The Healing Power of
Therapeutic Play
Using a variety of methods, including non-directive Axline principles -
The child is allowed
to play as they wish.
Talking is not required.
Communication occurs through their chosen medium.
Examples of psychological difficulties may include depression, anxiety, aggression, learning difficulties and ADHD.
Difficult life experiences can include abuse, grief and loss, divorce and family breakdown, domestic violence and trauma.
Play therapy will help a child to increase insight, to decrease internal conflict and to increase resilience, and develop coping and emotional literacy skills.
I work closely with the child's parents/carers throughout and can undertake parent-child relationship therapy. See Parents/carers section
There is a lot of evidence that Play Therapy is effective in helping children in a number of ways, improving their self-esteem, building healthy relationships and modifying their more ‘negative’ behaviours.
Play is the means by which children get to know themselves, understand their experiences in the world and start to understand other people around them.
Play Therapy helps children to make sense of strong feelings or traumatic events within their world.
The child explores at their own pace, the concerns, whether past or present, conscious or unconscious, that are impacting on their life. The relationship between the child and the therapist is key.
Play Therapy allows the child to play exactly how they want and through such play, they can process their emotional and social problems more easily. With my guidance, your child will be helped to find their own creative solutions to matters that may be troubling them and those around them.
Play therapists generally work with children aged from 4 years to adolescence, experiencing a range of psychological difficulties and complex life experiences. I work with families who have a child of any age.
Play and creativity can promote change by working with unconscious and conscious processes.
New strategies for coping will emerge.
Issues Play Therapy can help with...
Sessions = 45 minutes
Typically children need 12 sessions