Play is the language of children. We all played as children and through our play we learned and gain some valuable skills. We learned to navigate through relationships, build trust, cope with strong emotions, increase our self worth, increase our problem solving and creative thinking and more. Play (not screen based) is a vital part of a child’s growth.
Play Therapy is a researched based approach used primarily with children. With a trained play therapist children can start to process their experiences and learn coping strategies to better manage their different environments. This approach is appropriate for children who might be undergoing or witnessing stressful event(s) in their lives such as abuse, domestic violence, serious illness, divorce, grief, or major changes in their environment. It is also well suited for children with anxiety, anger, depression, ADHD, social challenges, or autism.
The trained therapist uses creative activities and play as a method of communication with the child. The therapist is trained to observe how the child uses these activities to express thoughts and feelings that are not easily expressed by the child in words. There are two approaches to play therapy:
Nondirective play therapy is based on the principle that children can resolve their own issues given the right conditions and the freedom to play with limited instruction and supervision.
Directive play therapy uses more input from the therapist to help speed up results.
Play therapists use both approaches depending on the circumstances.
For more about what is play therapy visit The Association for Play Therapy
Videos about play therapy: