“Enter into children’s play and you will find the place where their minds, hearts, and souls meet.”
Virginia Axline

Some of the greatest philosophers and researchers of all time have acknowledged the importance and benefits of play. We learn the most about ourselves and our world when engaged in play. In my therapy with children, I use play therapy and art therapy approaches, in addition to family, or parent-child, therapy when indicated.

Why Use Play?
Using play in therapy allows children to grow, learn, heal and thrive. Children often do not have the verbal abilities to express their feelings. Using play in therapy offers children the opportunity to process and externalize their realities and develop appropriate coping skills, behaviors and world views.

How Does It Work?
When children are not equipped to solve their own problems, they often act out and are unhappy. Therapy that utilizes play and art provides the opportunity for therapists to assess and understand children’s play. When children can confront their problems in the play session, they are able to develop more appropriate resolutions and gain insight about how to handle situations.

How Long Does It Take?
Each therapy session lasts 40-50 minutes and is usually held weekly. Usually a child will require approximately 20 sessions, sometimes more and sometimes less depending on the nature and severity of the problems.

What Are The Benefits?
Using play therapy approaches particularly benefit children ages 3-12, helping them to take responsibility for behaviors, establish creative solutions to problems, accept themselves and others, experience and express emotions, learn respect for feelings of others, cultivate relational skills with family, gain pride in their abilities, among many others.

Family Involvement
As a child progresses through therapy, I will meet with parents periodically to update them on their child’s progress and share insights into further treatment goals and recommendations. Many times children can be experiencing distress because of difficult environmental or family situations; however, their problematic behavior can also be creating a difficult and stressful family environment. Because of these interactions, family members will often be asked to participate in sessions.

* Adopted from the Association for Play Therapy