Play Therapy

What is Play Therapy?

Play Therapy is a form of therapy that uses play to explore emotions, thoughts and feelings. It is a non-directive approach, meaning that the child leads the play and the therapist follows their lead, observing and reflecting on what they see and hear. Play therapy is based on the idea that play is a natural and important way for children to learn and communicate. By engaging in play, children can work through traumatic experiences, develop social skills, and build self-esteem. Where adults use Talk Therapy, Play Therapy is helpful for children as it's their natural language of communication and is most used for young children 3-12 years old. 

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How do we use Play Therapy Skills?

In a play therapy session, the therapist provides a safe and supportive environment for the child to play and explore. The therapist may use toys, art materials, or other props to facilitate the child's expression and communication. The therapist may also use techniques such as storytelling, role-playing, and sand play to help the child process their experiences. Play Therapy supports children's development including as increase in self-accountability, self-regulation, creative problem-solving, empathy and executive functioning. 

 

What other modalities are helpful?

There are several modalities that are helpful for your child's development and in fact, most therapist use a variety of modalities to best meet your child's needs. In addition to Play Therapy, we utilize Cognitive-Based Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Person-Centered Therapy and Art/Expressive Therapy.

 

We champion culturally competent counseling where we believe that cultural self-awareness and sensitivity to our families' cultural identity and intersectionality is essential to a positive therapeutic experience.