What is play therapy?
Play is children’s natural way of expressing themselves. Instead of talking through what is troubling them, if they prefer, children can use play to express their feelings and problems.
Play therapy is usually one-to-one sessions between the child and the therapist. The child has access to creative materials that can include:
- Paint
- Sandtray
- Clay
- Dressing up
- Musical instruments
- Puppets
I follow the non-directive model which means that the child decides what they want to play with and how they play.
Play therapy offers a safe and secure environment for children to work through issues that might be troubling them, at their own pace. Children play to make sense of their experiences, and they can use play to resolve unsolved problems from the past, to cope with present concerns, and to prepare themselves for the future. Play therapy provides time for a child to try out new ways of behaving, to learn more about their own feelings, to make sense of painful experiences and to build resilience.
Play therapy can help to alleviate emotional, social, behavioural and mental health problems.
