Common Questions about Play Therapy

Does my child need therapy?

Play therapy is beneficial for all children, though some children may not need as much individual intervention as others. To know if your child REALLY needs play therapy, look through the following list and identify any concerns. If your child has no concerns, they may be well adjusted and able to adapt to changes and stressors in life. Note: this list is non-exhaustive.

• Defiant behaviors, acting out

• A sudden shift in usual interests and habits

• Excessive worry and sadness

• Fearful behaviors

• Regressions - bed wetting, baby talk, separation anxiety

• Social Isolation

• Talking about self-harm or negative statements about self

• Increase in irritability

• Changes in sleep patterns and appetite

• Increase in physical symptoms like headaches and stomach aches

• Has recently gone through a change such as divorce, moving, new baby, death

• Has experienced a traumatic event

• Has been adopted or in foster care

Is play therapy the best option for my child?

Some children benefit solely from play therapy. Other children may need different types of intervention, such as neurological testing for ADHD and Autism, occupational or physical therapy for sensory processing, or other behavioral and motor concerns, and some children may need more specific and refined therapy.

Your therapist will discuss these potential options if they feel they are necessary. Your therapist may also ask if they fit your child well. Some children may be more comfortable with different therapists, which is okay. If you notice your child having difficulty feeling comfortable and your therapist noticing trouble building a relationship with them, it is okay to discuss finding a new fit for your child. It may also be helpful for you to ask your child’s therapist what type of play therapy they utilize and decide if this feels like a good fit.

How long will therapy last?

Every child is different and moves through therapy at their own pace, which is sometimes dependent on the severity of the child’s concerns and their willingness to engage in therapy, along with the engagement of the parents in therapy and therapy consistency. It is not uncommon for children to be in therapy long-term, though your child’s progress through therapy is unique to them. It is normal for your therapist to have an open-ended time frame for your child’s therapy.

Why isn’t my child’s behavior changing outside of therapy?

Sometimes, though your child may be working very hard in therapy, their behaviors may not change outside of therapy. As adults, we may sometimes find ourselves asking this question in life,e even toward ourselves: “Why do I keep doing the same things, even when I know I need to do something different?” or “I know what I need to change, but I am not able to right now” or even “I don’t want to change.” We may even expect others to make the change to make our lives easier. If we think these things for ourselves, why do we expect our children to change, no questions asked?

A child’s lack of progress can be due to various factors. Your child may be going through changes developmentally, their contextual factors may not be changing, they may be slower to adapt to new ways of coping due to trauma or abuse, and other factors are a possibility. If your child is not making changes in therapy, this may also be an opportunity for you as a parent or caregiver to look inward at your expectations of your child and what you may need to change to better meet your child’s needs.