Helping Children Communicate, Process, and Heal with Play Therapy
When I introduce my work to others, I am often met with a common question:
“So…you just…play with them?”
And my answer is:
“Yes! But it’s so much more than that.”
The Association for Play Therapy, a national professional association dedicated to the advancement and credentialing of mental health professionals in play therapy, describes play therapy as “a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the ‘language’ of the child—play.”
And that really captures what I love about this work.
Why Play Matters for Children
Play often takes a backseat in our busy society. Soccer practice, swim lessons, piano, youth group, gymnastics, football, sibling activities…the list goes on. Our children’s schedules can become just as packed as our own.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I want your children to participate in these activities! There are so many valuable things children learn through sports, music, groups, and extracurricular activities that they simply cannot learn in the same way elsewhere. Movement and exercise can support regulation, and the social connections built through teams and shared activities can become the foundation for meaningful relationships throughout life.
But when was the last time your kiddo had a full afternoon—or even just an evening after school—to simply…play?
No schedule.
No performance expectations.
No rules to follow.
No place they need to be.
Just time to play with their toys and let their imagination take over.
That kind of play matters.
When Children Don't Have the Words
We know that traditional talk therapy does not always work for children in the same way it does for adults. Children can experience incredibly complex emotions, thoughts, questions, and life experiences long before they have the developmental ability to fully understand or verbally explain them.
In other words, children often know and feel more than they have the words to tell us.
So how do they communicate?
Through play.
Children naturally use play to explore their experiences, work through emotions, experiment with different roles, make sense of relationships, and process things that may feel confusing or overwhelming.
Put simply:
The toys become their words, and play becomes their language.
What Happens in Play Therapy?
But play therapy is much more than simply having toys in a therapy room.
Play therapy is a specific therapeutic modality provided by a trained clinician who intentionally creates a safe, supportive environment where children can explore their emotions, experiences, relationships, and unresolved questions through developmentally appropriate play.
Through play, children can begin to give meaning to experiences and develop new ways of understanding themselves and the world around them.
They may also experiment with different parts of themselves:
“What does it feel like to be the bad guy?”
“What if I am the victim and someone rescues me?”
“What does it feel like to be the superhero who saves the day?”
“What happens if I am the one in control?”
These themes can be incredibly meaningful. Rather than simply viewing them as “just pretend,” a trained play therapist looks at the themes, patterns, relationships, and emotions emerging in the child's play and considers what the child may be communicating through them.
As a Registered Play Therapist, my goal is first and foremost to build a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship with each child. That relationship creates a foundation where the child can feel secure enough to explore.
From there, I help children use play to make sense of difficult or disruptive life experiences, explore unresolved feelings, practice new ways of responding, and develop skills that they can eventually carry outside of the therapy room.
What Can Play Therapy Help Children Develop?
Research on play therapy has identified several common areas of positive change. The Four Universal Outcomes of Play Therapy are:
Increased regulation
Children can develop greater ability to recognize and manage their emotions, which may look like fewer or less-intense emotional outbursts and a greater ability to recover after becoming upset.
Increased worldview
Children can develop a broader understanding of themselves, other people, relationships, and the potential impact of their actions. They can begin to consider, “What happens next?” rather than responding only to what is happening in the moment.
Increased emotional vocabulary
Children can become better able to identify and communicate what they are feeling and what they need. This gives them more opportunities to have their needs met through communication rather than having to communicate them through behavior.
Increased self-esteem
Children can develop a stronger sense of competence, confidence, and belief in themselves. When children feel capable, connected, and understood, they are better positioned to make positive choices and engage with the world around them.
So…How Does Someone Become a Registered Play Therapist?
Becoming a Registered Play Therapist involves much more than simply enjoying playing with children!
The process includes advanced education, clinical experience, specialized play therapy training, and supervised experience.
The general pathway includes:
A master's-level degree or higher in a mental health field
A clinical license or credential that allows the professional to practice mental health therapy
Specialized play therapy education, including at least 150 hours of play therapy training
Specialized supervision from a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor
Hundreds of hours of supervised play therapy experience, including at least 350 direct client contact hours
Ongoing professional development and continuing education to maintain competency and credentials
So yes…
I really do get to play with kids for a living.
But underneath the toys, games, art supplies, sand, puppets, and imagination is a very intentional therapeutic process.
Play is how children communicate.
Play is how children explore.
Play is how children practice.
And sometimes, play is how children begin to heal.
