PLEASE NOTE I AM NO LONGER WORKING WITH CHILDREN. I AM HAPPY TO PLAY WITH EVERY ADULT'S INNER CHILD AND I OFFER PLAY THERAPY SUPERVISION AND CONSULTATION TO MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
— Plato
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."
— Plato
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapists are mental health professionals who utilize the therapeutic power of play to support emotional healing and growth.
While talking is the most common form of therapy for adults and many teens, it’s not as effective for working with children. This is because young children’s brains are still developing and may not yet be equipped to communicate in such a cognitive manner. In Play Therapy, toys serve as the child’s words, and play becomes the child’s language (Landreth, 2002). Play Therapy is a structured, child-centered approach that builds on children’s natural communication and learning processes. Although it is most commonly used with children ages 3-12, it can also be adapted for use with teens and adults. Mental health professionals use the therapeutic powers of play to help children express their feelings symbolically when they lack the verbal language to do so.
Play Therapy with adults can take various forms, such as Sandplay Therapy, SoulCollage®, expressive arts, poetry, music, and more. Interventions typically used with children can be modified for teens and adults to help access the "inner child," uncover underlying issues, and address feelings of being "stuck" that may stem from early childhood traumas. Externalizing a problem through playful modalities can enable adults to discover creative solutions to current challenges.
For more information on Play Therapy, please visit the Association for Play Therapy website.
Play therapists are mental health professionals who utilize the therapeutic power of play to support emotional healing and growth.
While talking is the most common form of therapy for adults and many teens, it’s not as effective for working with children. This is because young children’s brains are still developing and may not yet be equipped to communicate in such a cognitive manner. In Play Therapy, toys serve as the child’s words, and play becomes the child’s language (Landreth, 2002). Play Therapy is a structured, child-centered approach that builds on children’s natural communication and learning processes. Although it is most commonly used with children ages 3-12, it can also be adapted for use with teens and adults. Mental health professionals use the therapeutic powers of play to help children express their feelings symbolically when they lack the verbal language to do so.
Play Therapy with adults can take various forms, such as Sandplay Therapy, SoulCollage®, expressive arts, poetry, music, and more. Interventions typically used with children can be modified for teens and adults to help access the "inner child," uncover underlying issues, and address feelings of being "stuck" that may stem from early childhood traumas. Externalizing a problem through playful modalities can enable adults to discover creative solutions to current challenges.
For more information on Play Therapy, please visit the Association for Play Therapy website.