Therapy for Children: What is Play Therapy?
Children engage with the world through exploration, interaction, and play, shaping their understanding as they grow. Unlike adults, they can lack the vocabulary to express their problems or process experiences, making traditional talk therapy less useful at times. To bridge this gap, I incorporate play elements such as story-telling and reading, toys, drawing, and games into therapy sessions. Within the safe space of play, children can initiate change and heal.
Through the therapist-child relationship, play therapy nurtures problem-solving and decision-making skills, enhances memory and attention span, fosters empathy, alters behaviors, facilitates emotional expression, and teaches interpersonal skills. Parent or guardian involvement during therapy may also be encouraged. Play therapy is an evidence-based, developmentally appropriate approach to mental health treatment for youth, proven effective across a range of presenting issues, genders, and ages.
Telehealth with Children
Telehealth has become increasingly common especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Play therapy may require some adaptability on behalf of the therapist and child, but can still be productive and rewarding. The effectiveness of virtual play therapy may depend on the presenting problem, treatment goals, age, and child’s ability to sustain focus during appointments.
Sessions may need to be adjusted to a half hour if the full 50- minute duration is too long for the child to sit in front of the screen. Additionally, some children, under the age of 7, may not be appropriate for telehealth. We can determine whether telehealth is the right option during the initial 15-minute consultation. Click here.