Sandplay. Storytelling. Art. Role playing. Games. Music. This is the language of children, and families.
Children are designed to play. Families are designed to play, as well. Long before they are able to talk, children learn to interact with their world and the people in it by curious exploration – by playing. Play is the natural language of children. In play therapy, children are given the opportunity to play out feelings and experiences they are not developmentally equipped to talk about. Our therapist additionally, utilize play techniques to work with adults whom have experienced trauma in their lives and through the use of sandplay and other play techniques are able to share their experiences through play.
Play therapy is a research-based discipline that has been used for decades. Play therapy sessions take place in our therapist office that is equipped with a special selection of toys and a sand tray. Most play therapy sessions are one-on-one, though small sibling groups or families may sometimes be seen together. At Peaceful Solutions Counseling Services, play therapy sessions are sometimes child-led, meaning the child has the freedom to choose how to use the time in the session, and sometimes guided by the therapist.
Play therapy capitalizes on the power of play to help children, families, and adults learn to develop self-control and problem-solving skills, accept responsibility, and manage the unmanageable in their worlds.
For more information about play therapy, visit the Association for Play Therapy’s article titled “Play Therapy Makes a Difference” (http://www.a4pt.org/ps.index.cfm?ID=1653).