Play therapy is a form of therapy primarily used for children. Due to their age, many children are unable to process their own emotions and articulate their problems to parents or other adults. Therefore, play therapy swoops in to save the day!
While, on the surface, play therapy may just look like normal playtime, it is actually so much more than that. A trained child therapist uses playtime to observe and gain insight into your child’s issues. Your play therapist for kids helps your child explore their emotions and even deal with any unresolved trauma they may be experiencing. Through play, your child learns how to redirect any inappropriate behavior and gains new coping skills that you can utilize through many life transitions.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, and couples with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Utah.
Background Information on Play Therapy
Play therapy is a form of psychological counseling where a child and child therapist use toys, games, and role-playing techniques. Your play therapist will be observing your child during play to learn more about their behavior.
Play therapy can be used to treat mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, but it can also be used for behavioral disorders. With children who have developmental differences, such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), play therapy can be a support tool. If your child has ADHD, check out our blog: “Parenting A Child With ADHD.”
Although play therapists primarily work with children, play treatment may also be used with adolescents.
To learn more about play therapy, read our comprehensive blog “How Does Child Play Therapy Work?”.
How does play therapy differ from regular, everyday play?
Play therapy is very different from your run-of-the-mill, daily play. In play counseling, your kid therapist helps your child address and resolve their own problems. Play therapy is an extension of your child’s learning process since it builds on the natural way that your child learns about themself and their relationship to the world around them.
Through play therapy, your child can learn to:
Communicate with others
Express their feelings
Modify their behavior
Develop problem-solving skills
Learn a variety of ways of relating to other people
Play therapy offers a safe psychological distance between your child and the issues they may be facing, whether at home or at school. At Anchor Therapy, our play therapists offer a safe and supportive environment where your child is encouraged to express their emotions and contribute to their development.
Why is play therapy the right choice for my child?
Oftentimes, many parents seek play therapy for their child as a last resort. You may have tried to punish your child by taking away their electronics or making them skip out on that playdate they really wanted to go to.
The truth is that your child is likely trying their best to resolve their issues on their own; however, due to their age and development, they may be unable to work through complex emotions they are feeling. Your child does have problem-solving skills, but they may not be sufficient enough to solve their issues.
When your child has used up the problem-solving techniques they have at their disposal, they will misbehave, acting out at home or at school. Play therapy for children allows child therapists to assess and understand your child’s play. Child therapy provides your kid with the opportunity to cope with difficult feelings and find productive solutions to the problems they may be facing.
When your child and their play counselor confront the given issues in a clinical setting, your child will inevitably find healthier solutions to their problems. Play therapy alters the way that your child thinks about, feels, and resolves their concerns. Even some of the most concerning issues, like behavioral problems at school, can be solved using play therapy since lasting solutions will be presented to your child in a way where they remember them and can turn them into life-long strategies.
How is play therapy so effective?
Play therapy is so effective because it is speaking your child’s language. As adults, we communicate through words; however, your child communicates through play. Play therapy also helps alleviate the power struggle between adults and children.
Play not only allows your child to explore their imagination, but it also gives your child the opportunity to explore personal boundaries. This gives the therapist the opportunity to play without engaging in a power struggle. If your child becomes resistant or refuses to cooperate, the play therapist can simply offer new play materials, and redirect your child’s attention from material that is potentially triggering.
Who benefits from play therapy?
While everyone can benefit from therapy, play therapy is especially used for children ages 3 to 12 years old. Infants, toddlers, and teenagers have also benefited from play therapy. In recent years, there has even been a growth in play therapy for adults.
How will play therapy benefit my child?
Play therapy is often one of the first recommended therapeutic treatments for children.
Play therapy is used for a range of social, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including the following:
Anxiety disorders
Depression (Read “Is My Child Clinically Depressed?” for more information)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Behavioral issues (Check out “10 Ways to Help Your Child Calm Down” for help)
Crisis and trauma
Grief and loss
Divorce and family dissolution
Academic issues
Social issues
Physical disabilities
Play therapy helps children:
Become more responsible for their behavior
Develop more successful coping techniques and strategies
Develop new and creative solutions to issues going on in their lives
Develop a sense of acceptance and respect of oneself and other people
Learn to feel their feelings and express their emotions
Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts of other people
Learn new social and relational skills for family members and friends
Develop a sense of self-efficacy
Play therapy has positive effects. If you are interested in learning more, check out our blog: “What Is Play Therapy and How Can It Help My Child?”.
Is the family involved in play therapy at all?
