Many adults wonder, "What's so therapeutic about playing?"  As a therapist with years of training and experience, I can attest that play is serious business and a powerful tool for healing.  Children, unlike adults with our better developed verbal skills, use their imagination and creativity to experience and communicate their feelings and thoughts.  It's the primary way kids learn about themselves and the world.  Whether it's playing a game of checkers, creating a world in a tray of sand, having a "sword fight," caring for a baby doll, or playing hide 'n seek, children will explore their inner world and share their hopes and joys, as well as their sadness, worry, or conflicts.  For children who are struggling, engaging in play with an attuned, responsive, caring, and skillful adult can help them to understand difficult feelings and experiences and learn new ways of coping, so they can move past them as more aware and resilient people. 

 

In my work with children, I also use expressive arts interventions to provide opportunities for exploring feelings, thoughts, strengthening self-awareness and self-esteem, and developing new ways of coping and problem-solving.

 

Play therapy is most appropriate for children ages 3-13, but many of the activities are appropriate and beneficial at any age. 

 

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