Play therapy is an alternative to “talk therapy”, often used with younger children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the mural in one of our play therapy rooms—the “ocean room”

 

There are many different types of psychotherapy formats and approaches, all of which are tailored to a particular client’s needs within the scope of expertise of the therapist. While traditional therapies (“talk” therapies) are the most familiar to people right now, there are other therapies which are also used when the age, abilities, or particular diagnosis/problem of the client demand a more “experiential” approach. This includes a therapy which has been traditionally used with relatively young children: play therapy.

While a casual observer of a play therapy session might think the interaction between therapist and client seems more fun than therapeutic, the theoretical basis of play therapy is a very tried and true framework for helping children accomplish a variety of psychological tasks. These include working through past abuse, developing social and empathy skills, improving sensory integration and emotional regulation, altering negative behaviors, and improving self-esteem.

Play therapy sessions can be individual or small group sessions, depending on the age of the client(s) and specific diagnoses/problems being addressed. For example, when teaching social skills to children with Autism or Asperger’s, small group work is often effective to reproduce “real life” interactions and model healthy interaction and communication.

The exact tasks included in a play therapy session vary significantly from one child to the next, and often from one session to the next, but generally they can include art activities such as painting or working with clay, puppet work, play with “family” dolls and figurines, and dress up play. Each of these tasks has the potential to both open up and make available information to the therapist, and to provide the child with an expressive outlet to work through feelings and experiences that are often confusing and frightening. Because of this, play therapy can be both investigative and therapeutic.

 

           Play Therapy

Play therapy is the primary format used by BHC of Texarkana therapists to work with young children, usually ages 3-9. To see if your child would benefit from play therapy, please contact our office.

Elizabeth McCulley, MS, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor providing play therapy at BHC of Texarkana.

Behavioral Health Center

Of Texarkana