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Play Therapy

How do I know if my child

needs therapy?
 

If you are noticing any of the following problems in your child, play therapy can help:

  • immaturity

  • withdrawn behavior

  • speech/language problems

  • misbehavior at school or home

  • difficulty with peers or social cues

  • difficulty in playing age-appropriate manner

  • attention and engagement issues

  • difficulty adjusting to life circumstances

  • trauma of any kind

  • low self-esteem

  • anxiety

  • nightmares

  • social phobias

  • withdrawn behaviors

  • lying

  • temper tantrums

  • excessive shyness

  • self-consciousness

  • aggressiveness

  • sadness

What can play therapy accomplish?

 

It can be challenging for a child to put their feelings into words.  Play is the primary way in which children process information and solve problems. Ongoing research indicates that play therapy encourages positive, adaptive change in a population that cannot cognitively use more verbal therapies. 

Regardless of the symptoms, there are three primary goals in play therapy.  The first is to increase the child’s self-esteem.  The second goal is to improve self-responsibility in the child. And the third is to build up decision-making skills. 

A safe, confidential, and caring environment is created, which allows the child to play with as few limits as possible but as many as necessary (for physical and emotional safety). This allows healing to occur on many levels, following our natural inner trend towards health. Play and creativity operate on impulses from outside our awareness - the unconscious. 

What can I expect with play therapy?

 

Sessions may last from typically 30 to 45 minutes. They may be with individuals or groups of children. Various techniques are used according to the child’s wishes and the therapist's skills. These may include: 

  • Creative Visualization

  • Therapeutic Story Telling

  • Puppets and Masks

  • Sand Tray Therapy

  • Art - Drawing, painting, etc

  • Clay Therapy

  • And more

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