Play Therapy
At Nurture Family Therapy, the primary tool used for therapy is play.
Our therapists offer child-led play therapy for children (2+) & their families.
What is child-led play therapy?
Children (of all ages) don’t always have the means of communication to share with adults what they might be going through or experiencing. By utilizing toys, games, a sand box, coloring, and more, our therapists are trained to look for themes coming through a child’s play to identify where the sticky points might be happening and adjust the play to help build coping skills, reframe negative thinking, and more.
The best part about play therapy is your child should enjoy coming, because it is fun!
How can play therapy help with:
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Does your kiddo worry about the what ifs in life? Or maybe they have trouble sleeping or have a hard time separating from you?
Play therapy will help! The playroom (aka the office) is a safe space where children with anxiety can process their fears and learn new coping skills that they’ll begin to apply to their life!
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Depression is often hard to spot in young children. Sometimes they are more irritable than normal, more angry, or just less interested in things they used to do.
Play therapy helps to address the underlying causes of the depression and helps you meet your child’s needs.
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Attention - Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a common diagnosis. You may choose to try play therapy to work on building attention span, increasing decision making ability, and working on focus instead of or in addition to medication. The more your child is able to practice their ability to stop and think the easier it is for them to put those skills in action when they need it most.
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All kids act out from time to time, but when the methods used to work no longer seem to be effective, play therapy can help. Often there is something your child is trying to communicate with their behavior.
Examples can be physical or verbal aggression, excessive skin picking or hair pulling, cutting, poor peer relationships, oppositional behavior, or anything you are unable to manage on your own.
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Sometimes scary things happen to kids from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to car accidents or medical conditions. When these things happen you might feel like you need extra guidance and support knowing the best way to support your child.
Play therapy can help by letting the child express themselves and also giving caregivers the tools they need to support the child at home.
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Has your child changed schools recently? Moved into a new house? Are you going though a divorce or separation? Sometimes even positive changes have unforeseen consequences for our kids.
Play therapy can be a great way for kids to express their needs and better handle changes in their life.
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Therapy for neurodivergent kids can be challenging. Kara is certified in AutPlay which is a type of play therapy specifically designed with the special needs of neurodivergent kids in mind.
What is the therapy process like?
The First Session
At the first appointment, you and your child will visit our office for the first time. During this visit, your therapist will ask a variety of questions to gain a clearer picture of what behaviors have been occurring. Topics like your child’s history, family dynamics, behavior challenges, and therapy goals will be discussed during this first visit.
Please share as much information as you are willing to give during this session! It can be vulnerable to meet someone for the first time and share about your challenges, but our team is here to help. You can read this blog post to get a clearer picture of what to expect.
A Typical Session
Your therapist will provide a clearer picture of how therapy can help your child and their specific situation and struggles.
When first beginning, it is ideal that a child begin their therapy sessions weekly to build a relationship with their therapist. These weekly appointments will decrease as the therapist sees fit.
Although these appointments are typically 1-1 between the child and the therapist, the therapist will reserve 10 minutes before the session to discuss what has been going on at home and how the week has been. The therapist will also reserve 10 minutes at the end of session to talk to the parent about what presented in the session and some helpful tips to try at home in between the next session.
Parental Involvement in Play Therapy
Parents and caregivers play an important part of the therapeutic process. You spend a lot more time with a child than they do with a clinician which is why our clinicians do their best to connect with parents about how things are going at home (the good and the not so great). Depending on the age of the child and the unique family needs, parents may be asked to sit in on session or asked to wait in the waiting room.
Here’s a sneak peek into our offices.
