Play Therapy

Play therapy is a child centered approach of working with children which allows symbolic play to express their thoughts and feelings. Young children who have experienced upsetting events and trauma do not have the maturity to communicate their uncomfortable feelings and negative beliefs that they have developed as a result of the adverse life events. Through the use of art, puppet play, sand tray, therapeutic stories, and games, children can often show metaphorically what they cannot communicate with words and thus experience healing. Play therapy may be used with children as young as three years old and can continue to be helpful with older children and occasionally up into the teen years or with adults.

Links to Play Therapy Associations

• Association for Play Therapy, Inc. (APT)
• Canadian Association of Child and Play Therapy