Q. How do I know if my child needs Play Therapy?
A. Children who have been diagnosed with anxiety
disorders, depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, specific phobias and communication disorders
often benefit from some type of Play Therapy.
Q. How does play therapy work?
A. The therapist will provide a roomfull of toys, games and art materials
and will generally allow your child to pick and choose what they want to play with. Children tend to gravitate towards certain
types of toys depending on their emotional and intellectual needs. Since play is a child's natural form of communication,
they will begin to express their thoughts and feelings symbolically through their play. A well-trained play therapist will
be able to understand this form of communication, and will be able to slowly help the child by validating his/her feelings,
and encouraging the child to use play to try out new ways of thinking, and behaving.
Q. How long does Play Therapy usually take to complete.
A. This will depend on the reason that your child is in therapy.
Longstanding and serious problems take longer to treat. It is not unusual for a severely traumatized child to be in play therapy
for over a year. While, a child who is trying to work through feelings about having a certain illness or learning disability,
may only be in play therapy for a few months.
Q. Do you practice Play Therapy in isolation or as part of a broader
treatment package.
A. I always involve parents or caretakers in the therapy, and never
work with a child in isolation. It is not adviseable to focus strictly on seeing a child in play therapy, and never seeing
the child's parents. The role of parents in helping a child to adapt is so great that not to involve them in the child's
treatment would be unfair to the child.
Q. How does play therapy help a child with a phobia (a persistant
irrational fear that interferes with a patients daily life)?
A. When you allow a phobic child to use play materials, and encourage
them to play out anything they want, they will eventually play out scenes related to their fears. Children use play to learn
to master situations that frighten them. By helping a child to symbolically play out events or situations that are frightening
to them, the child will be able to practice dealing with the situation over and over again, until he or she finds their own
symbolic solution. The therapist will also encourage the child and family to slowly approach the actual feared situation
in real life, as the child;s anxiety becomes more manageable. Many studies show that children's anxiety level diminshes after
successfully playing out their conflicts and fears in play therapy.
Play therapy, while not always effective in isolation, is a
critical peice of the treatment for children with phobias, disturbed interpersonal relationships, or severe emotional trauma.
It helps children to relax and communicate effectively using a language that they intuitively understand and enjoy.
If you have a child who is unsuccesfully struggling with anxiety, depression or trauma
and would like to explore this option, please call 919-918-1014 or email me at createahealthymind@earthlink.net .
