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Play Therapy

Play therapy is an approach to counseling children that uses the natural therapeutic power of play to promote healing. In play, children use developmentally appropriate forms of communication to work through troubling experiences. Most importantly, play is fun and engaging and one of the first ways that children interact with their world. Lastly, it is a part of how they learn to connect, learn about cause and effect, problem-solve, and express themselves.

“Toys are children’s words, and play is their language.” Garry L. Landreth

Children learn to express themselves and their feelings through play, make positive behavior changes, and develop problem-solving and friendship skills. They also learn to manage big feelings without losing them. Play provides a safe distance from a problem so that a child can express his or her thoughts and feelings about things that may be too difficult to communicate otherwise. Play therapy helps children learn mastery and develop self-esteem.

The human brain is wired for play. Starting in infancy, children use play to learn about their environment and how to interact within it. Play is a medium through which children learn to negotiate relationships, form meaningful connections, and develop self-regulation. Play is one of the first ways parents and children connect and communicate. It has powerful abilities in restoring parent-child relationships that are struggling or have been wounded.

Play Therapy is used to help with the following issues:

  • Anxiety
  • Attachment problems / Parent-child relationships
  • Trauma
  • Grief and Loss
  • Impulsivity and Behavior Problems

“Play really is the work of childhood.” – Fred Rogers

Additionally, play therapy can help young children learn to cope with anxiety or manage feeling angry. Play helps children work through a traumatic or scary event to make sense of it or help organize their thoughts and feelings around the experience. Play therapy helps children who’ve experienced foster care, have had multiple caregivers, or who have been adopted to deepen attachments and to feel safe and secure in their relationships. Lastly, you can learn more about the power of play by visiting the Association for Play Therapy website.

 

Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling provides play therapy for kids and teens in Kalamazoo, Portage, Mattawan, and Southwest Michigan.

Call 269-615-7637 to make an appointment for your child for play therapy.

Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling

269-615-7637

Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling