The Magic of Play Therapy
"Play is a child's natural medium for self-expression."-Virginia Axline
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation"-Plato
"In play therapy toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language."-Gary Landreth
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."-Fred Rogers
The statements above embody what the practice believes to be true about play therapy. Play therapy gives children the words to express themselves, when there are no actual words. The clinicians embrace various forms of play therapy both non-directive and directive depending on what seems more clinically relevant for a child. The goal as a therapist for children, adolescents and adults is to help determine what the best words and language are for the client and to provide the tools necessary to understand and become more fluent in the client's language. Relationship building is the central foundation on which good therapy is built, so the aim is to try and connect with a client in a way that is meaningful, transparent and genuine.
"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation"-Plato
"In play therapy toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language."-Gary Landreth
"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood."-Fred Rogers
The statements above embody what the practice believes to be true about play therapy. Play therapy gives children the words to express themselves, when there are no actual words. The clinicians embrace various forms of play therapy both non-directive and directive depending on what seems more clinically relevant for a child. The goal as a therapist for children, adolescents and adults is to help determine what the best words and language are for the client and to provide the tools necessary to understand and become more fluent in the client's language. Relationship building is the central foundation on which good therapy is built, so the aim is to try and connect with a client in a way that is meaningful, transparent and genuine.
