Play therapy & its Benefits

Published by Madhushree

8 months ago

What is play therapy and what are its benefits?

Play therapy is mainly geared towards assessing, preventing and treating any psychological issues that children face. Children between the ages of 3 and 12 usually benefit from this type of therapy. It is the goal of play therapy to allow the child to explore certain events that may have an impact on their current circumstances, so the therapist can better understand the child's underlying concerns.

Play therapy is a new experience for children each time. They get to explore and experience a variety of toys, their thoughts and their communication skills. It has the fun element while it reveals amounts of information that speak volumes to therapists in understanding the child’s emotional state and this will help in overcoming issues through other forms of therapy.

During play therapy, children are provided with a variety of age-appropriate toys to explore and play with. It is important to look at certain actions that take place, for example the process of choosing the toys, and the toy chosen that may reveal their emotional state, what kind of colours they choose, etc. A little of art as well may be added here. Children may use pictures and drawings to express their feelings, their outlook towards the people around them, and how they have experienced life. A lot of information starting from choosing the toy till the very end, therapists pay close attention in gathering information that children can not express.

Hence, we can conclude that play therapy can be vastly beneficial in understanding any repressed thoughts or feelings within children, it provides a space to confront, process and deal with unresolved trauma, encourages the child to communicate, and also helps focus on experiencing personal growth. It can be considered as an effective and an appropriate developmental treatment for mental health.