Awareness & Advocacy Play Therapy Treatments

Happy International Play Therapy Week!

February 4, 2024by Sally Frede

Sally Frede, LSCW, CCLS, RPT-S™ headshot

Written by: Sally Frede, LSCW, CCLS, RPT-S™

Happy International Play Therapy Week from Embark Counseling Services! This year, the Association for Play Therapy’s (APT) International Play Therapy Week is from February 4 to 10, 2024. I am super excited to see how play therapists from around the country and even the world celebrate the therapeutic powers of play.

Here at Embark Counseling Services, we have multiple Registered Play Therapists and many more in training to get their credentials. We love to play. You might be asking how play therapy can benefit children. Let me explain.

APT defines play therapy as, “the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.”

More simply put, play therapy is a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the “language” of the child—play. Licensed mental health professionals therapeutically use play to help their clients, most often children ages three to 12 years, to better express themselves and resolve their problems.

Play therapy works best when a therapist and client create a safe relationship in which the latter may freely and naturally express what pleases and bothers them. (www.a4pt.org)

Play Therapy may look simple on the surface, but it goes much deeper. I love teasing my brother, who works in the business field, by telling him, “I got to play with Legos at work today. What did you do?” Even something as simple as Legos has so many therapeutic and developmental benefits, such as building frustration tolerance, executive functioning skills, creativity, and socialization.

I encourage parents to take time each week to play with their children. Let them take the lead, choose the type of play, and connect with them in their world. You will be amazed at the benefits, especially a closer and more positive relationship. And if your child is struggling, Embark is there to provide Play Therapy services to assist with emotional and behavioral concerns.

“...play therapy is a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the “language” of the child—play”

If you want to learn more about play therapy and the therapeutic powers of play, below are some informational videos created by APT for you to check out.

“Play Therapy Works”