As a Registered Play Therapist (RPT), I tend to use play, sandplay, and expressive arts therapies to help my clients in treatment. Please read the descriptions below to learn more about these methods.
Play therapy is a treatment modality in which children can express themselves and explore and overcome their problems through play. I believe strongly that we can understand our children better if we understand their play. By observing our children’s play, we often learn more about their emotions, thoughts, desires, and struggles than when we actually talk to them. Play therapy can help our children learn how to cope better with their struggles, become responsible for their actions, communicate their emotions and thoughts, and develop healthy relationships with others. Play therapy also can help foster imagination and creativity, build self-confidence, facilitate healing, teach social, problem-solving, communication, emotional regulation, and decision-making skills and so much more!
To learn more about play therapy, please click this link!
Sandplay therapy involves using a sandbox, a collection of miniatures, and sometimes water to facilitate the natural capacity people have to heal their psyche. I ask clients to use miniatures in ways that they choose that can reflect their inner struggles, problems, life experiences, and thoughts. All age groups can benefit from participating in sandplay therapy to help overcome their problems.
To learn more about sandplay therapy, please check out the video below:
Expressive arts therapy involves using drama, poetry/creative writing, dance/movement, art, and/or music to help clients of all ages overcome their problems. Some clients might not feel comfortable talking about their problems, but prefer to use an expressive form of communication instead. Further, expressive arts therapy is helpful for clients who are verbal, nonverbal, or have limited communication skills.
Overall, play, sandplay, and expressive arts therapies can help clients:
- Engage in self-exploration
- Awaken their creativity and imagination
- Express themselves with or without words
- Manage symptoms of mental illness
- Improve self-esteem and self-awareness
- Build healthy coping strategies
- Explore and gain insight into problems
- Work through and process traumatic experiences
- Regulate their behaviors and emotions
Please contact me today if you want to learn the ways one of these therapies can benefit you or your child or adolescent!