Play Therapy
Play therapy is a type of therapy that helps children to express themselves, explore their thoughts and feelings, and make sense of their life experiences. Play is a natural activity of learning, exploration and communication for children, and so is considered highly effective for helping children to ‘play out’ what they may find difficult to put into words.
The main aim of a play therapist is to equip children with adaptive behaviours and better coping mechanisms for everyday life. This is to help them develop a more positive view of their place in the world. Play is incredibly important for a child’s development – helping to shape key social, creative, language, emotional, cognitive and physical processes. As a result, play therapy can help children in a variety of ways, although exactly how will depend greatly on the individual needs of each child. This may be particularly important for children who may struggle to express themselves verbally, although generally it can help children of all abilities, cultures and genders.
All of the counsellors/psychotherapists at Treloar’s have been trained in creative and play-based working.