Individual Play Therapy for Children
Play therapy is an effective technique to help children experiencing a wide variety of social, emotional and behavioral difficulties as well as life stressors such as divorce, death, chronic illness and relocation.
Based on the idea that play is a natural expression of a child’s thoughts, feelings and perception, individual play therapy utilizes toys selected based on each child’s needs. Through dramatization and even simply the arrangement of toys, children are able to communicate ideas that they cannot yet put into words—for example, their views of things that are frightening or comforting, of the relative closeness or distance of each family member, and of adult control and discipline.
Play therapy can help children:
- Explore and gain understanding of their personal world
- Communicate difficult or complicated concerns
- Work through feelings of confusion, fear, anger and sadness
- Learn and practice new behaviors for handling the demands, needs and expectations of adults and authorities
- Improve peer relationships
- Develop a productive and capable self-concept
- Gain a sense of mastery over the environment
Play therapy is most effective with very young and school-aged children (up to age nine), but may also be beneficial for older children who have developmental disorders or are emotionally or socially immature.
Group Therapy for Children
Group therapy for children uses play and activity to help group members develop healthy social skills and generate interpersonal learning. Group Play therapy is ideal for children ages six to eight as well as pre-school and kindergarten-aged children, while Activity Group therapy is typically used with children ages nine and older and young adolescents.
Five to ten children are selected to work together and help each other:
- Use positive social behaviors to make and keep friends
- Develop effective decision-making skills
- Express thoughts and feelings with words
- Understand non-verbal social signals
- Learn to handle disappointment, frustration and negative feelings
- Learn to resolve conflicts, share and negotiate
- Develop social confidence and improved self-esteem
With Group Play and Activity Group therapies, members move from self-focus to self-other focus. Groups meet weekly for 75 to 90 minutes. |
