What Is Play Therapy?

There is a fundamental difference between the child’s play in other situations and their play in play therapy. The structure and quality of the relationship between the play therapist and the child provides opportunities for therapeutic healing and repair.

Creating a trusting relationship in a safe environment which facilitates communication, play therapy children enter into a dynamic and fun relationship with the therapist where they can easily express themselves, explore their feelings, and make sense of their world and resolve any difficult or painful experiences through the medium of play. This transforms the play to play therapy.

Children use play as their first form of communication as they often don’t have the words to describe how they are feeling. Experience and research shows that children will naturally choose the relevant materials that will help them work on their difficulties. Play therapy is a completely safe and natural therapy to help the child move forward.

It can reassure parents to learn that Play Therapy provides the child with enjoyable experiences that alleviate the stress and helps them overcome difficulties while simultaneously providing satisfaction, pleasure and opportunities to experience themselves as competent, capable and fun to be with.

Children cannot benefit from talk therapy like adults can. Just as adults talk out problems, children play out their difficulties. Children are not able to describe complex feelings and thoughts in words but their play gives us a window into their inner world, their worries, pre-occupations and confusions and brings the child to a deeper level than their verbal skills would allow.