The role of play therapy in children's counselling

Insights therapists in Red Deer use play therapy during children's counseling to facilitate communication and access to raw emotions that young children frequently are unable to verbalize. Play therapy involves such items as dolls, drawing utensils, crayons, paints and clay.

Children readily use these items to tell stories which a therapist then interprets and applies to the child's particular situation. Therapists also gain insight into the child's emotional state by using play therapy because children easily transfer the difficult emotions they are experiencing to deliberately staged scenes in pictures or making dolls act out what they are feeling.

Will play therapy work with my child?

By employing play therapy, children's therapists are able to reach children who find it difficult to convey exactly what they are feeling. Instead, children symbolize what they are feeling by drawing pictures or creating plays with dolls. Acting out or artistically representing their emotions is also a method that subtly allows the child to become more aware of their feelings. This actualization of emotions generates a sense of catharsis in the child that relieves anxiety and provides the child  with the ability to better communicate with their therapist.

Additionally, children in play therapy eventually find they are able to control emotions and deal more effectively with conflicts that arise

Local Specialists that can help:

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  Deb Johansson

  Deb is currently a Regis...

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  Elicia Miller

  Elicia Miller graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Psychology, from the Universi...

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  Forrest Maridas

  "Through being authentic, calm, and respectful I hope to assist others to journey into self awar...

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  Lisa Skriver

  Lisa Skriver is Specially trained in counselling and assessments. Her warm and supportive approac...

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  Maggie Brennan

  Maggie is a Masters level clinician, trained at the University of Alberta. She has experience wor...

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  Marion Stewart

  Marion is a Masters level clinician who completed her M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology at the Unive...

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  Nina Russell (Assessments only)

  Nina is a Masters level professional with outstanding academic training and quality clinical exp...

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  Patricia Lavelle- Calgary Office (Assessments only)

  With 32 years of experience in both the public and private sectors of counselling children, adole...

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  Shannon Bannerman

  Shannon has experience working with children, adolescents, adults and famil...

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  Teena Garcia

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