How Does Play Therapy Work?

When children need therapy, in your search to connect them with resources that can help you may have stumbled across the term “play therapy.” Understandably, you wonder, how does play therapy work and can it help my child? Are there options near me in Walnut Creek?

Our blog today dives into what you should know about play therapy.

All therapy requires speaking the same language

When adults have a problem, we tend to talk about it with a few trusted friends or a therapist. We bounce ideas off each other, we brainstorm and process, and we tailor our responses to the situation at hand. For children however, they do not have the language available to them to properly express what they are thinking and feeling. The language available to them is play. With play therapy, children are able to act out their inner experiences and express themselves in a language that is native to them.

Play therapy for children includes several models and interventions that are best equipped at supporting a child’s evolving processes of their emotions and brain development. While many creative interventions can be used with adults, play therapy is usually administered to children ages 1 through 13. Through the guidance of a trained play therapist, this way of working with kids is successful in treating a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems.

If you think your child could benefit from therapy, but aren’t sure where to begin, continue reading to learn about how play therapy at our Walnut Creek office could be a helpful treatment option for your child in their self-expression, self-knowledge, and the exploration of their world.

Why play therapy?

Before we had developmental access to language, we had play. For children, play has always been the way that they were first able to express emotions such as anger and compassion; selfishness and altruism; trust and fear. It is the beginning metric for making sense of the world around them, using their toys to create stories and act out their imagination. Here, they are able to problem solve, act out consequences, learn about their emotions, and adjust their behavior.

How was play therapy developed?

If you notice your partner is tense or on edge, is having outbursts and seems to snap easily, or is seeming to be overwhelmed in social gatherings, therapy may be helpful to learn better ways of coping and practicing mindfulness of triggers. Therapy can be helpful in learning about neurodivergence as well and directing a person to resources that could be beneficial for them.

How does play therapy work?

What are the benefits of play therapy?

Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that traits can fall along a continuum that varies from minor impairments to severe. These impairments cause challenges in social relationships, speech and behavior, including nonverbal behavior. Research suggests that about 1 in 44 people is on the spectrum, with more prevalence found in men.

While difficulties range from person to person, your partner on the spectrum may have some of these characteristics:

All brains are wired to connect, your partner on the spectrum just may do so differently. If you could use help with better connecting to your partner and resolving challenges in your relationship, contact our care team today. One of our trained therapists is ready to work with you.

How Does Play Therapy Work?

Our blog today dives into what you should know about play therapy.

All therapy requires speaking the same language

Why play therapy?

How was play therapy developed?

How does play therapy work?

What are the benefits of play therapy?

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