Traditional Therapies-Talk Therapy
When an adult has a hard day or something occurs that is challenging the adult may respond to this by talking to a friend or in some cases a professional counsellor or therapist. The adult may replay or talk through the event. Consider what happened, go over details, possible alternative scenarios, label the feelings and emotions that are coming up for them. Doing this helps the adult to take that challenge and make sense of it, integrating the experience within their brain and allowing them to move forward more positively.
Children are not just mini adults. Their brains are still under development, with their frontal cortex, the logical and rational part of their brain, not being fully developed until the approximate age of 25. For this reason they do not always make sense of things or express themselves in the same way as adults. They may not be able to put their experience into words. However, as their amazing brains continue to struggle to make sense their experiences and feelings come out in their play.
Play Therapy
Play Therapy is a specialised form of psychotherapy or children’s counselling. It is a well researched and effective approach to treating a wide range of childhood emotional, behavioural and psychological difficulties.(APTA) In play therapy the therapist interacts with the child under the concept that play is the natural and developmentally appropriate language of children and toys are their words. Through play the child and the therapist are able to “discuss” and explore issues that are relevant to the child and process emotions, feelings and events that present a challenge for the child.
In today’s busy society many children need someone to talk to. All children need someone who can help them navigate different feelings, emotions and situations. Play therapy offers an opportunity to children to do this. It can provide a solid 30-45 minute window for the child to work intensively in this space.
In play therapy a child works with a trained therapist. The therapist engages in play with the child and uses play to help explore the child’s social, emotional and behavioural expressions. Through utilising a range of specialised therapeutic responses they assist the child to move towards the issues that are challenging them, work through them and come out the other side having integrated their experience , improved resilience and developed coping strategies that allow for a more positive outlook going forward.
