What is Play Therapy?
Unlike adults, children often do not have the vocabulary to talk about their thoughts and feelings in relation to certain experiences. Through the language of play, children are able to share honest reflections of themselves and the world around them with the support of a Play Therapist.
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Play therapy allows us to enter the world of the children and understand how they see and feel about the world. In turn, this allows us to uncover the core of the difficulties they are experiencing. Play therapy provides children with the tools, environment and emotional support they need to be able to play out their experiences in the most natural and self-healing process they can engage in.
How does Play Therapy Help?
Play Therapy has been proven to show significant improvement in diverse areas of self-concept, self esteem, social skills and anxiety in children. It has also been shown to increase a child's confidence as well as their learning. The play therapist provides a safe and consistent environment and play space to be able to develop a trusting relationship with the child to promote growth and healing.
As such Play Therapy can help children in a variety of ways. Children are able to receive emotional support to enable them to understand their thoughts and feelings. For children who have experienced trauma or difficulties, they will re-enact these experiences to make sense of their past as well as allowing them to cope in the future. Children are able to navigate their relationships and resolve conflicts in more productive ways.
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Toys are children's words and play is their language
Garry Landreth
Who can Benefit from Play Therapy?
Play Therapy provides effective support for children or young people who experience various difficulties including:
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• Emotional issues (for example, peer relationships, anxiety or low self-esteem, depression)
• Behavioural difficulties (for example, aggression or depression)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Having a disability, illness, or siblings with disabilities
• Experienced family breakdown, loss or bereavement
• Speech and language difficulties
• Experience of trauma, abuse or neglect
• Witnessed violence or substance abuse
• A variety of other concerns
In Play Therapy, the Play Therapist creates a safe space where children can engage in play and express themselves freely within a controlled environment. Play Therapy is most commonly used for children aged 3 to 12 years but can include children and young people outside this range.
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Every child can benefit from play therapy. Play is vital to a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical, creative and language development. This means of therapy supports children to develop confidence and resilience which in turn allows them to work through and overcome any difficulties they may be experiencing. Play Therapy is beneficial to learning and forming social bonds with parents, carers, siblings, peers. Play Therapy is a means through which prepares children to manage the demands their ever-changing world.
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Confidentiality
As with other types of therapy, Play Therapy is confidential. This means that anything shared during the therapeutic process will remain between the child and their Play Therapists. Children are asked what information they would like to share during parent review meetings which is done to empower children to feel free and safe to express themselves in any way they like. However, the Play Therapist is concerned about the safety of the child or of others, then they will share necessary information with parents, carers or other relevant parties.