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Children have complex needs, but are often unable to interact
with normal therapeutic methods. A method called Play Therapy
can be used to overcome communication problems and allow the
therapist a means to help a troubled child. Here is some
information about this important treatment technique.
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a special process that
focuses on children's need to express
themselves through the use of play and
toys. Children are encouraged to play
as they wish with. a trained play therapist who provides a safe and understanding environment.
In this process a
wide variety of toys are made available
to children to encourage the expression
of emotional concerns. Children are
given the opportunity to express themselves through a variety of styles including
art play, sand play, dramatic play and fantasy play. .
Why Play Therapy for Children?
Children like to play. Children are
unable to understand and talk about
their feelings the way adults do and this
makes adult therapies inappropriate in
meeting children's special needs. Play
becomes therapeutic to children as they
give expression to their experiences and
emotions. Children can recreate, In
play, the experiences that are part of
their anger, fears/sadness or frustrations currently influencing their behavior.
How Can Play Therapy Help My Child?
Through the play therapy process,
children can change their personal view
of/events in the world and begin to better enjoy their interactions with others.
When children recreate their frustrations or disappointments and then
change the experience of that situation
in their, play, they begin to enjoy more
of their play experiences and therefore,
more of life's interactions, this leads to
higher self-esteem and more enjoyment
of activities with family, friends and
peers. And parenting is more enjoyable.
What Happens In Play Therapy?
Through the play therapy process
children create play that resembles
the emotional experiences they are
struggling with internally. These
experiences usually cannot be
expressed verbally. Children will
select special toys to include in their
play and use those toys to recreate
issues that represent emotional conflicts that are
important to the
child. Beginning with this expression, the child's play evolves until
the child gains a sense of understanding and comfort
over this situation.
How Long Will Play Therapy Take?
Play therapy is a process that depends
upon several factors in the child's past
and present experiences. The two most
important factors are the developmental
stage of the child and secondly/the age
of the child, at the onset of the issue. :
Usually the more recent the events, the
shorter the therapy length. The further
b.ack in the child's development that the
onset of the issue occurred, the longer
that play process will take.
Contact Us To Learn More About Play Therapy
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