Play Therapy
Play therapy aims to help children express their emotions, improve their communication abilities, and learn to solve problems.
Is Treatment Available In My State?What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a form of treatment that aims to help children who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioral, and relationship disorders to express their emotions, improve their communication abilities, and learn to solve problems.
This kind of therapy honors a child’s unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping by observing and interacting with how they play, which is the natural expressive “language” of children. Play therapy is most often used for children ages 4-12, though it can also be used in varying forms with teenagers and adults, as well as in therapy involving both children and their parents or caretakers.
Play therapy is recognized as an evidence-based practice by professional organizations for anxiety, disruptive behaviors, and victims of abuse. Research shows that play therapy can be effective in treating a variety of mental health and behavior issues, including anxiety, depression, trauma, and difficulties in relationships.
Why is Play Therapy Used?
Children often have trouble putting their thoughts into words, but they often act out their feelings during play. A child who has lost a loved one may not be able to express that grief directly, but they might talk about missing someone while playing with a puppet, for instance. This natural expression gives the therapist an opportunity to help explore and resolve that issue. The overarching goal of play therapy is to decrease symptomatic behaviors and improve a child’s overall ability to function.
Some common issues addressed in play therapy include:
- Trauma and crisis
- ADHD
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Grief and loss
- Aggression
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Social issues
- School-related problems
- Divorce
- Physical and learning disabilities
- Anger control
Types of Play Therapy Techniques
There are as many ways to engage children in play therapy as there are ways to play. Therapists use toys, art, storytelling, puppets, music, dance, and other forms of play to engage children and free them to express themselves. Some specific types of play therapy exercises include:
Role-Play
The therapist role-plays situations the child is anxious about, such as the first day of school.
Color Your Life
A therapist asks the child to draw their life, using colors to represent feelings.
Plush Doll Play
Dolls and plush toys can be used to observe how children comfort and soothe themselves.
Toy Telephone Play
A toy phone can be used for conversations that a child may otherwise feel uncomfortable having.
Magic Wand Play
The child is given a magic wand and makes wishes related to their real-life problems.
Sand Tray Therapy
This type of play therapy uses sand and various small toys to create an outlet for a child to express themself non-verbally. Through creating scenes and playing with figures, sand tray therapy can allow the child to identify their experiences, challenges, and memories.
Self-Control Games
The therapist plays a game like “Simon Says” to promote paying attention and self-control.
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Common Benefits of Play Therapy
Play therapy provides a supportive, controlled therapeutic environment in which a child can experience full acceptance, empathy, and understanding from their therapist and process inner experiences and feelings through play.
There are many different ways that play therapy can benefit children, including:
- Direct or indirect learning
- Self-expression
- Improved relationships
- Forming healthy attachments
- Releasing negative emotions
- Reducing stress
- Solving problems creatively
- Building self-esteem
Can Play Therapy Happen Online?
Play therapy can often be conducted online. In these cases, instead of going to an office, children and caregivers engage in therapy from their home or another location that works for the family. In virtual play therapy, children use the items they have in their own environment, such as toys, dolls, or art materials to interact with their therapist.
There are some potential advantages of online play therapy:
- Children may feel more comfortable at home than in a professional office space.
- Youth have grown up with technology, so talking online may be second nature.
- There can be more flexibility around scheduling appointments.
- Transportation to and from the appointment is not needed.
