Play is the universal language of children; the toys are their words. In play therapy, a safe, therapeutic setting is created by a trained therapist to help children express their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a safe and supportive way.
The play materials and stories offer a safe way for children to explore, process and solve problems. Treatment is always tailored to the individual child, teen and/or family. Some of the strategies we use may include:
- Sand
- Art
- Board Games
- Music
- Storybooks
- Storytelling
- Puppets
- Roleplay
- Dance
- Writing
- Building
I am a registered play therapist – supervisor (RPT-S). I received this certification from the Association for Play Therapy, the largest professional association for play therapists in the world. This designation is given to mental health professionals who have extensive experience with children totaling more than 5000 direct contact hours of postgraduate clinical practice in addition to 150 hours of continuing education specific to play therapy.
The goals of play therapy are to help children:
- Build positive self-esteem
- Learn healthy ways of expressing emotions
- Learn new coping and problem-solving skills
- Learn new ways to communicate with and relate to others
- Eliminate unhealthy behaviors
Parent Consultation
Parent consultation is an important piece in the healing process. People have different learning and parenting styles. The specific approach I use is tailored to each family – the overall goal is to strengthen the parent-child bond.
I look forward to working with your family.
