How can play therapy help my child?

Play is vital to every child's social, emotional and cognitive, physical, creative and language development. It helps make learning concrete for all children and young people including those for whom verbal communication is difficult.

Play therapy helps children in a variety of ways. Children receive emotional support and can learn to understand more about their own feelings and thoughts. Sometimes they may re-enact or play out traumatic or difficult life experiences in order to make sense of their past and cope better with their future. Children may also learn to manage relationships and conflicts in more appropriate ways.

The outcomes of play therapy may be general e.g. a reduction in anxiety, raised self-esteem or more specific such as a change in behaviour and improved relationships with family and friends.

How long does a child receive play therapy?

The length of time a child is seen in play therapy varies from child to child. It depends upon the severity of the trauma, the child's personality, and how the child perceived the trauma. This can be discussed with your child's play therapist during consultation times.

What's the difference between play therapy and playing with my child at home?

Play therapists are specifically trained to provide an environment of acceptance, empathy and understanding in the play therapy room. Play therapy is not the same thing as playing. Play therapy uses the child's natural tendency to "play out" their reactions to life situations, in the presence of a trained play therapist, to help the child feel accepted and understood and gain a sense of control or understanding of difficult situations.