When is play therapy used

It is typically used with children who are aged between 3 and The primary goal of play therapy is to help children who might struggle with expressing themselves or their emotions to express themselves through play.

A play therapist will guide a person through play therapy in a free and safe environment where they feel most comfortable expressing themselves. Play therapists use play activities a child might enjoy from painting to dancing to board games.

At times play therapist will ask other family members or parents and guardians to also get involved in the playtime activities.

There are two main forms of play therapy used by play therapists:. Many different techniques can be applied during play therapy. A typical play therapy session usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. During a play therapy session, the therapist will create a comfortable and safe environment for the child to play.

Some of the most common techniques used by play therapists across the world include:. Play therapy is particularly beneficial for people who struggle with communicating and expressing themselves in a positive and healthy manner. Children who have been abused or experienced extremely traumatic or stressful events might benefit from play therapy to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives. Children with certain disorders which hamper their emotional and social expressions typically benefit greatly from play therapy.

These could include children with behavioral disorders or learning disabilities. There has been some research into the effectiveness of play therapy on children with the following conditions:. People are often dismissive of play therapy and the benefits they hold.

A child playing violently with toys might be dismissed as aggressive when in reality, he might be mirroring a violent domestic situation he has been witnessing. Here are some of the benefits of play therapy:. Further research into the effectiveness of play therapy still needs to be carried out.

Most traditional forms of therapy might not connect with children who are as young as 3 to 12 years old. This might include support for you.

Play Therapists sometimes work with parents in the playroom with their child. Some specially trained Filial Play Therapists may train parents in how to relate better to their child using child-centred techniques. Some children will respond to a short term intervention for example up to 12 sessions. However, when problems have persisted for a long time or are complicated a longer-term intervention may be required. In these circumstances some Play Therapists have worked with children for two years or more.

Sessions are usually once a week and consistency on a regular day and at the same time and place is very important for developing a trusting relationship. Unplanned missed sessions may disrupt the progress. The therapeutic relationship that develops between your child and their Play Therapist is very important.

Your child must feel comfortable, safe and understood. It is also crucial that your child knows you are supporting the process. Information that you share about your child and family will usually be kept confidential.

A Play Therapist may share information with other colleagues and professionals for the benefit of your child with your permission. A Play Therapist must share information with other professionals if they are concerned that a child is being harmed, hurting others or themselves.

They will usually talk to you about this first. As part of the meaning-making process, Galica takes photos of each scene after clients finish their sand trays. This is also a good way to track and prompt discussions of representations that come up repeatedly with clients, Galica says. Clients often have to take some time to think it through before they can explain the scenes they have created in their sand trays. For example, a client who is feeling overwhelmed with school or home life might put figures all in a jumble on top of one another.

Or a client may use one object to represent themselves and place another object or objects at a distance or facing away from them. In this case, the client may be struggling with loss, attachment issues or fear of letting loved ones down. Ultimately, however, it is up to the client — not the counselor — to discover and talk through the issue that has taken shape in the sand tray. At the same time, the counselor provides the prompting and support to help and encourage the client, Galica says.

Let it play out. I learn something new every day. Galica recalls a particular client whose parents wanted him to become an engineer and were paying his way through college. He hated his engineering courses, however, and harbored a desire to become a jazz musician. This had manifested into academic and other struggles while he was away from home. When the client made sand tray scenes, he often placed a female figure at a distance from the figure he used to represent himself. Galica began to focus on that fear with the client, asking him to express his feelings in a draft letter to his parents.

She also had him speak to an empty chair as if his mother were there, which is a technique often used in Gestalt therapy. It took the student the entire semester before he felt prepared to tell his parents about his own dreams for his future. As clients play out situations in sand trays, Galica asks them to show her what they would want life to look like if they had a magic wand to fix everything they were struggling with.

What would a resolution look like? What would it look like in five, 10 or 20 years? From there, Galica and her clients talk through the issues and consider options for arriving at realistic resolutions. Galica says sand trays can easily be used in conjunction with any modality to which a counselor is loyal. She regularly uses them along with cognitive behavior therapy for her college-age clients. Another benefit, she notes, is that the materials are readily available and easily transportable.

Practitioners can pick up a plastic tray, sand and small figurines at any big box or craft supply store. However, sand tray work is very accessible for both counselor and client , creative and versatile, she asserts.

The only meaning comes from the client. To contact the counselors interviewed for this article, email:. Books published by ACA Available at counseling. From Counseling Today ct. Bethany Bray is a staff writer and social media coordinator for Counseling Today. Contact her at bbray counseling. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Play therapy is a form of counseling or psychotherapy that uses play to assess, prevent, or treat psychosocial challenges. From the outside, play therapy looks like it's just about having fun with toys. However, research shows play therapy is effective in treating a variety of mental health issues and behavior disorders. Children lack the cognitive and verbal skills to talk about some issues.

Grief , for example, can be very complex and a child may have trouble putting their thoughts and feelings into words.

Play can be a hands-on way for children to work on issues that are distressing to them. They can act out scenes, address specific problems, or create characters who share their emotions.

Children often act out their feelings with toys. A child who has lost a loved one may use puppets to portray a sad character who misses a friend. Or, a child who has witnessed domestic violence may use a dollhouse to depict a child hiding under the bed because the adults are fighting. Depending on the type of play therapy that is being employed, the therapist may intervene at various points in the play to help resolve an issue. Or, the play therapist may observe the child as the child is helping a character work through their feelings.

Play therapy is often used to help children process stressful life events such as relocation, hospitalization, physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, and natural disasters.

It can also be used to treat mental illness or behavioral problems. Many play therapists have a dedicated play therapy room that is filled with items that help with the therapeutic process. Some common play therapy toys include:. Play therapy comes in two basic forms: non-directive or child-centered and directive. The non-directive approach is a type of psychodynamic therapy. The basic premise is that when allowed to do so, children will find solutions to their problems.

The entire session is usually unstructured.