Child Play Therapy

Through play, children can show how they feel about themselves and the significant persons and events in their lives. Because most children under the age of 9 or 10 have not yet developed the abstract reasoning skills and verbal abilities necessary to sit in the therapist's office and be articulate about their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, play therapy is an appropriate approach to counseling children. In play therapy, I help children gain a better understanding of how they view themselves, others, and the world and to learn new attitudes to replace self-defeating attitudes.

Play therapy is used in conjunction with parent and/or family sessions so that gains made in therapy can be transferred into the child's home and school environments.

Play therapy is beneficial for . . .
        anxious and withdrawn children
        aggressive and acting-out children
        children with severe behavior or conduct problems
        children whose parents are divorcing, are divorced, or remarried
        children with specific fears, such as separation anxiety
        grieving children
        children who have experienced trauma
        children with attention or impulse control difficulties

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