How can my child benefit from play therapy?

Children play; it's natural and healthy. They do it to express themselves. They do it when they're happy, sad, angry, and more. Kids play when they don't know what to do or how to feel. This is exactly why play therapy makes sense for young people. It's an outlet for children who may or may not have the words to process the emotions and sensations that accompany hard things in life.

What is play therapy exactly?

Whether your child is struggling with anxiety, attention issues, low moods, divorce, bullying, or learning challenges, play therapy heals amid a host of toys that include dolls, action figures, crafts, dress-up items, clay, sand, blocks, books, and games.

Play can happen in two ways.

Non-Directive Play Therapy: Your child leads in this form of play therapy. The therapist remains open to letting play flow, staying flexible with few constraints on the activity. Your child reveals their thoughts and emotions without pre-planned interaction or conversation. As your child plays, the therapist helps them solve problems and/or observe their emotional expression.

Directive Play Therapy: Your child's therapist has solid goals in this care. The purpose of play sessions is to encourage important conversations. Toys and activities are selected ahead of time, and play situations happen purposefully.

Play therapy has proven to be effective for children in all walks of life. Play therapy, a means of reaching out to your child that is comfortable, engaging, and creative, can benefit your child and family in various ways. Let's consider several ways it can help, specifically below:

How play therapy helps

Your child will respond to the familiarity of play.

Trauma can make a child feel completely out of their depth, both internally and externally. Depending on the experience, life can feel very upside-down and foreign. Play can help restore a sense of normalcy. Toys and pretending offer frameworks and settings they understand and feel safe to engage in. Your child can start to relax and express themselves as play progresses. Interacting with the therapist in activities that make sense and are non-threatening decreases overwhelm and withdrawal.

Play is often a much-needed emotional buffer.

Whether your child has experienced bullying, abuse, or a natural disaster, they understand what it's like to feel insecure, powerless, and out of control. Play therapy can offer a sort of safety valve or mental release. There is safety in showing, rather than telling, emotions through pretend play and role-playing via puppets or dolls. The indirect nature may be just what your child responds to when trying to explain events or parse out how they feel about them.

Play therapy allows your child to engage and progress naturally.

Play is not stressful. It moves naturally and imaginatively. It doesn't feel constrained or critiqued. Children can be themselves and respond openly. These are the kinds of responses a therapist needs to learn about your child and help them effectively. By receiving permission and space to interact playfully and naturally, their concerns about performing, pleasing, and protecting adults disappear away. They go through therapy honestly and at a pace that works for them.

Your child is encouraged and observed.

The goal of play therapy is to meet your child where they are. Allowing them to freely interact with toys and other play implements gives them freedom of movement and confidence during the session. It also allows the therapist to observe your child's interaction with certain toys. By observing your child’s natural behaviors and exploring different issues with them via conversational prompts and questions, a trained therapist can get a clear sense of their emotional state and potential struggles.

Play therapy supports your child's ability to trust.

When a child is comfortable with their therapist, they are more willing to open up. The more open your child is, the more effectively the therapist can treat them. In time, the therapist can utilize that trusting relationship to help the child develop self-awareness, process memories and feelings, and consider their own behavior in important ways.

Play therapy can support the growth of new neural pathways.

As play therapy progresses and your child's self-awareness increases, meaningful change can happen. As motivations, intentions, and relationships with the world shift significantly, they start to exert more control over their thoughts and emotions. In other words, perspective, growth, and empowerment come with the resources and tools made available through play therapy.

Reach out for the support of a play therapist.

Children learn to share, master key skills, and build connections through play. They also learn to overcome obstacles and build inner strength. The therapist you choose to work with can be a key part of those lessons. If your child has been displaying behaviors or emotions that might warrant special attention, please reach out for a free consultation. We are here to help.

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