Play therapy is a technique used in psychotherapy with people of all ages but most often with children. Its popular has grown due to the fact that kids and adults alike innately enjoy interactive activities---and it has measurable therapeutic benefits. According to the Association for Play Therapy, this type of therapy fosters learning and development.
What Is Play Therapy?
Play therapists help children address and resolve their problems, reports the Association for Play Therapy. The treatment helps build necessary skills, such as communication, expression, problem-solving and ways to relate to others, reports the Association for Play Therapy. It is used commonly with children because it allows them to express themselves in an age-appropriate manner.
Types of Games Can Be Played
All types of games can be used in play therapy. This includes board games, dolls and action figures, and sandboxes. Board games help teach children to follow rules and to be patient when it is other people's turns. Dolls and action figures are especially helpful in finding out how the patient perceives other people. This is because the therapist will typically ask the patient to pretend one doll is themselves and another doll is a family member or friend. Sandboxes allow children to free-associate and to draw or write whatever is on their mind.
Benefits
Play therapy is implemented as a treatment of choice in several settings for mental health issues, such as anger management, grief and loss, divorce and family dissolution, crisis/trauma, anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental disabilities, academic and social developmental, physical and learning disabilities, and conduct disorders, according to the Association for Play Therapy. This form of therapy helps patients become more responsible, implement problem-solving strategies, learn social skills, develop the ability to express emotions appropriately and develop self-efficacy.
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