Play During Play Therapy
Are you stressed about your child being anxious? Or worried that things aren’t getting better?
There is so much information out there and you don’t know where to start. You have read about traditional therapies but they are costly and complicated. They seem to work better for adults than children. Play Therapy is an effective form of therapy developed by Virginia Axline in 1946. “Enter into child’s play and you’ll find a place where their hearts, minds and soul meet.”
In play therapy, a trained therapist will tap on your child’s natural language of play to help them process complicated emotions and experiences that they may not otherwise be able to express. As talking about problems using words is difficult for children, Play Therapy creates a safe environment for us to enter their inner world through music, drama, dance, sandplay, puppets, story-telling and art.
Today, Play Therapy is recognised to be one of the most effective forms of therapeutic intervention for a wide range of children’s issues. The Association for Play Therapy (APT) continues to collate international research to strengthen this evidence-based model of intervention. It has been safely used in hospitals, children’s agencies, schools and other community organisations.
Play therapy has many benefits:
Provides a safe place for children to express their thoughts and feelings.
Allows children to discover their natural, inner resources for healing.
Facilitates the development of self esteem, problem-solving and coping skills.
Supports emotional healing and growth.
Fosters a child’s ability to make friends and to understand the world he or she lives in.
Encourages children to be confident and focused.
Fosters imagination and creativity.
A safe environment for children for whom talking is difficult.
Credit: BAPT Play Therapy in Action
Good Pathways have play therapy packages designed to help children with their transformation journey. A typical session lasts 50 minutes with the therapist working with the child individually.
These sessions will help your child
Gain greater self awareness
Increase self-regulation
Develop better self-control
Understand their own emotional needs
Express their feelings better
Build more meaningful and lasting relationships