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4 Ways Play Therapy Can Improve Your Child’s Life

By April 5, 2023September 13th, 2023Teens/Children

Play therapy is a psychotherapeutic treatment, specially developed to help children between the ages of 3 to 12. A play therapist works with the child to explore and resolve their issues through the therapeutic use of play.

A safe space called a playroom is created. This allows the child to play with specially chosen toys, encourages them to express their feelings, and helps them develop healthier behaviors. A variety of techniques such as drama, storytelling, sand play, painting, drawing, and creative visualization can be used.

Who Can Benefit From Play therapy?

  • Image of a little girl with a teddy bear in front of a large chalk board. Representing a child who is shut down and could benefit from play therapy. Childrens therapy with a play therapist in San Diego could help kids open up.Children who are constantly aggressive and willfully disobedient
  • Kids who are ill or grieving
  • Any child who has depression, anxiety, or attachment problems
  • Children who are involved with fostering or adoption
  • Kids with conditions like autism and speech problems

Different Ways Play Therapy Helps Children

It helps them heal from past traumatic experiences

When children go through traumatic events, the negative experiences can create emotional and behavioral problems. Play therapy helps them make sense of the traumatic experience, by using their imagination to express themselves through toys. For example, a child who has witnessed domestic violence may make his toys fight each other. Play helps the child unpack emotions, understand the experience better and heal.

Image of a girl with a stuffed animal talking toa play therapy in San Diego. Showing that play therapy is a great way to get kids to open up in childrens therapy in San Diego.It enhances creative thoughts and ideas

During play, children use their imagination and creative skills to learn through play. During play therapy, children get to create different scenarios with different endings. This gives them a better understanding of what’s happening in their lives, and helps them cope.

Play therapy helps them deal with difficult emotions and situations

Play therapy involves activities that help the therapist discover how the child deals with difficult emotions and situations and help the children address these difficulties. For example, a child may feel like they caused their parent’s divorce by being naughty. The therapist can help correct this wrong belief and help to eliminate feelings of guilt by encouraging positive thoughts.

It gives the child emotional support and helps them communicate their problems and concerns with others

In play therapy, children learn to work through difficult feelings and memories that they may not know how to put in words by expressing themselves symbolically with the use of toys. This helps the adults in their lives understand what children need in order to provide the right type of help and support.

Get Support for Your Child In Play Therapy in San Diego, CA

Image of two mothers & two children playing together. Showing how play therapy in San Diego can improve a child's life. Children's therapy with a San Diego play therapist supports the mental health of kids.Play therapy is quite beneficial to children for a variety of different reasons. Kids who go through play therapy show great improvement in their mental health and display a higher level of confidence. Working through difficult feelings through play can be deeply restorative for children. If you would like your child to see a play therapist at Family Connections Therapy please follow these steps:

  1. Reach out to speak with a San Diego play therapist.
  2. Schedule your first appointment for your child
  3. Start watching them heal, grow, and thrive.

Other Services At Family Connections Therapy in California

There are a lot of counseling services offered at our San Diego-based therapy practice to support your mental health. Additionally, we offer children’s therapytherapy for ADHD, and attachment and healthy development counseling. As well as LGBTQIA+ therapy for both children and teens and a social skills course. Our caring and understanding therapists also offer online therapyfamily therapy, and couples therapy. While we provide individual therapydepression treatment, and more for adults! Contact us to learn more about our therapy services!