Play Therapy
Is your child struggling or experiencing anxiety about school, friends, or new experiences?
Has your family been through a difficult transition and do you find yourself worried about how it’s impacting your child?
Is your child misbehaving, withdrawing or acting out and you don’t know how to respond?
Do you feel stuck in your parenting—like nothing you do is working and you are out of ideas?
When many of us become parents, we expect it to be challenging at times—but not like this. It seems like families on social media have it all together, but the truth is that parenting is hard work. It’s not always a pretty picture and sometimes we need a little extra support. See our Play Therapy Room
Does anyone else feel like an awful parent?
If you are reading this page, you likely feel desperate, discouraged, frustrated and burned out. The good news is, you do not have to navigate this alone. Reaching out for help from a therapist does not mean you’re a bad parent or that you have failed. The fact that you are seeking help speaks volumes about how much you love your child and your eagerness to see change in your family.
Parenting is hard in the best of times, let alone when children have experienced trauma, loss, or the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. In the past few years, children and families have experienced isolation, chronic stress, and the loss of hope. Rates of depression and anxiety in children have doubled during the pandemic. (1) Perhaps you have seen the impact on your family as well as shifts in your child’s behavior, but you don’t know how to respond and nothing you do to help seems to work. You may see your child’s grades slipping, increased fighting between siblings, or recurring nightmares. It may feel like there is more yelling in your home or ongoing tension that you cannot break through. You have options and one of those options may be play therapy.
What is play therapy?
Play therapy is an effective, evidence-based treatment and a developmentally appropriate form of therapy for children.(2) Our Play Therapists at Hope for the Journey Counseling Center are specifically trained to work with children and families to bring hope, healing, and joy back into your family. Our counselors work closely with you to develop treatment goals that address your family’s greatest concerns, to strengthen your family relationships, and to help your child process their big emotions. Intro to Play Therapy Room
Behavior Speaks Volumes
Children often do not know how to express their big feelings and they certainly do not communicate in the same way as adults. When children sense that something isn’t right in their world, they may act out. What adults interpret as misbehavior is often the child’s attempt to fulfill a need or ask for help. So, when children do not know how to work through feelings of loss, shame, frustration, or confusion, they misbehave, and all our best parenting strategies go out the window. What may have worked for your other children or for your friend’s child does not seem to change your child’s behavior. In this season, play therapy can help your child work through their feelings, develop positive coping strategies, and stabilize family relationships.
My child can play at home. When are you going to talk about the problem?
For children, finding the right words can feel frustrating and overwhelming. Children communicate through play—it is their first language. Everyday parents ask their child questions that are met with the ever-popular response, “I don’t know.” It is not that children truly don’t know what they are feeling, but they do not have the words to express those difficult emotions and new experiences. This is where play therapy comes in. Trained play therapists allow children to express themselves through play and respond to the themes and metaphors that children communicate. As children process their feelings through play, the counselor engages with the child to reconcile feelings of conflict, adjust maladaptive thinking, and develop a sense of autonomy and confidence.
Can Play Therapy help my child at school or should I let the school counselors handle the in-class behaviors?
When disruptive behaviors are impacting environments outside of the home, it is important to start building your child’s “team”. Teachers and school counselors work hard to address the educational and social-emotional needs of their students, and they have a lot of children to keep an eye on. Our counselors will work with you to determine the best course of action, and school counselors often appreciate the additional support and continuity of care outside of school. When children start to make internal changes through play therapy, the positive impacts often affect behaviors at school and at home.
How involved do I need to be?
This will depend on your family’s therapeutic goals. At the very least, your counselor will connect with you for 10-15 minutes each week to stay on the same page about your child’s therapy and changes you are experiencing at home. The important thing to remember is that you and your child’s counselor are a team with the common goal of helping your child. One-on-one play therapy with your child is only one component of the counseling process. Generally, your child’s counselor will meet with them for an hour each week, but you are with your child every day. Your child’s counselor will work with you to consider factors at home or at school that may be contributing to the behavioral or emotional problems.
How often will you meet with my child?
Generally, children meet with their counselor weekly for a 35-40 minute play therapy session. The remaining 10-15 minutes is dedicated to collaborating with the parent(s). As your child begins therapy, it is important to meet as consistently as possible as the counselor and your child develop a trusting relationship. In the long run, the more consistently your child attends therapy, the more effective it will be. If you have schedule conflicts that may prevent your child from attending therapy weekly, discuss your concerns with your child’s counselor at the start of therapy. Our ultimate goal is to see positive change in your family and growth in your child.
How do we get started?
Are you curious if play therapy is a good fit for your family? We offer a FREE phone consultation to answer your questions and find out if play therapy at Hope for the Journey Counseling Center is a good fit for your child. To set up an appointment, please call (970) 541-9066 or email us.
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