PLAY THERAPY
“Enter into children’s play and you will find the place where their minds, hearts, and souls meet.”
Virginia Axline
APT defines play therapy as "the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."
The primary goal of play therapy is to help children who might struggle with expressing themselves or their emotions to express themselves through play.
Play therapy helps children (Associate for Play Therapy, 2022):
Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more successful strategies.
Develop new and creative solutions to problems.
Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.
Learn to experience and express emotion.
Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others.
Learn new social skills and relational skills with family.
Develop self-efficacy and thus a better assuredness about their abilities.
To learn more about Play Therapy, you can explore the Association for Play Therapy website: https://www.a4pt.org/
If you believe that your child could benefit from Play Therapy, please contact us below for more information.