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Key Takeaways:
- Play therapy helps children and even adults manage mental and emotional trauma. The two types of play therapy are directive and non-directive.
- Play therapy benefits include enhanced social skills, stronger family relationships, reduced anxiety, and healthier coping mechanisms.
- Play therapy techniques include games, general play, role-playing, and sensory play.
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Many people say that “play is the language of children.” Thus, play therapy for kids can be very helpful for children who struggle to express their emotions verbally.
While it may look like regular play, play-based therapy can equip children to explore their emotions and process past trauma. Learn how play therapy works, the different types of play therapy, techniques, and more.
What is Play Therapy for Kids?
Play therapy for kids is a psychological treatment for children with mental and emotional issues. It helps children express themselves non-verbally through a natural love for play.
Child psychologists or licensed therapists typically facilitate sessions, with the Association for Play Therapy offering specialized training programs for licensed mental health professionals and school counselors.
Types of Play Therapy
Play therapy typically employs two specific techniques—directive and non-directive play over 30 to 60-minute sessions. Below, we outline the differences.
Directive Play Therapy
For directive play therapy, counselors take the lead and assign children specific toys and activities attached to particular goals [*].
For example, a therapist might use directive play to help a child struggling with anger management. During a directive session, the therapist may use dolls as props to represent family members. The therapist will then guide the child through the role-playing scenario, asking questions like, “What happens when the doll gets angry? How does the doll feel when it’s angry?”
This structured approach encourages children to express themselves in a safe space while the therapist provides guidance and interpretation.
Non-directive Play Therapy
As its name suggests, non-directive play therapy is entirely unstructured. Children can choose the toys and games they want to interact with while the therapist makes observations.
Non-directive therapy can help teach children how to express suppressed emotions. For instance, if a child chooses to play with art supplies and draws a sad face, the therapist might make a reflective comment, such as, “The person in the picture looks sad. Can you tell me why they might be feeling sad?”
In this form of therapy, the child has total control over their self-expression and emotional exploration.
How Does Play Therapy Work in Kids?
The purpose of play therapy is to help children understand the world around them. Since young children don’t have the adequate skills to express themselves thoroughly, toys can act as a bridge to communicate their feelings.
During the early stages of play therapy, a medical practitioner may observe the child before deciding how to structure each session. From there, they’ll develop therapeutic goals with the child’s parents.
Over time, therapists will gain deep insights into the child’s behavior by observing what they gravitate toward and how they interact with them. Depending on the child’s progress, the therapist may invite parents or siblings to join play therapy sessions.
What Can Play Therapy Help With?
Play therapy is beneficial in various circumstances, especially for children with the following conditions or managing these specific situations:
Benefits of Play Therapy for Kids
Enrolling your child in play therapy can provide numerous benefits in the long term. Here are some common play therapy benefits:
- Taking more responsibility or being accountable for certain behaviors
- Developing empathy and respect for others
- Developing healthier and more creative coping mechanisms for managing stress and trauma
- Building stronger family relationships
- Enhancing social skills
- Alleviating anxiety and depression symptoms
- Enjoying life and being more expressive about emotions
Play Therapy Techniques for Kids
As we mentioned, play therapy can be directive or non-directive. It can also adhere to the following structures and techniques:
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General play: Therapists might introduce “real-life” toys like dolls or action figures to break the ice with withdrawn or introverted children. They might also encourage using ropes and toy guns to release anger and frustration. As the child interacts with these toys, the therapist interprets their feelings and guides them through difficult emotions.
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Games: Therapists might use games to reinforce a child’s listening skills and observe how they respond to authority figures. Games also make an excellent socialization tool for therapists to teach children to take turns.
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Sensory play: Sensory play can be relaxing for children who might experience anxiety during therapy. A 2017 study found that sand tray therapy was highly effective for children who experienced sexual abuse [*].
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Role-playing or storytelling: Children with trauma may respond better to role-playing games, as they allow “characters” to step in instead of reliving the trauma directly. Role-playing is just one of many social skills activities a practitioner might apply in play therapy.
How Long Does Play Therapy Take?
Play therapy sessions vary in length—usually between 30 and 60 minutes. They occur weekly, with frequency changing depending on the child’s progress. Most therapists suggest undergoing at least 20 play therapy sessions to resolve problems effectively [*].
How Effective is Play Therapy for Kids?
An early play therapy study found that it was a highly effective treatment for aggressive children [*]. Studies also show that play therapy delivers positive results, especially when parents and other family members participate in sessions.
What Ages Benefit the Most from Play Therapy?
Play therapy primarily benefits children between three and 12, though it can apply to infants, teenagers, and adults. Older kids and adults may benefit from play therapy if they have the following conditions:
Through play, teenagers and adults can unwind, relax, and put themselves in a more comfortable headspace to express their feelings to a therapist.
What to Look for in a Play Therapist
Play therapy practitioners must be a licensed psychologist or mental health professional, but how can you tell they’ll be fit for your child? When looking for a play therapist, consider their clinic space. Do they have a dedicated play area with games and toys? Is there anything about children if they have posters and literature in their clinic?
Therapists dedicated to children in their practice should be willing to invest in toys, games, and crafting materials for use during sessions and have additional training in play therapy.
When shortlisting play therapists, schedule an initial meeting. During this meeting, you can ask about their experience with play therapy. Ask whether they’ve completed additional instruction or education in specialized clinic programs and supervised practice.
Reliable play therapists may also have experience treating children of various ages, such as infants, toddlers, and older children.
The Bottom Line
Play therapy has dozens of potential benefits, such as reduced behavioral problems, better relationships between parents and children, and healthier coping mechanisms.
If you’re looking for materials to supplement your child’s play-based therapy sessions, explore our coping skills worksheets.
Sources:
- Knell SM. “Cognitive‐Behavioral Play Therapy.” Handbook of Play Therapy, 2015.
- Ray DC, Armstrong SA, Balkin RS, Jayne KM. “CHILD‐CENTERED PLAY THERAPY IN THE SCHOOLS: REVIEW AND META‐ANALYSIS.” Psychology in the Schools, 2014.
- Ray, D. C., Blanco, P. J., Sullivan, J. M., & Holliman, R. “An exploratory study of child-centered play therapy with aggressive children.” International Journal of Play Therapy, 2009.
