Play Therapy
Because kids don't always have the words yet.
At Sun Counseling & Wellness, we know that children and adolescents often communicate and process emotions differently than adults.
That’s why we offer specialized play therapy for ages 2-18, allowing young people to express, explore, and understand their emotions in a safe, supportive environment tailored just for them. Child-centered play therapy is a nationally recognized evidenced-based treatment for children.
Our play therapists work with a wide range of presenting concerns, including: anxiety, depression, mood disorders, behavioral issues, coping with family transitions, processing trauma or grief, social challenges, neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, giftedness), and self-esteem and identity issues.
What is Play Therapy?
What To Expect In Play Therapy:
Our play therapists work individually with each child, adapting their approach based on age, needs, and personality. Sessions may involve structured activities or more free-form play, depending on what best supports each child’s growth and comfort. Parents can expect the following from our play therapy process:
- Initial Assessment: We’ll start with a thorough assessment to understand your child’s unique needs, goals, and any specific challenges they face. A typical start to treatment is a 60 minute parent-only intake where your therapist will gather all relevant history on your child and learn about your parenting style. After a few sessions with your child where the therapist assess your child in the playroom and begins to build rapport, you will meet for a parent consultation. Your therapist will update you on the first few sessions and provide a treatment plan as well as give recommendations for continued frequency of sessions and anything they might find helpful for your to incorporate at home.
- Engaging, Developmentally-Appropriate Play: Using toys, creative arts, and interactive games, our therapists create an environment where your child can feel safe to express their feelings.
- Parent Communication:You are the expert on your child, you know them best. Your therapist will team up with your expertise and theirs. Rest assured that you will be part of the therapeutic journey and are a key part of supporting your child’s progress. Parent involvement is an extremely important piece and your play therapist values the relationship with you as much as the relationship with your child!
Child Counseling Ages 9-12
What is a Play Therapist?
A play therapist is a mental health professional with specialized training in using play as a therapeutic tool. They are trained to understand the language of play and guide children in expressing and processing their emotions, building coping skills, and resolving challenges.
However, not everyone who calls themselves a “play therapist” has the qualifications or supervision necessary to provide this level of care.
Our trained play therapists have:
- Extensive Education: A master’s degree in a mental health field such as counseling and social work.
- Specialized Play Therapy Training: Certification programs which include coursework in child development, play therapy techniques, and ethical considerations. Maggie is a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) and Amanda is working toward this certification under the supervision of a registered play therapist supervisor!
- Supervised Experience: Hundreds of hours working under the guidance of a credentialed supervisor to refine their skills and ensure competency.
FAQ
Play therapy is a modality of child therapy specifically created for children ages 2-10 years old. The Association for Play Therapy defines play therapy as the natural medium in which children learn to cope with their emotions. In play therapy, specific toys are used to assist children in expressing themselves and processing their world in a developmentally-sensitive way. Child-centered play therapy, an evidenced based treatment, is a powerful tool to address cognitive, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Your play therapist will support your child through a warm, caring, and safe environment to increase self esteem, emotional intelligence, and have a better concept of self to communicate needs and manage their world.
Your child best processes through play, rather than sitting on a couch and talking about their world- they play it out! Play therapy is a highly regarded modality that is developmentally appropriate and evidenced based for treatment of children.
Your play therapist will meet you and your child in the waiting area before heading back to the playroom. The playroom is full of specifically curated toys including, action figures, dolls, cars, animal figures, duplos, doctor kits, craft supplies, and a play kitchen to list a few! In child-centered play therapy, the session is non-directive, meaning that as long as the play is safe, the child leads and the therapist follows. The therapist will track the child’s play as well as reflect feelings and enlarge the meaning of the play. These methods help grow specific skills like frustration tolerance, emotional intelligence, and self concept. At the end of the session, the therapist walks the child back to meet you without having the child clean up. This is a rule that is only for the playroom and your therapist will specifically address this with your child. The act of cleaning up their play would be equivalent to having an adult “eat their words” back after their therapy session. It is recommended for caregivers to ask the child, “what was your favorite toy you played with” rather than “did you have fun” because while the child is playing, that does not always mean that it is fun. Your child may choose to share about their session or choose to keep it to themselves, both of these reactions are ok!
We see clients across the lifespan, kids as young as 2 (through play therapy) all the way through adults. Different clinicians specialize in different age groups, so when you reach out we’ll help match you with someone who’s a good fit.
We therapists have very thoughtfully and intentionally chosen to be out of network with insurance companies. This allows us to avoid your insurance company’s involvement in your treatment (i.e. mandating a maximum amount of sessions, requiring we continually show them your treatment plan, rejecting certain treatment or diagnoses, etc.). We want to provide 100% confidential treatment with competitive pricing options. We want you to feel empowered to choose your provider, treatment length and approach, and not have insurance companies interfere with your unique goals and needs. And we want to be able to get creative with your treatment with evidence-based support that is sometimes not covered by insurance. Lastly, we prioritize spending our time beyond the 50 min session – between your sessions- conceptualizing your case, researching, and collaborating with other providers involved in your care.
The million dollar question!
See our current rates on the policies page.
You may also discuss a reduced fee with your individual provider.