Celebrating Play Therapy Week!

We are celebrating play therapy week! Many parents still don’t quite know what this type of therapy entails or how it could benefit their children. Here is some helpful information about play therapy:

What Is It?

Play therapy is a kind of therapy that gets away from the traditional method of sitting in a chair and talking to a counselor. Instead of using just words, play therapists provide toys, artwork, games, and other physical means to allow participants to explore certain topics and express their feelings. Play therapy works with the developmental level of a child, teen, or adult who perhaps doesn’t have the language capacity to articulate emotions or difficult experiences.
Who Is It For?

Play therapy is most appropriate for children ages 3-12. In certain circumstances, it can also be helpful to use with teenagers, adults, or even in couples counseling. A play therapist may ask the family of a child to engage as well. It helps children to explore and understand their experiences through the natural language of childhood – play!  Toys becomes the tools and vocabulary children can use to express themselves and make sense of their experiences in their home, school, relationships, and world. Play therapy can help a child and the counselor explore topics like trauma and behavioral problems.

How Can I Find More Information? 

If you live in Utah, you can find a play therapist near you here.

Here is another article I wrote that explains more details about play therapy.

You can also learn more about my book, “Play Therapy: Engaging & Powerful Techniques for the Treatment of Childhood Disorders.”