Tired of your child’s meltdowns? Worried your child has low self-esteem?
Feeling drained by reminding your child over and over to do things?
Has your child experienced a stressful change or event such as divorce?
Play therapy can help! Wondering how? Keep reading….
Play therapy meets a child where they and can have a huge impact on the lives of children, parents and family. How does play therapy help? Some of the ways counseling can help children include :
Decreasing meltdowns
If your child has a hard time calming down or experiences strong emotions, play therapy can help him or her manage these emotions.
Play is a child’s natural language. Therefore, play offers children an outlet to express strong feelings. Your play therapist will carefully select the toys and activities so that your child can express his feelings through play. Setting limits and providing consistent boundaries are also essential components of therapy that help children respect boundaries and rules.
Recognizing emotions
Some children have a hard time identifying how they feel. In play therapy, children learn to recognize how they are feeling when the therapist points out and reflects the child’s emotions back to the child. Play therapy increases a child’s understanding of different emotions. Children can also learn how to detect emotions in others through play. The therapist can reflect others’ emotions to the child to assist the child in developing empathy.
Increasing Responsibility and Independence
Does your child has difficulty following through with tasks or asks for help for tasks they can do themselves? Some children struggle more than others to feel confident acting independently and this can be targeted in counseling sessions. Through the child-centered play therapy approach, children make and then adjust to the decisions they make in the playroom. For example if a child chooses to play with a certain toy the majority of the session and then runs out of time without getting to start another activity. From this experience, the child will begin to learn from and take responsibility for their decision. Returning responsibility decreases helplessness and promotes confidence to complete tasks without asking for unnecessary assistance.
Building Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Play Therapy
Along with developing responsibility, play therapy can also elevate children’s self-esteem. Play therapy is non-threatening because there is no expectation that children have to clearly articulate their feelings and thoughts. Play therapy allows children to try out solutions and release emotions in a supportive and consistent environment. Since play therapy sessions are one-on-one, that individual time can be so important to helping children feel supported and cared for.
Processing Significant Events
Unfortunately, children are not immune to experiencing adverse events. From medical surgeries, parental divorce, loss of a 
loved one, and other traumatic events, play therapy gives children a special space to work through and move past their challenges. The carefully selected toys present in the playroom are outlet for children to express emotions and thoughts. Repeated re-telling of significant events through words or play can help children accept changes. Children process events and changes in different ways than adults, and while play may seem superficial it can be very healing for children.
Of course, there are many other challenges children experience that can improve through working closely with a child therapist. Play is a critical part of children’s development, and I believe in the healing nature of play. If you have questions about whether play therapy is a good fit for your child, call me today to talk about your child’s unique needs.
Begin Play Therapy in the Atlanta, GA Area
You don’t have to continue feeling stressed-out, drained or worried for your child. If your child experiences emotional problems, meltdowns or low self-esteem we can help them decrease meltdowns and build self-esteem. Our skilled child therapists can help your child recognize emotions, process events, build confidence and begin to thrive. If you have questions or would like to start child counseling and play therapy in Roswell, GA, please feel free to contact us or schedule an appointment. At Wellview Counseling we provide a place for healing and growth for children and help them unlock their full potential!
Other Services Offered at Wellview Counseling
In addition to providing children’s counseling, we offer other mental health services at our Roswell, GA clinic. For instance, Wellview Counseling offers teen counseling, online counseling for children, teens and adults, individual counseling, depression counseling and anxiety treatment . If you are still unsure whether counseling is for you or your child, please feel free to reach out to us or refer to our frequently asked questions
It sure was interesting when you said that play therapy offers children a way to express their strong emotions through toys and activities. This is a good tip for my sister who has been sharing her hardship in handling her three-year-old daughter’s strong emotions. She wanted her daughter to be able to behave properly, especially when in public places, so I will ask her to consider the benefits of play therapy.