Children
Play Therapy
WHAT?
Play Therapy helps children develop confidence and positive self-esteem and find healthier ways of communicating. It can also promote resilience and coping ability, in ways that are appropriate to children's age and developmental stage.
Verbal and non-verbal skill sets include tracking behaviour, reflecting content and feeling and returning responsibility. These skills facilitate creativity and spontaneity, build self esteem, confidence and positive relationship attachment.
HOW?
We work alongside children and become a co-regulator as they play out their thoughts, ideas and feelings. This supports children to become more regulated and begin to manage big emotions, leading to healthier relationships and everyday living.
We offer a range of materials and toys in the play space for the encouragement of both fine and gross motor skills to be engaged during the sessions.
Children progress at their own pace, as they play out scenarios that may be challenging or confronting for them, and that they are possibly unable to verbalise.
WHY?
Conventional talking therapies may be inappropriate for children and young people who struggle to find the words to describe complex feelings.
Through play the child is able to be one step away from the situation making it easier for them to play out. Through freedom of expression, repetition, therapeutic relationship and a safe environment, the child will make sense of their situation, gaining confidence and self-understanding.
This can also enable the unraveling and rebuilding of early years of broken attachments in a developmentally appropriate manner. Building and strengthening their neural pathways to bring about change
BENEFITS
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Opportunities to explore, gain and increase children’s abilities, sense of self and safety.
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Lower brain stem patterning recreates secure, safe attachments, developing and strengthening children's ability to develop healthy relationships which can be transferred to parents/caregivers and interactions with peers.
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The development of new neural pathways support cognitive skills, bringing children from fear-based responses to being able to engage, explore and make sense of things in a logical manner for their age.
