Counseling for Adolescents and Adults
Grodzki
M.Ed, Ed.S, NCC, LMHC
Kirsten
In counseling, play therapy to children is what talk therapy is to adults. Play therapy utilizes play, children's natural medium of expression, to help them express their feelings more easily through toys instead of words.
Play Therapy for Children
What is Play Therapy?
How is Play Therapy Therapuetic?
Play therapy is a way to help a young child express their feelings to prevent or resolve psyhosocial difficulties. During thier play, children reveal fears, worries, and thoughts. The objects and patterns of play, as well as the willingness to interact with the therapist, can be used to understand the underlying rationale for behavior. I am experienced in reading the meaning of the play through patterns and themes that emerge. These themes will be shared with parents and a plan will be developed to work toward a healing process both at home and in the play therapy room.
What issues can play therapy address?
Play is the child's language and toys are the child's words. Children are provided therapeutic toys to enable them to say with the toys what they have difficulty saying with words. They can use dolls, puppets, paints, or other toys to say what they think or how they feel. Even adults can have difficulty processing challenging times in their lives. It is easy to see why children, who lack the verbal skills of an adult, find it even more difficult. Play therapy allows children the opportunity to learn about themselves and their surroundings, including their capabilities and limitations. Children learn how to handle thier emotions of anger and/or sadness. As expressions of thoughts and feelings increase through the process children begin to heal.
What are the Benefits of Play Therapy?
Play therapy can address many problems children experiences such as:
Low Self Esteem
Withdrawn Behavior
Aggressiveness
Nightmares
Lying
Attention Problems
Difficulty with Peers
Anxiety & Fears
Separation Problems
Coping with Death
Temper Tantrums
Adjustments to a New Baby
Sibling Rivalry
Misbehavior at School
Sadness
Impulsivity
Adjustment to Divorce
Research supports the potential benefits of play therapy:
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Reduces anxiety about traumatic events
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Facilitates a child's expression of feelings
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Promotes self-confidence and a sense of competence
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Develops a sense of trust in self and others
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Defines healthy boundaries
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Creates or enhances healthy bonding in relationships
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Enhances creativity and playfulness
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Promotes appropriate behavior
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Increased self-regulation