Play Therapy

By Craig C. Odean, Prevention and Intervention Specialist

Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, once said, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in one year of conversation.” This quote accurately describes the foundation and reasoning for the use of play therapy with children, adolescents and adults. Play therapy is a type of therapy that is commonly used with children between the ages of 3 to 10. Play therapy treatment has been shown to be effective for multiple mental health conditions and concerns such as anger management, grief and loss, divorce and family dissolution, and crisis and trauma. The underlying theory behind the therapy is basic; children communicate best through their play, thus this therapy helps children:

• Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more successful problem-solving strategies.
• Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.
• Learn to experience and express emotion.
• Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others.
• Learn new social skills and relational skills with family.
• Develop self-efficacy and thus more assuredness about their abilities.

Most people agree that a child’s verbal abilities are not always at the level of an adult. Children may not be able to express themselves verbally due to not knowing vocabulary, sentence structuring or other basic communication tools. They also may not be able to understand the words and sentences that older people use to try communicate with them. This is especially true when it comes to emotions and thoughts about their environment, family, situations and themselves. In play therapy, the language used between the child and the therapist is the play itself.

What to Look for In Your Child

One of the most telling signs that your child may benefit from play therapy is if there has been a negative change in his or her behavior. If, for example, your child is misbehaving at home, with friends or at school and his or her grades are falling then there may be an issue with which they are struggling.

If you believe that your child has a low self esteem or thinks negatively about themselves it has been shown that play therapy is extremely useful in changing these thoughts. Also, if your child has experienced a trauma or is dealing with grief issues due to a range of situations including divorce, death, relocation, hospitalization, illness, physical and sexual abuse, domestic violence or a natural disaster they may be better able to handle their emotions with the help of play therapy.

“I have had the great pleasure of seeing the positive effects of play therapy firsthand while working with a variety of children at Robert A Pascal Youth and Family Services,” says Laurie Warnke, a therapist at RAPYFS. “I have watched children grow while in the play room to find the strength to deal with the issues they face and ultimately leave with the skills and new belief that they have the power in themselves to handle future hurdles. Although the process can be long and hard at times, for both the children and parents, they soon realize the gift that is to be able to give your child the play therapy experience.”

Putting A Human Face On It

Maggie was a four-year-old African American female who was in the foster care system when she began services at RAPYFS. She was referred to the agency for help with her anger issues and general misbehavior at daycare. She began progressing through the stages of play therapy and playing out domestic violence, physical abuse and possible sexual abuse she had witnessed as a young child while in her biological mother’s care. Over time, the permissive, secure and forgiving environment of play therapy and the therapist’s empathy and understanding enabled Maggie to learn that people cared about her and were not going to abandon her when she attempted to push them away. After nine months of play therapy, Maggie was no longer misbehaving or testing and pushing the limits that adults set for her protection. She eventually was adopted by her foster mother and achieved stability in her life.

Robert A. Pascal Youth and Family Services currently offers play therapy to children up to age 10. We have two large play rooms filled with donated toys that are used exclusively for play therapy. There are currently four therapists trained in play therapy on staff. For more information, contact the center at

410.975.0067.