Who can benefit from play therapy?
Play therapy is useful for children with mild to moderate emotional difficulties including family breakdown, loss and bereavement, adjusting to school, illness, problems with peers or siblings, anxiety, stress, anger, fears and phobias. It is also be helpful for children with delayed speech and language, learning disabilities or autism. Play therapy is particularly suitable for such children because it does not rely on spoken language. Children can express themselves non-verbally, at their own level, through play, drawing, painting, their use of music and movement, clay, or the figures in the sand tray. Because it is mainly non-directive, play therapy gives children the freedom, within safe boundaries, to choose whichever activities are most interesting and helpful to them at the time, and this experience of being in control can help the healing process. Young people who have suffered trauma or loss may have a persistently high stress level, which affects their behaviour and ability to concentrate and learn. Play and creative activities help regulate the emotions and reduce stress by tapping into the body's natural relaxation responses. Movement, music, art, drama or the use of puppets all help by tapping into the body’s natural relaxation responses. Those who have had a difficult early life, for various reasons, may suffer from attachment difficulties. This kind of therapy is particularly effective in offering new experiences of security and trust, which can help to replace those they might have missed when younger. |
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