Play Therapy

What is Play Therapy and How It Can Help Children or Young People

Play therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses play as a medium for children aged 3-13 years to express themselves, process emotions, and address a range of psychological or emotional issues. Unlike traditional forms of therapy where verbal communication is key, play therapy recognises that children, especially younger ones, often struggle to articulate their feelings and experiences because they haven't yet developed the ability to do this. Therefore play therapy becomes a safe space where they can express their thoughts, fears, and hopes through play rather than words. This makes it a powerful tool for helping children navigate challenges they may not have the words to describe.

Understanding Play Therapy

At its core, play therapy is based on the idea that play is the natural language of children. Just as adults use conversation to express thoughts and emotions, children use play to process and communicate. A trained therapist guides the child through different play-based activities, such as drawing, playing with toys, or role-playing, to help them express themselves and gain insight into their feelings.

Play therapy is typically used to support a wide range of issues, including:

Anxiety
Trauma
Depression
Behavioral problems
Grief and loss
Social difficulties
Adjustment to life changes (e.g., divorce, moving, etc.)

Through play, children can also work on improving their self-esteem, learning to regulate their emotions, and developing healthier coping mechanisms. By observing the way a child interacts with toys, materials, or imaginary scenarios, therapists can gain valuable insights into the child’s inner world.

How Play Therapy Works

In play therapy, the therapist works in a structured yet flexible environment where the child can engage in a variety of activities. These might include:

Creative Play: Activities such as drawing, painting, or building with blocks, which help children express feelings they may not be able to verbalize.
Role-playing: Playing pretend scenarios (e.g., a child being a teacher or parent) helps children process situations and conflicts they may be struggling with.
Sandplay: Using small figures and sand to create scenes that represent the child's thoughts and feelings, providing a nonverbal outlet for expression.
Therapeutic Games: Games that are specially designed to encourage cooperation, turn-taking, and problem-solving, as well as self-expression.

The goal is not necessarily to solve problems immediately, but to help children build a sense of mastery over their emotional worlds and develop problem-solving skills in a safe, supportive environment. Play therapy places children and young people at the centre of the therapeutic work, allowing them to lead and process information at a pace that works for them.

How Play Therapy Benefits Children/Young People

For children aged between 3 to 13 years, play therapy can have profound positive impacts on their mental health and emotional development through:

Emotional Expression: Children can lack the vocabulary to express complex emotions like sadness, anger, or confusion. Play therapy offers them a language for emotional expression, helping them to articulate their feelings through play rather than through words.
Behavioral Regulation: Play therapy can help children develop more appropriate behaviors by providing them with tools for managing and navigating social interactions. For example, therapeutic games that require turn-taking and cooperation can model patience and empathy.
Coping Mechanisms: Children learn healthier ways to cope with stress and trauma during play therapy. For example, a child who is dealing with parental separation might use role-playing to re-enact the situation, which can provide them with a sense of control over the difficult emotions they are experiencing.
Building Self-Esteem: Play therapy helps children explore their strengths and capabilities. Success in play-based activities builds confidence and fosters a sense of competence that can carry over into other areas of life.
Trauma Recovery: For children who have experienced trauma, play therapy provides a safe, non-threatening space for them to process their feelings and work through difficult memories. By recreating traumatic situations through play, children can gain a sense of control and begin to make sense of their experiences.
Improved Social Skills: Through play therapy, children learn important social skills such as sharing, communicating, and resolving conflicts with peers. This is particularly beneficial for children struggling with social anxiety or behavioral challenges.

Play Therapy for Neurodiverse Children

Play therapy is a powerful tool in supporting neurodiverse children. It allows them a sense of mastery and control and the ability to create a world where they are understood and supported, rather than having to fit into neurotypical norms and conventions which they may experience outside of the therapy room. Play therapy can support with:

Facilitating Communication: Some neurodiverse children may find it difficult to engage in verbal communication. Play therapy provides a non-verbal outlet for them to express themselves, through activities like drawing, play with toys, or sandplay. This helps bridge the gap between the child’s internal world and their ability to communicate with others.
Developing Social Skills: Play therapy can help develop social skills in a supportive environment. For example, role-playing games can model to children how to take turns, share, and understand other people’s perspectives.
Sensory Processing: Some neurodiverse children may have a sensory profile that makes certain environments or stimuli overwhelming. Play therapy allows therapists to tailor activities to suit the child’s sensory needs, offering calming activities (like working with sand or water) or stimulating activities (like playing with toys that encourage motor skills).
Emotional Regulation: Neurodiverse children can experience emotional dysregulation due to not being able to communicate their emotional needs or being in an environment is not adapted for their needs. Play therapy can provide a safe environment to learn and process emotions. Through therapeutic play, children can develop regulation techniques or identify the triggers that lead to emotional outbursts.
Building Self-Awareness: Play therapy can help neurodiverse children develop self-awareness and a better understanding of their own behavior and emotions. By observing how they interact with various play activities, therapists can help children reflect on their actions and make positive changes.
Creating a Safe Space: For neurodiverse children who may struggle with feelings of isolation or frustration, play therapy creates a safe and accepting environment where they can explore their identity and experiences without fear of judgment.

The Structure of Play Therapy

Play therapy is offered in blocks of 15 which includes:

Initial parent meeting - to better explore what is going on and how we can help
5-6 play therapy sessions with the child
Midway parent review - to discuss progress and the suitability of the approach
5-6 play therapy sessions with the child

Final parent review - to discuss if support should be ongoing or if work can be brought to an end.

It is really important that there is a planned and supportive ending for play therapy to bring the work to a close. We work alongside you every step of the way, sharing information and strategies for home and checking-in to ensure this is the right approach. If we don't think play therapy is helpful or the child doesn't want to attend then there is no obligation to continue.

Conclusion

Play therapy is an invaluable tool for supporting the emotional and psychological growth of children and young people. It allows children to express themselves in ways that words often cannot capture, helping them process their feelings, build essential skills, and develop healthier coping mechanisms. For neurodiverse children, play therapy can be especially powerful.

If your child is struggling with emotional, behavioural, or social challenges, play therapy might be a great option to consider. All Things Therapy Centre offers affirming and child-led play therapy services with trained play therapists. If you think play therapy could support your child then please get in touch today!

All Things Therapy Centre