There has been substantial research to show that creative therapies such as Play Therapy, Music Therapy, Dramatherapy and Art Therapy are particularly effective interventions for children and young people.  Creative therapies bypass the need for children to talk.  As adults, we know how difficult it can be for us to talk about things that bother us.  Imagine how much harder it can be for children to talk when they might not be sure what they are feeling, they might now know what the feeling is called, they might be worried about upsetting or letting down Mum or Dad, and they do not have the emotional tools or life experience to know that life is full of ups and downs.     

Play Therapy is not suitable for all children, and, as for all therapies, there is no guarantee of success.   Play Therapy can, however, be highly effective in helping children with the following worries or life events:

• Anxiety about school-related issues (friendship groups, tests, bullying, moving to a different school, moving up a year, moving to High School);

• Divorce or separation of parents;

• Physical, emotional or sexual abuse;

• Foster placement/adoption related issues;

• Domestic violence;

• A death in the family. 

Some children seem to ‘bounce back’ from traumatic events quicker than others.  Some children appear fine but as time goes on, worries about a particular event or circumstance may increase or come out in different ways, which can be perplexing and upsetting for all those who care about the child.   

Play Therapy is effective in helping children build a greater emotional resilience and this, in turn, is helpful in setting them up for life – having a greater capacity to deal with life’s setbacks by having more resources – internal and external, in terms of connections to family members and friends.