Therapeutic Play
- Therapeutic Play helps the child to alleviate mild to moderate emotional or psychological conditions.
- It can be also used to detect more serious problems.
Play Therapy
- Play Therapy helps the child to alleviate chronic, mild and moderate emotional or psychological
conditions.
What to look for:
How do you know if your child needs Play Therapy? You will know if your child:
- Is not realising its full potential - academically, or socially.
- Has nightmares or has disturbed sleep.
- Is at risk of being/is excluded at school.
- Has suffered trauma.
- Is adopted or fostered or in the process of being.
- Suffers because of separated/divorced parents.
- Suffers from anxiety, stress or phobias.
- Has suffered a loss or bereavement of any kind.
- Is withdrawn or continually unhappy.
- Is ill, disabled, or autistic.
- Finds it difficult to make friends.
- Quarrels frequently with peers or siblings.
- Bullies others or is bullied himself.
- Displays inappropriate behaviour.
- Doesn’t play.
“The long-term consequences of untreated childhood mental illness are costly, in both human and fiscal terms (Mental Health: Report of the US Surgeon General, 1999).”
How do Therapeutic Play and Play Therapy Work?
Play is children’s natural language. Children cannot normally talk about their problems. Play Therapy provides a safe environment in addition to a short to medium-term therapeutic relationship where the child can express themselves through a wide variety of play and creative art techniques.
After the first consultation, the play therapist will be able to tell you if your child needs either Therapeutic Play or Play Therapy depending on the level of severity and complexity of the conditions. The sessions are forty minutes once a week. They could be 12 to 30 weeks or more. During this period we will keep regular contact with you, by phone, emails and you will attend face-to-face or video-call meetings with the Therapist to review and assess your child’s progress.
Play Therapy First Consultation:
In the first consultation, you will be asked to attend on your own (without your child). If possible, we encourage both parents to attend. Then you will have the chance to meet the therapist to get to know her. You will fill in a questionnaire about your child, a talk about him/her.
The Play therapist will explain to you everything you need to know about the session, such as what is your child going to be doing, how many sessions he will need to attend and what to expect as a result. The Play therapy sessions take place in a play therapy room equipped with therapeutic objects and other media (eg. arts and crafts, musical instruments, role-play materials, etc). The sessions last 40 minutes and are once a week. An adult is required to accompany and wait in the waiting room for the whole length of the session. The sessions will be at the same time and day every week.
