Play
Children express their feelings and emotions best through play. As a Registered Play Therapist, I work individually with the child along with their parents to help reinforce a positive support system.
Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on normal communicative and learning processes of children. Play helps children express what is troubling them and their feelings. Noted mental health professionals have observed that play is as important to human happiness and well being as love and work. It expands self-expression, self-knowledge, self-actualization, and self-efficacy. Play allows us to practice skills and roles needed for survival, connect to others in a positive way, relieves feeling of stress, and regulates emotions.
Play therapy can help children:
- Become more responsible for behaviors
- Develop new solutions to problems
- Develop respect and acceptance of self and others
- Experience and express solutions
- Cultivate empathy
- Learn new social skills and relational skills
- Develop self-efficacy