Play Therapy

Though primarily used with children, play therapy can also be used with adolescents and even adults, though it is often more difficult to get adults to participate in play therapy.

Play therapy is a form of mental health counseling used to assist children, adolescents and adults to work through life events and to improve their emotional health.  It is creative and fun. Play therapy provides a non-threatening environment to address life stressors. 

Using play, which is a very natural act for children, allows a child to take charge of their world in a way that they cannot do in real life. Through play a child can communicate thoughts and feelings that may be too difficult to express any other way. Play reduces children’s anxiety and their difficulty of figuring out how to put into words what is going on inside them. They simply play out their thoughts and feelings in a safe, accepting environment.

According to Dr. Garry Landreth, one of the leading authorities in play therapy, "The process of play is viewed as the child's effort to gain control in the environment. The problems children experience do not exist apart from the person they are. Therefore, play therapy matches the dynamic inner structure of the child with an equally dynamic approach."

Through play, children learn about their world. They learn various social skills by engaging in play with others. They express themselves emotionally, mentally and physically--all with their play. It is the natural language of children: the items they choose to play with and how they play are their words. Playing is a developmental task that helps children grow in a healthy fashion emotionally, mentally, physically, relationally and socially. It reflects a child’s external life and internal life.

If we understand a child’s play we can understand the child. Play may seem an odd way to help a child through their difficulties, but it is a comfortable process for children and it is extremely effective in helping children heal and grow in a healthy way.