Play Therapy in New Brunswick, NJ

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 Play therapy is a form of therapy that works particularly well with children. This form of therapy is based upon the fact that play is the natural medium of a child’s self-expression. It is an opportunity which is given to the child to “play out” his/her feelings and problems just as, in certain types of adult therapy, an individual “talks out” his/her difficulties. Different from regular child’s play, a play therapist helps children to address and resolve their own problems. Children naturally use play to learn about themselves and their relationships in the world around them. Through play therapy, children learn to communicate with others, express feelings, modify behavior, develop problem-solving skills, and learn a variety of ways of relating to others. Play provides a safe psychological distance from their problems and allows the expression of thoughts and feelings appropriate to their development.

By confronting problems in the clinical Play Therapy setting, children find healthier solutions. Play therapy allows children to change the way they think about, feel toward, and resolve their concerns (Kaugars & Russ, 2001). Even the most troubling problems can be confronted in play therapy and lasting resolutions can be discovered, rehearsed, mastered, and adapted into lifelong strategies (Russ, 2004).

Research supports the effectiveness of play therapy with children experiencing a wide variety of social, emotional, behavioral, and learning problems, including: children whose problems are related to life stressors, such as divorce, death, relocation, hospitalization, chronic illness, assimilate stressful experiences, physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence, and natural disasters (Reddy, Files-Hall, & Schaefer, 2005). Play therapy helps children:

  • Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more successful strategies.
  • Learn to experience and express emotion in a healthy way.
  • Develop new and creative solutions to problems.
  • Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.
  • Cultivate empathy and respect for the thoughts and feelings of others.
  • Learn new social skills and relational skills with family.
  • Develop self-efficacy and thus a better assuredness about their abilities.

Click here to Get Started with Play Therapy.

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