Play Therapy for Children and Teens Approach

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” –Plato

We are offering office appointments! Clients may be accompanied by one parent or guardian, and must wear a mask and observe social distancing, per governor’s orders. We continue to offer TeleHealth sessions for younger kids and teens, to continue mental health wellness to the community and support clients who choose to remain at home, or prefer distance sessions. We are using a HIPAA compliant video portal. There is no need to download anything, just click on the link and you will be in our telehealth waiting room. It’s as easy as facetime!

Child Centered Approach:

MindTree Holistic Counseling strongly believes that every child has innate strengths of their own to cope with difficulties. These strengths become less dominant when a child internalizes a negative experience and label themselves by their failures. Children have emotional needs similar to an adult, but may not verbally communicate their feelings just like an adult would do. Children feel safe when they communicate their feelings and emotions through play.

MindTree’s founder and licensed child psychotherapist, Harini Sukumaran, is trained in child centered play therapy, who will provide a safe therapeutic environment with selective therapeutic toys to help a child (3-15 years) process and express their feelings in the form of play. Play therapy helps children and adolescents learn social skills, gain academic excellence, foster self-esteem, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and identify strengths to problem solve difficulties. Therapists combines other modalities like cognitive behavior therapy, art therapy, sand therapy, yoga and mindfulness tailored specific to the child’s developmental age and emotional needs.

Issues Addressed with Play Therapy for Children and Teens

Fear of school

Test Anxiety

Learning Difficulties

Bullying

Lack of focus and attention in a particular task

Loss of a loved one

Trauma and PTSD

Divorce

Peer relationships

Anger Management

Low academic excellence

ADHD

Conflict with parents

Sibling rivalry

Separation Anxiety

Selective Mutism

Elimination disorders – Enuresis and Emesis

Sleep Issues

Visit the Contact page to schedule your play therapy appointment

Some more information on Play therapy adapted from Association of Play Therapy webpage – www.a4pt.org

• Frequently Asked Questions about Play Therapy: https://a4pt.site-ym.com/page/PTMakesADifference
• Research regarding the Evidence of Play Therapy: https://a4pt.site-ym.com/?page=EvidenceBased
• What to Expect in Play Therapy Session: https://a4pt.site-ym.com/page/ParentsStagesofT

Related Blog Articles by Harini Sukumaran, Child Therapist

• Common Signs Your Kid Is Being Bullied
• How To Talk To Your Kids About Divorce
• What is Play Therapy?
• 8 Techniques to help Kids with Separation and School Anxiety
• How To Lessen Your Teen’s Back-to-School Stress
• 5 Reasons Why Parents Don’t Discuss Child Sexual Abuse
• 3 Reasons Why Play Therapy Is So Effective
• Parenting the Highly Sensitive Child
• 4 Ways Play Therapy Can Improve Your Child’s Life
• How to Help Children Understand Terrifying Events
• 4 Fun Activities for You & Your ADHD Child
• How to Help Your Child Transition into a 2-Home Scenario After Divorce