So, Play Therapy… What Is That?
Play is a child's native language. Restoring Hope Counseling's Houston play therapy team helps children ages 3 and up process emotions, trauma, and life transitions through play.
If you've ever wondered what your child is actually doing in a therapy session filled with toys, sand trays, and art supplies, you're not alone. Play therapy is one of the most evidence-based approaches available for children, but it can look deceptively like just... playing. At Restoring Hope Counseling in Houston, our specialized play therapy team works with children ages 3 and up, and we love explaining this work to curious parents. In this post, we'll walk you through what play therapy is, what it looks like session to session, and why it's so remarkably effective for children who are struggling.
Many people wonder what play therapy is.
How does it work if the client and clinician are simply playing with the toys together in the office? Children communicate through play as it is their natural medium. Before you learned to verbalize your feelings, you first learned to express yourself through play. This goes for you too adults, although you may not remember it there was a time when play or art was your biggest form of communication. Children use play as it is the most natural and self-healing way for them to process what they are feeling or experiencing.
The relationship is the therapy
While I adjust my techniques or theories tailored to the specific child and their needs, the most crucial part of play therapy is the relationship. When working with children you quickly learn that the person you are is more important than anything you know how to do in your mind. For example, I could implement 20 techniques with a child but at the end of the day who I am and the relationship I have with the client is the most important part.
Who is Play therapy for?
So, who is play therapy for and what can I do for your child as their counselor? Children, like adults, seek therapy for diverse reasons, including anxiety, grief, anger, behavioral issues, and family conflict. Children are unique individuals who experience deep emotions and navigate their challenges to the best of their abilities. When you've exhausted all your ideas to support your child and nothing has improved, or when you feel uncertain about what to do next, Restoring Hope Counseling is here to provide support.
What does support look like?
This support will look like first and foremost building trust with your child, voicing unmet needs, and oftentimes supporting you (the parent or caregiver) through the different challenges life throws your way. It is my job to work to understand the client to the best of my ability, process through their emotions with them, or simply sit with their feelings when necessary. I treat my clients as their own unique individual, and with that comes the understanding that they have everything they need within themselves to grow. Sometimes we just need someone to be there for us while we figure it all out.
Quick coping skills
Some of my favorite skills to practice with my clients are breathing and mindfulness. As anxiety often keeps our mind in the future of what if’s or preparing for the worst case I like to use these skills to bring us back to the present moment, the here and now. As Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid said, “When you feel life is out of focus, always return to the basic of life. Breathing.” I always count the in and outs of my breaths, breath in for a count of 5, breath out for a count of 5. Although this last one may be for clients a little older, maybe even you, the caregiver, I have found it helpful all the same. One of my favorite mindfulness techniques is describing what I can physically touch. In moments of dysregulated emotion or what feels like out of control anxiety I may describe to myself what the pillow feels like, what does the bed feel like, what does the grass feel like, how about my shirt. By doing this I focus again on the here and now rather than all the possibilities my anxiety has come up with for the future.
Lastly, I would like to remind both parents and children, you have everything you need within yourself to be your best self. It really does take a village and as it is a part of human nature to connect to others, so connect. With your kid, with nature, and trust in yourself.
Written by: Shawnae Inama, LPC-Associate
Supervised by Jennifer Cain, LPC-S, RPT-S
