What Happens During Play Therapy and Why It’s Effective
Although children have limited emotional intelligence and communication skills, that doesn’t mean that they cannot benefit from counseling and therapy. So many of the experiences we have in young childhood go on to shape and affect us later in life. Children might not have a concept of things like trauma and abuse, but they can still express themselves when guided by a counselor. Counselors use a form of therapy known as play therapy to help clients as young as three. By tapping into their creativity and natural tendencies to be tactile, counselors can glean a lot of information from their young clients and help them feel safe and understood. The Challenges of Child Counseling Children present unique challenges because, unlike adults, no child can comfortably sit and talk for a 45-minute counseling session. Besides that, children usually won’t understand why they are meeting with a strange adult or what is expected of them. To clients younger than seven, a counselor is sort of like a mix between a doctor and a teacher, but it can be hard to understand why it’s necessary to meet with them. However, a counselor can feel like a friend to a child. Child counselors make sessions fun and stimulating while still being able to gather information where they can. They want their young clients to feel safe enough to let their guards down, and to know that they are being helped. This is where play therapy comes in. Kids might not be able to describe what they are feeling, but they provide plenty of nonverbal cues and insight, even when they are playing or drawing. What Happens During Play Therapy Play therapy is especially effective for children aged between three and seven years old. After that, they tend to have a broader understanding of [...]
