Young children with behavior or family difficulties don’t always feel comfortable in what is known as traditional “talk” therapy. To help these kids, therapists take them into an especially equipped Play Room and talk with them there while they interact with the toys.
When children are distressed, they act out through their natural method of processing — play. For example, when a divorce is happening in the family, a child may use the dolls in the doll house to play out a scene where the parents are fighting. This gives the therapist the opportunity to talk with the child about the feelings this kind of situation stimulates in him.
Play Therapy is a widely-accepted, very effective tool for helping children in problematic life situations learn to express their feelings and explore coping skills. The therapy can be helpful in dealing with a wide range of problems from simple environmental stress to more severe behavior difficulties. In order to benefit from this kind of therapy, children need to be somewhat verbal and able to interact meaningfully with the therapist.