Frequently Asked Questions
Why Play Therapy?
What types of concerns can play therapy be helpful for?
- Challenging behaviors at home or school
- inattention, difficulty following directions, difficulty following a routine, talking back, tantrums, difficulty developing friendships or social skills
- Anxiety
- Trauma & PTSD
- Regulating emotions
- Expressing emotions
- Neurodivergent challenges
- ADHD, twice exceptional, autism spectrum, sensory processing/integration
- Life Transitions
- Divorce, separation, death of a loved one, birth of a sibling, transition to new school
How are sessions set up?
The child and therapist spend the first 40-45 minutes together in the play room. The parent is then given 10 minutes of feedback at the end of the session. We will review progress towards goals and suggest strategies for you to implement at home to support the work the child is doing during their session.
Are parents in the play session?
Only if the child invites the parent into the session. Typically, children need a place to do their own work at their own pace without the presence of their parent. Sometimes children invite their parents in to see a part of the work they are doing. Other times the child may need the parent to become a partner in the therapy process. If parents are involved the sessions regularly then the therapist and parent will do some coaching around how to engage in the therapy process.
What about Parent Coaching?
Sometimes it is helpful for parents to have a longer amount of time to discuss how things are going at home and receive coaching around supporting the child’s therapeutic work. Please visit our Parent Coaching page for more information.
Frequency and Duration of Play Therapy?
At intake and establishment of treatment goals we will discuss frequency and duration of treatment. Typically we start with weekly sessions and decrease as we get closer to the termination of therapy. How long your child will be in therapy varies and it is dependent upon your goals and the child’s developmental history.
How do you work with families that are separated or divorced?
When both parents have legal custody/shared decision making rights then both parents must provide consent for treatment and agree to the treatment plan. We require that you provide a current copy of your parenting agreement for our records. If a parent chooses to revoke their consent for services this must be provided in writing. At the time of your initial intake, we start by establishing clear boundaries and expectations for the level of engagement each parent will have in the therapy process. This includes scheduling, receiving parent feedback, and payment for services.
See our video series on divorce and separation, here.
Do you offer other services?
Because children are still developing, there are many factors that can influence their social emotional health and mental well being. We evaluate for developmental factors (such as speech/language, cognitive, motor, and sensory development) and may make recommendations and referrals to outside providers such as child find, occupational therapy or medical providers as needed. We frequently coordinate with preschools, day care, educators, and other caregivers to maximize the benefit of play therapy.
For a list of other services we provide please click here. To see a list of providers we frequently work with please visit our Holistic Connections page.