What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is to children what talk therapy is to adults. It is a safe space to play out & play through thoughts, feelings, & situations. Play therapy can be child-centered or directive, depending on the individual needs of each child & family. Play therapy is fun, creative, flexible, empowering, esteem-building, validating, focusing, challenging, joyful, therapeutic, nurturing, exciting, & worthwhile. Play therapy can foster increased mastery, resiliency, self-control, self-esteem, creativity, coping, positive social interactions and relationships.
Morris County Play Therapy offers a wide variety of mediums for therapeutic expression including sand tray, art, puppets, pretend play, and more!
According to the Association for Play Therapy, "Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children (Carmichael, 2006; Landreth, 2002; O'Connor & Schaefer, 1983). The curative powers inherent in play are used in many ways. Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings (Gil, 1991). In play therapy, toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language (Landreth, 2002). Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits (Pedro-Carroll & Reddy, 2005). The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions can provide a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing (Moustakas, 1997). Play therapy may also be used to promote cognitive development and provide insight about and resolution of inner conflicts or dysfunctional thinking in the child (O'Connor & Schaefer, 1983; Reddy, Files-Hall, & Schaefer, 2005)." (www.a4pt.org/?page=PTMakesADifference, 2016)
Morris County Play Therapy offers a wide variety of mediums for therapeutic expression including sand tray, art, puppets, pretend play, and more!
According to the Association for Play Therapy, "Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children (Carmichael, 2006; Landreth, 2002; O'Connor & Schaefer, 1983). The curative powers inherent in play are used in many ways. Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings (Gil, 1991). In play therapy, toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language (Landreth, 2002). Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits (Pedro-Carroll & Reddy, 2005). The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions can provide a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing (Moustakas, 1997). Play therapy may also be used to promote cognitive development and provide insight about and resolution of inner conflicts or dysfunctional thinking in the child (O'Connor & Schaefer, 1983; Reddy, Files-Hall, & Schaefer, 2005)." (www.a4pt.org/?page=PTMakesADifference, 2016)
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Play Therapy Can Help with a Wide Variety of Challenges & Experiences, such as:
To learn more information about the benefits of play therapy, visit the Association for Play Therapy's website. |
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Play Therapy at Different Ages & Stages
Play Therapy can vary greatly based on the interests, age, strengths and presenting problem.
What can you or your child expect to experience in play therapy at different ages and stages?
What can you or your child expect to experience in play therapy at different ages and stages?
- Initial sessions are focused on rapport building, creating a safe space where children and adults alike feel comfortable and want to return to again.
- Play therapy for pre-school age children often focuses on pretend play. This can occur with a doll house, sand tray, floor play or a combination or those activities. Child-Centered play therapy is utilized to help children play out experiences, feelings and thoughts. Parents are often encouraged to join sessions to learn how to be the change agents and to carry-over "special play time" at home.
- Play therapy for school-age children may include specialized art activities and therapeutic games geared toward helping children identify and verbalize their feelings, or find fun ways to express anger while increasing self-regulation and coping.
- Play therapy for teenagers may focus more on higher level activities such as expressive activities such as lyric/song analysis or collaging. It can include therapeutic games such as feelings Jenga or hands-on symbolic/interpretive work with sand trays.
- Play therapy for adults includes examples such as sand trays, painting, grief book illustration or positive affirmation activities.
- Family play therapy may include sibling sessions, parent-child sessions or activities that involve the entire family, giving members the opportunity to communicate with each other in a safe place as they work through challenges.
According to research, "Although everyone benefits, play therapy is especially appropriate for children ages 3 through 12 years old (Carmichael, 2006; Gil, 1991; Landreth, 2002; Schaefer, 1993). Teenagers and adults have also benefited from play techniques and recreational processes. To that end, use of play therapy with adults within mental health, agency, and other healthcare contexts is increasing (Pedro-Carroll & Reddy, 2005; Schaefer, 2003). In recent years, play therapy interventions have also been applied to infants and toddlers (Schaefer et. al., 2008)." (Association for Play Therapy, www.a4pt.org/?page=PTMakesADifference, 2016)