For Children

What is Play Therapy?

Play therapy is for children who have tricky feelings or who might have experienced something horrible. Some children who go to play therapy might be feeling unhappy, sad, scared, angry or lonely. Maybe they feel like crying all the time or can’t stop fighting with other people.

Now, we all have tricky feelings from time to time. Sometimes these feelings come and go on their own, like clouds passing through the sky. Other times, tricky feelings can get stuck and they might need a bit of help to move along and make room for the sunshine to come through.

A play therapist can help you with your tricky feelings so that you can feel better.

Play therapists know that it can be hard to talk about your feelings. Children are much better at playing about their feelings instead of talking about them. So, instead of talking with your play therapist, you will get to play with your play therapist.

What will I do with my Play Therapist?

Your play therapist will first meet with the grownups who know you best to find out about your tricky feelings and to make a plan to help you. 

Your play therapist will then make a time to meet you every week on the same day to play together for 50 minutes in the playroom. This time is called Special Playtime.

There are lots of toys and arts and craft materials for you to play with every week during your Special Playtime. In the playroom, you will find toy animals, puppets and teddies, trays with sand and water, play dough and clay, balls, dress ups, books, puppets, paints, crafts and drawing things.

During your Special Playtime, you can do almost anything you would like and you get to decide what you would like to play with.

You might see your play therapist for a few weeks, months or maybe even a year or two every week. Some children feel better more quickly than others. You will have the time you need with your play therapist to help make your tricky feelings go away. When the time comes, you and your play therapist will both feel ready to say goodbye.

Will my Play Therapist tell other people what we have been playing?

Your Play therapy sessions are private but not secret. Your play therapist will not tell other people what you have been playing, but your play therapist will need to talk to the grownups who know you best to let them know how you are going. This will help the grownups to help you to sort out some of your tricky feelings outside of the playroom.

If your play therapist is worried that someone is hurting you or if you are hurting someone else, your play therapist will also need to talk to other grown ups about your play therapy sessions to make sure everyone is safe.

If this has to happen, your play therapist will talk to you about this first.

Your play therapist will never tell other children about what you have been playing.

Can I tell other people what we have been playing?

That is up to you. Play therapy is not a secret. You are allowed to talk to other people about what you have been playing if you want to but you don’t have to. If you want to keep it to yourself, that’s okay too.

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Please talk to a grownup if you have any questions about coming to Play Therapy.