Appointments: hannah@reachplaytherapy.com
Appointments: hannah@reachplaytherapy.com
Information for Parents
What is Play Therapy and who is it for?
Play Therapy is a therapeutic intervention designed specifically for children. It is derived from the person-centred model of therapy, with the use of toys and play to provide children with the opportunity to communicate in their own way and at their own pace. Any child can encounter a problem that they and their families have difficulty coping with. Children can respond to challenges in a huge variety of different ways; they may find it hard to manage feelings of anger or anxiety, they may become withdrawn or start having issues in their relationships with family or peers. These difficulties may emerge following a significant event in the child's life such as a bereavement or a change in family circumstances, or they may seemingly come out of nowhere. It can be difficult for parents to seek out support, as there is a lot of pressure on parents to 'sort it out' themselves and there may be a worry that professionals will blame parents. Play therapists can work with parents to support children through difficult times. Below is a list of common reasons for Play Therapy referrals, but it is not a prescriptive list and referrals will be considered on an individual basis.
Play Therapy can help children who have experienced:
- Trauma
- Bereavement or Loss
- Serious/Chronic Medical Conditions (their own or within the family)
- Family Breakdown
- Domestic Violence
Play Therapy can also be appropriate for children struggling with:
- Anxiety (e.g generalised, separation anxiety)
- Aggressive behaviour
- Autism
- Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder (AD(H)D)
- Depression
- Self-harm
- General behaviour problems
- Low self-esteem/lack of confidence
Different Types of Play Therapy
Click here to find out more about the different interventions offered by Reach Play Therapy
How can Play Therapy help?
Play is vital for all children's social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Play therapists are trained to engage with children through play and provide a therapeutic space and relationship in which children can learn more about their own feelings, and process the difficulties they are facing. Play therapy can help children to make sense of difficult life experiences, increase their resilience to cope with future challenges and improve their self-esteem. It can be difficult for children to express their feelings verbally, so play therapists provide a variety of toys and materials which children can use in nearly any way they choose.
There are many different ways to play and different types of play engage different regions of the brain. In Play Therapy, for example, children can play with sensory toys, art materials, miniature figures, musical instruments or engage in role play. This allows lots of opportunities for children to express themselves and also to explore and experiment with the difficulties they are experiencing in the safe context of play. Children often know that it is difficult for their parents when they are having a tough time, and it can be helpful for children to build a therapeutic relationship with someone who is not in their immediate family.
What will a play therapist do?
Play therapists will conduct an assessment in which they learn more about your child and the family as a whole. The more information that parents can give about the child, the better. British Association of Play Therapy (BAPT) accredited Play Therapists study child development right from when babies are in the womb, and are usually interested in finding out about your child as whole, not just the issues they are facing. You will also learn more about Play Therapy and together you will decide whether Play Therapy is the right thing for your child. The play therapist will then meet with your child and openly discuss the reasons they are coming to Play Therapy, and how it might help. Play Therapy is confidential, and play therapists do not share the details of sessions unless the child says, does or plays something that makes the play therapist think they are not safe. This will be explained to your child in the first session.
What will happen next depends upon what kind of intervention you and your play therapist have decided will work best for your child and family as a whole. Usually the play therapist will invite the child to play in any way they would like to, but they may also introduce some assessment activities to help them get to know the child a little better. Play therapists are trained to respond to and reflect on children's play in a way that helps children to use play therapeutically.
Although the sessions are confidential, you will meet with your child's play therapist every 6 to 8 sessions to discuss how things are going for your family. Your play therapist will talk to you about how Play Therapy is going and will discuss general themes that have come up in the playroom but will not discuss specific details of what your child has played. It is important that your child feels they do not have to share what they have done in the playroom, although they are free to if they wish. This is just like if you were going to go to therapy - you may not want to discuss the details with your family! It is best if you do not ask your child how the sessions are or what they have done, although this is difficult and may feel a bit strange.
At each review, you will discuss how you both feel the intervention is progressing, and whether you feel it would be beneficial for your child to continue attending Play Therapy. When you decide it is time to end, it is important that the ending is managed therapeutically and that your child has a chance to process their time in therapy. Every child is different, but most will need at least 3-5 sessions to work towards an ending.
Children's Guide to Play Therapy
Click here to see the Children's Guide to Play Therapy. This explains Play Therapy in a child friendly way to help you find the words to talk to your child about coming to Play Therapy.
What's the difference between play therapy and filial therap
Filial Therapy
Filial Therapy is a family approach that is rooted in the principles of Play Therapy. The therapist works with the whole family, but primarily with the parents to support them in facilitating therapeutic play sessions with their children. This can be a fantastic opportunity to build relationship with your child while helping them through the things that are troubling them. The skills that are developed through the process of Filial Therapy can be highly valuable outside the therapeutic process as well and will equip you to support your child through future challenges.
If you are unsure whether Play Therapy or Filial Therapy is the right approach for you and your child then please get in touch and I will be happy to explore this with you.