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What is child centred play therapy?

Child Centered Play Therapy is an evidence based therapeutic approach that helps children process complicated emotions through their natural medium of communication, which is play; toys are seen as the child's words and play as their language.

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When adults start to view behaviour as communication, a whole world of possibilities open up to us around how we can respond to a child's behaviour. Only then can we discover new ways of moving forward in relationship with each other full of empathy, communication and hope.

Who is play therapy for?

Play therapy is a highly effective psychosocial treatment for children aged 2-12 who are experiencing social, emotional, developmental or behavioural difficulties such as:

  • ASD/ADHD diagnosis

  • early trauma experiences

  • high stress environments

  • anxiety

  • depression

  • low self-esteem

  • grief

  • loss

  • hyper-activity

  • oppositional behaviours

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What happens in play therapy?

A typical play therapy session is held in a room with intentionally selected toys, musical instruments and art materials that allow for self-expression and the exploration of various themes in play. A safe and trusting relationship with the child is created and the child is encouraged to lead the play, guiding the therapist in what is important to them (the parent or therapist do not dictate the content of the play therapy session). Communication in play therapy between the therapist and child is mostly through play rather than analytical conversation.

 

Depending on the family's goals, sessions can be with the child and therapist alone or with a family member such as a sibling or parent/ primary caregiver. This will be discussed further during an intake meeting prior to the commencement of therapy. A minimum of 20, 45min play therapy sessions are recommended (this is not a quick fix-approach, relationships take time to build).

How can play therapy help?

Play therapy is about delving deeper into the Why of behaviour; what fears, anxieties and experiences are driving behavioural concerns and how can we process these together so that behaviour is no longer controlled by these underlying factors?​

Play therapy supports children to:

  • make better choices

  • understand their world and experiences

  • gain self-control

  • express thoughts and feelings

  • reduce anxiety

  • build self-esteem and confidence

  • develop empathetic skills

  • strengthen connections and trust in relationships

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