When you seek treatment for a mental or emotional health condition, it’s important to choose a modality that works. When seeking therapy services for your child, there are several options available.

One option that is particularly helpful for children is play therapy. This modality can treat a range of children’s mental, emotional, social, and behavioral problems.We’ll describe this modality in further detail below.  

What is Play Therapy? 

Play therapy is a mental health treatment modality commonly used with children. Since children cannot always use words to describe what they’re thinking or feeling, play can be helpful.

Play is central to childhood, so children are often able to express themselves through play. During play therapy sessions, children engage in a therapeutic playroom, guided by a trained therapist who can help them express their thoughts and feelings. 

Play therapy sessions most often occur once a week for approximately 45 minutes. During these sessions, a play therapist may use an unstructured approach, allowing the child freedom to play as they choose. Alternatively, the play therapist may be more directive. 

There are also various play therapy modalities. For instance, play therapy may involve using a sand tray to create scenes, painting, drawing, building with blocks, or playing with dolls. 

Uses of Play Therapy 

There is evidence that play therapy is helpful for many children. It can be effective for addressing relationship problems between children and caretakers, in addition to treating behavioral problems and low self-esteem.

Another benefit of play therapy is that it is useful across cultures and has been found to be particularly effective for African-American, Latino/Hispanic, and Asian populations. 

Play therapy isn’t for everyone, but it is a suitable treatment option for a range of childhood mental and emotional health problems. A more comprehensive list of play therapy uses includes:

• Promoting healthy socialization in children
• Helping children manage their emotions
• Addressing behavioral problems like aggression and temper tantrums
• Treating children who have been exposed to domestic violence or some form of abuse 
• Helping children cope with anxiety 
• Treating children with autism spectrum disorder 
• Helping children manage symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Play Therapy at Bridge to Balance

At Bridge to Balance, we have a therapeutic playroom, where children can participate in sand tray therapy, using sand, water, and miniature objects to create scenes that represent their internal worlds. 

We also use the “TraumaPlay” technique, a play therapy model used to treat children with a trauma history. This modality has been used to treat children and families with complex trauma, using developmentally appropriate play-based treatment. 

When using the TraumaPlay modality, clinicians can choose from a variety of therapeutic techniques. The modality is informed by attachment theory, and it incorporates proven practices, such as child-centered play therapy and cognitive-behavioral play therapy.

Bridge to Balance has office locations in New Jersey and Maine. We also offer telehealth services. Connect with us today to discover how play therapy can benefit your child. In addition to individual play therapy sessions, we offer a Sand Play Therapy Group at our Voorhees location.