Play Therapy

Are you looking for help with your child?

Common problems that child therapy can address: depression, anger outbursts, withdrawal, bedwetting, tantrums, abuse, separation anxiety, strange habits or behaviors, difficulty with friends, concerning sexual behaviors, school struggles, noncompliance, aggression towards others, poor parent-child interactions, home disruptions, and more.

Children aren’t like adults. When children experience life changes, traumatic events, and stress of different types, they have the same intensity of emotion and reaction as adults do. However, children don’t have the benefit of a fully developed brain to process and cope with these problems. They often cannot identify how they feel, talk about the problem, or express themselves through speech. Parents see these emotional processes spilling out through misbehavior, outbursts, anger, aggression, anxiety, and worrisome behaviors. Problems can emerge at home, in school, and with friends.

Child therapy differs from adult therapy in that it does not focus on speech. Children express themselves through play and activity. As a child therapist, Breanna integrates toys, therapeutic games, art, and sensory items like sand tray to help children feel comfortable and address a variety of problems. She uses a positive relationship to support the child as they explore their feelings and learn how to express themselves in a healthy way. She sometimes uses play therapy to assess where a child is struggling in order to determine the next step for parents.