Description (2950 characters max)
Is your child struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem, or difficulty expressing their emotions safely? Are they having a difficult time coping with a trauma or loss? Many things can happen to disrupt a child’s development.
Play is the natural way that children express themselves, and they need a special environment filled with toys and games to help them with the hard work of learning new skills and addressing unpleasant memories.
I have 20 years of experience assessing and treating children through the use of toys, games, sand and art. I work closely with parents and children to understand and support their goals.
Through the use of play based-assessments and therapy, children reveal how they cope with new situations, and how they experience their families and the world at large. New skills are also more likely to be learned and rehearsed through play-based activities.
Skills that can be enhanced by play therapy include:
• Physical and emotional regulation
• Positive coping skills
• Social skills
• Anger and stress management skills
• Cognitive reframes/Positive self talk
• Boss back skills for OCD and anxiety
• Attachment skills
Play and art therapy can be used to resolve trauma, build coherent narratives, teach and practice new skills, enhance emotional regulation, decrease anxiety and enhance attachments.
Play therapy is also used in conjunction with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to help integrate thoughts, physical feelings, and emotional feelings with the verbal narrative. This allows for deeper healing so that the memories will not trigger intense emotions.
