Play Therapy / Child Counselling

Adults often find that discussing their feelings and difficulties in a supportive therapeutic environment can be very helpful. It is often difficult for children to express their thoughts and feelings in words, but with a safe and trusting therapeutic environment children are often able to process what is going on inside of them and the world around them through play.

Play therapy can be described as an opportunity for a child to experience growth under the most favourable conditions. Since play is the natural medium for self-expression the child is given the opportunity to play out his/her accumulated feelings of frustration, insecurity, aggression, fear, bewilderment or confusion. By playing out these feelings we can bring them to the surface, get them in the open, face them, and learn to control or abandon them (V. Axline, 1947)

Play therapy offers a child a unique relationship with an objective and accepting adult, one who does not have any personal connection to information they are sharing. The child can feel free to experience and express what is going on inside of them without any fear of how it may be received by or impact the people around them.

Alison has been working with children in a play therapy context for many years. A full therapeutic playroom is available to provide the physical space in which children can feel comfortable, cared for and connected. Alison provides a warm, responsive and comforting environment for her young clients. In the play therapy environment, children are able to express and process their feelings and to understand and make sense of the world around them and their reactions to it. Children often find that in a more relaxed and playful environment with a trusted adult, they are able to openly discuss some of the thoughts and feeling that they are experiencing. When directly discussing their feeling and reactions is difficult, children are adept at finding ways to express themselves through play.

Benefits of Child Counselling and Play Therapy

There are many benefits, including:

• Increased trust and sense of acceptance
• Development of awareness
• Increased coping strategies
• Increased self-control
• A reduction in challenging or inappropriate behaviours
• Increased resiliency
• Promotion of creativity and playfulness
• Increased self-esteem
• Healing from traumatic relationships or events
• Encouragement of healthy boundaries
• Exploration of perceptions and sense of self

If you are concerned about the emotional health or behaviour of a child you care for please feel free to contact Alison for further information.