The Power of Play: How Play Therapy Helps Children Heal

As parents, we want nothing more than to understand our children fully – their thoughts, feelings, fears, and how their brilliant young minds are working. However, many times this can often feel like an impossible task, especially when traditional communication methods fail to crack the surface. I know I’ve tried many times to talk to my child and only receive silence or many “I don’t knows” which made me feel like a “bad” parent or failure at times. However, that’s when I started to look into play therapy and found that it offers a unique and incredibly effective approach to fostering connection, communication, and insight.

As I embarked on this play therapy journey with my own child, I was amazed at how quickly the barriers seemed to melt away. I’ll never forget the first time I saw my reserved, quiet child take on a bold persona during a pretend scenario, giving voice to feelings and thoughts they had kept bottled up. In that moment, it was as if a window had been opened, and for the first time, I could peer into their inner world of my child with newfound clarity. I found out through watching session and engaging in sessions with my child that for children, play is more than just fun and games. It’s a natural way for them to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Play therapy harnesses this innate form of expression as a therapeutic technique to help children navigate emotional and behavioral challenges.

So what is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a form of counseling that uses play as the primary mode of communication between the therapist and child. Rather than just talking through issues, play therapy allows children to act out events, situations, and emotions with toys, art supplies, games, and other playful tools. A skilled play therapist closely observes the child’s choices of play objects and themes that emerge to gain insights into the child’s perspective.

What are the benefits of Play Therapy?
There are many benefits to this creative, child-friendly approach to mental health treatment:

• Provides an Natural Outlet for Expression: Play feels safe, comfortable, and familiar to children. It allows them to openly express difficult emotions they may not have the verbal vocabulary to articulate.

• Encourages Mastery: Working through troubling scenarios in the metaphorical realm of play gives children a sense of control and competence that can build healing confidence and coping skills.

• Processes Trauma: For children who have experienced abuse, violence, or other traumatic events, play therapy provides a non-threatening way to process disturbing memories and experiences.

• Strengthens Parent-Child Bond: Play therapy often incorporates the child’s parents, giving them tools to better understand the child’s needs and provide more nurturing interactions.

• Enjoyable and Engaging: Unlike strict talk therapy, the playful nature of this approach keeps children interested, participatory, and coming back session after session.

Through this journey with my child I found that play therapy has proven mental health benefits for children dealing with conditions like anxiety, depression, grief, behavioral disorders, and more. Through the language of play, hurting children can start to heal. Today my child has made great improvements and I understand them more and feel like a better parent!

To conclude, I’ve shared some about my experience using play therapy and would encourage you to try this avenue if you are concerned about your child and believe play therapy could be beneficial.