Introduction to Play Therapy
What is Play Therapy?
As parents, we all want the best for our children, especially when it comes to their emotional well-being. You know how effective talk therapy is for adults, but when it comes to children, traditional talk therapy doesn’t hit the mark—especially for younger kids. Imagine trying to explain your feelings when you don’t have the words yet or the maturity to fully articulate them. That’s the challenge our little ones face, which is why Play Therapy was developed specifically to meet their unique needs.
So, what exactly is Play Therapy? Think of it as a specialized form of therapy designed with children in mind, where play is the language and toys are the words. Developed by experts in child psychology and development, Play Therapy is grounded in the idea that play is a child’s natural way of exploring the world and expressing their feelings.
In practice, your play therapist creates an open, trusting, and supportive relationship with your child, and your child (through art, music, and play) shares their “world” with the therapist – their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In a counseling office, toys, games and activities are used to represent words and play therapy clinicians are trained to engage in with the child to understand what they have difficulty saying with words. Children and therapists alike can use dolls, puppets, paints, or other toys to allow children the opportunity to work through, heal, and move past the difficult times in their lives. With the therapeutic relationship established and in a supportive environment, your play therapist validates your child’s experiences while simultaneously fostering your child’s insight and awareness, which culminates in the development of new skills, adaptive coping strategies, and more collaborative relationships with the people in your child’s life.
Why Choose Play Therapy for Your Child?
As a parent, it can be incredibly tough to see your child struggling but not knowing how to help them express what’s wrong. Maybe you’ve noticed changes in your child’s behavior—like becoming more withdrawn, acting out, or struggling at school—and you’re wondering what’s going on. Play Therapy offers a way for your child to process their feelings and experiences in a way that feels natural and comfortable for them. Through this therapeutic play, they can work through difficult emotions, heal from past experiences, and develop new skills and coping strategies. And the best part? They’re doing it in a way that feels like play, not a chore or another lesson.
Finding the Right Play Therapist
When it comes to choosing a therapist, it’s crucial to find someone who is not only trained in traditional therapy techniques but also specialized in working with children. Look for a therapist with the “Registered Play Therapist” (RPT) credential. This means they’ve undergone additional, extensive training specifically in Play Therapy and are certified by the Association for Play Therapy. Don’t be shy about asking potential therapists about their qualifications, experience working with children, and specific training in Play Therapy.
Here are a few questions you might consider asking, but also check out our full blog about how to pick your child's therapist:
- What training have you received to be a mental health professional?
- Have you received formal education on working with children? Are you being supervised by a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor?
- Are you a Registered Play Therapist or training toward becoming one?
When does a child need therapy?
One of the hardest things about being a parent is knowing when to find help for your child. Children often do not know themselves that they need help or how to ask for it. Instead, as children have trouble adapting to changes in their life, in their relationships, or in themselves, they might start “acting out” in a way that can be seen in their behaviors and emotions. At school, this might look like a lack of motivation, falling grades, or difficulty in their relationships with their friends or teachers. At home, your child might appear withdrawn or more argumentative. Generally, if you or your child's teacher or pediatrician is concerned about your child, play therapy might be appropriate for your family.
How do I talk to my child about play therapy?
It's a wonderful idea to prepare your child for play therapy. You can let them know that they will be coming each week to play in the playroom with an adult who wants to help them learn how to take care of their feelings. You can reassure them that it can help children to have someone special to talk and play with.
What information should I tell the therapist to help make treatment effective?
Therapists understand that you, the parent, are the expert in regard to your child. Your therapist is a partner in helping your child's emotional health. In this collaborative relationship, it is very important for you to report events to the therapist directly. Even if you're not sure that an event in question is pertinent to counseling, it's always a good idea to call the therapist and talk out the event. It helps the therapist and the child for you to schedule regular parent sessions to inform them of what changes you're noticing at home, recent struggles and successes, and get parenting guidance on how to help your specific child. It's important for the therapeutic relationship that these updates are done outside of the child's individual session time.
Can I ask my child about his or her therapy session?
It can be tempting to ask your child "what they learned" immediately after session. However, it is important to maintain your child’s privacy around their sessions, and your therapist will work with you to find out what kind of information should and should not be shared after sessions. Of course, your child’s safety is your therapist’s number one concern, and so parents will always be informed by the therapist if anything came up in session relating to the child’s safety or any other vital information.