Whether your child was born this way, experienced a gradual shift, or underwent a sudden change in their emotional or behavioral state, play therapy may offer valuable support. Events such as loss, moving, death, nonconformity, natural disasters, social anxiety, bullying, trauma, fears, and auditory or visual experiences can all significantly impact a child’s life. These effects may manifest as high anxiety, repetitive behaviors, extreme anger, difficulties with friendships, low motivation, diminished self-worth, fearfulness, nightmares, or suicidal thoughts, among others.
My approach is gentle, allowing the child to lead the process to avoid overwhelming them. In working with children, we communicate through the language of play. My practice has evolved over the years as I gained experience and navigated various life events. While I used to have a room filled with carefully selected toys, I’ve learned that children do not need a plethora of options to process their emotions. I am now often in their own spaces (via video calls), surrounded by their art, stuffed animals, books, and other familiar items. This approach allows me to engage more fully with their world.
The children I’ve worked with in person have taught me that play therapy can be highly effective through video calls. I’ve now seen enough success with this method to know it works even with children I’ve never met face-to-face. All I require is a private space and a stable internet connection; the child simply needs to be present.
Play therapy builds on the natural ways children learn about themselves and their relationships with the world around them. Because many children do not have the verbal skills to express their feelings, toys serve as their words, and play becomes their language. The child leads each session, deciding what they want to explore, which allows them to process their feelings at their own pace. I trust children to know what they need.
An exciting aspect of this work is that focusing on one issue can positively influence other areas of a child’s life.