Creative Directions Counseling Center
The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving. Oliver Wendell Holmes |
What is Play Therapy? |
| Play therapy is a form of counseling for children. Most children don't have the ability to “explain” what is bothering them as would an adult. Often times they re-enact life's events through play with toys or other people. Play is a natural part of life and children can often express things through play that are too complicated to say. Play therapy makes use of the natural benefits of play. Play therapy differs from regular play in that the therapist helps children systematically address and resolve their own problems. Since play is fun, it makes it easier for children to confront what is bothering them. Once children have expressed their problems through play, the therapist will be better able to help them find solutions. Often by the time children arrive for therapy, they have used up all their options for solving problems and simply do not know what else to do. By this time a child may be acting out at home, with friends, and at school. Play therapy allows trained counselors to assess and understand children's play and to use it in assisting the child in coping with difficult emotions and in finding solutions to their problems. Research supports the effectiveness of play therapy with children experiencing a wide variety of social, emotional, behavioral, and learning problems.
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