Parents are Important Allies
Children feel better quicker with cooperation between their caregiver and counselor. If something has changed for your child that you are noticing and feel concerned about, you may consult with their counselor. They will be happy to work with you to better understand you child's concerns.
When a child might benefit from Play Therapy
- Experiencing and/or witnessing family violence,physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
- Physical sensations without medical cause
- Preoccupation with sexual behavior
- Difficulty adjusting to family changes (i.e. divorce, separation)
- Behavior that is immature for a child's age
- Excessive anger, sadness or fears
- Behaviors that interfere with his/her ability to learn or make friends