Of course, family plays an important role in a child’s healing process. The interaction between your family unit and your child’s problems is complex and, therefore, your child therapist will be there working with you each step of the way.
In some case scenarios, children develop problems as a way of signaling that something is wrong in the family. In other cases, the entire family may become distressed because your child’s issues may become extremely disruptive. Regardless of what the case is, children and families heal the fastest when there is cooperation on both sides.
Every play therapist is unique. In other words, your child therapist will make decisions on how and when to integrate the family into your child’s individual counseling. This may involve some or all family members. At Anchor Therapy, for children 6 years of age and younger, at least one parent will be present for sessions.
At the minimum, your child therapist will communicate regularly with you as the parent. This ensures that there is a regulation of treatment and assists in developing a plan for resolving problems as they come up.
Some child counselors may decide that the best course of action is to involve the parent(s) or caregiver in the process by having them alter their interactions with their child in the home. Another method may be to involve the whole family in play therapy sessions. Whatever the role of the family is in treatment, it is important that your child knows that they have your support and love throughout this process.
Read “3 Ways to Help Your Child Express and Manage Their Emotions” for more guidance on how you can assist your child throughout their healing process.
What are some techniques used in play therapy?
Typically, standard play therapy sessions last 45-minutes, and are typically held on a weekly basis. As your child progresses in therapy, your child therapist may suggest bi-weekly or even monthly sessions to monitor progress.
There are two sub-categories of play therapy…
The directive approach - Your play therapist takes the lead by specifying the toys or games that will be used in the session. Your kid therapist will guide the session with a particular goal in mind.
The non-directive approach - As the name might suggest, this form of play therapy is much less structured. Your child is able to pick the toys or games they want to play. They are free to play in whatever way they want to, and will experience little to no instructions or interruptions. As your child is playing, the pre-teen therapist is observing closely and participating when appropriate.
For play therapy to be successful, it must take place in an environment where a child feels safe and there are very few limitations.
Some techniques your child’s therapist may use in play therapy are:
Creative visualization
Role-playing
Story telling
Puppets and stuffed animals
Dolls and action figures
Arts and crafts (Read our blog “Is Art Therapy Really Effective?” for more information)
Water and sand therapy
Legos, blocks, and construction toys
Gadgets - e.g., fidget spinner, pop it (Read “Do Fidget Spinners Really Help With Anxiety?” to learn more)
Dance and creative movement
Musical play
Board games
Are certain toys used for specific mental health struggles?
While your play therapist will customize sessions for your child, there are certain toys that can foster a sense of relief from your child’s stressors.
Some research has shown that play therapy can broken down into a few categories according to toy type:
Superhero figures are said to foster a release of anger and hostility
Real-life toys, such as play money and dolls, are likely to help withdrawn or introverted children step outside of their bubble by breaking the ice with communication
Creative toys, such as Legos and crayons, can help children express a wide range of emotions
As your child plays, your youth therapist is tracking how they feel. The interpretations of the therapist are guiding the play.
For instance, if your child is playing with dolls, and acting out a problem at school, it may signal to the therapist that there is an issue at school that is troubling your child. Your child’s therapist can test this theory in session. Your child’s reaction will ultimately reinforce or reject the therapist’s interpretation.
Play Therapy In Action
Depending on your child and the type of issues they are presenting, the play counselor will guide your child towards a certain type of play method or have them pick for themselves. There are countless ways that a play therapist will use play counseling to get to know your child and to help them cope with their issues.
For example, your child therapist may give your child a dollhouse and some dolls, and ask them to reenact some scenes at home. Your child therapist could also give your child art supplies and ask them to recreate an image of a scene they found to be stressful or frightening at school.
Your therapist could also ask your child to tell them a “Once upon a time…” story where some of your child’s anxieties may come to light. On the other hand, they could also read with your child, showing your child a story similar to theirs where they can overcome their fears. This form of treatment is known as bibliotherapy.
The usage of games can invigorate your child’s problem-solving and cooperation skills, all while encouraging social behavior.
Overall, play therapy is a form of psychological treatment for children and some teens. It uses play to express your child’s unconscious feelings, or things that they might find hard to express with words.
Some potential benefits of play therapy include a reduction in behavioral issues, from anger to trauma and grief. Play counseling can also assist children with developmental disorders, such as ADHD, by helping them work through issues or learn skills that can assist them in everyday life.
If you are looking for play therapy, reach out to us today! Our intake coordinator, Victoria, will then match you with a play therapist on our team who suits your child’s needs.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager, Intake Coordinator, and Office Manager at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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