What is Play Therapy and How Can It Help My Child?

Play Therapy can be a confusing and difficult intervention to understand for parents, as well fellow clinicians in the therapy world. Often, to the untrained eye, Play Therapy looks exactly like just that-playing. However, Play Therapy is SO much more then just a therapist playing with a child!

Play Therapy is a powerful intervention that involves brain science, attachment biology and the power of mirror neurons to soothe and regulated emotions that are highly charged at times in our children.

Play Therapists are not just highly trained to adminster interventions, such as coping skills, trauma processing and Sand Tray Therapy with children, but they are most importantly trained in as certain way of BEING in the room with a child, a certain presense and a certain way of seeing a child, notincing their emotions in their play and acceptance of a child where they are at at this given time and space. Play Therapy can be very intentional, such as the processsing of a certain event in a child's life, but it can also be very in the moment and child led. Play Therapists are often moving back and forth beween these two entities, between an intervention and a child led response.

The Association of Play Therapy quotes Virginia Axline in stating that Play Therapy in a therapeutic interventtion " based upon the fact that play is the child's natural medium of self expression.It is the opportunity which is given to the child to "play out" his feelings and problems just as in certain types of adult therapies an adult "talks out" his difficulties." APT also defines Play Therapy as " the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained Play Therapists use the therapuetic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."

Play Therapy is also more developmentally appropriate then talk therapy, meets the child as they are, accepts the child as they are and seeks to assist the child with working through difficult emotions and behaviors (which often have deep emotions behind them).

The benefits of play therapy include increased self esteem, decreased anxiety, decreased aggression and anger and overall sense of well being, especially following loss and trauma.

Children going through loss, divorce, trauma, separation anxiety, school behavioral issues, separation anxiety ADHD, anger outbursts and depression can benefit from Play Therapy to assist with expressing and coping with emotions that relate to these events.

If you are interested in setting up an appointment for your child, please call (803) 770-5659 to discuss your child's specific needs with Jennifer to see if Play Therapy would be a good fit!