FAQs About Play Therapy in St. Louis
Your child is the most important thing to you and they are struggling to manage their big emotions. You want to get them the help that they need, but knowing where to start feels overwhelming.
You’ve heard about play therapy and it sounds interesting, but you want to know more. You’re wondering if play therapy could actually help your child who is struggling right now with their big emotions.
Today we want to help you find the answers that you are looking for about play therapy St. Louis.
Image Credit: Unsplash TK @tkristin
What is play therapy?
Play is the natural language of children and they often express in play what is happening in their lives.
The theory of play therapy says that “The child plays out thoughts, feelings, and emotions they might not otherwise be able to express meaningfully through their words (West, 2022; Bratton et al., 2005). As the child acts out their feelings, directly or symbolically, the therapist can gain insight into their emotional state.” (Positive Psychology.com accessed 9.18.22).
The St. Louis therapist team at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis integrate that important exploratory work to gain insight, and then we build on top of it with anxiety-focused skills building. We want to know what’s going on underneath the surface, and then build a plan - together - on how best to address it.
What do you do in play therapy?
Traditional play therapy is often non-directive, meaning that through play, the child communicates about what’s going on with them - it’s a way for your child to explore stressors, big feelings, aggression, worry, transitions and anxiety. It can be a really helpful tool for kids, especially for kids who need help finding their voice.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, our St. Louis play therapy techniques can start as non-directive, where we use toys for imaginary play, or sand tray to explore how things are going at home or at school. Then, we build on top of this exploration and integrate crucial skills for anxiety and anger management.
What’s the difference between play therapy and play therapy techniques integrated with outcomes at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis?
Most registered play therapists don’t automatically integrate outcomes into their clinical work. Our work at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis always starts with outcomes first and interventions second.
We tailor our approach to each client, and we don’t require a certain type of therapy for every client - we want to make sure the work we do with you and your child is as impactful as possible to you.
Research shows the relationship you have with your therapist is even more important than the type of therapy you’re receiving, which is why we track scores each and every week to make sure that you’re child is feeling heard, understood and respected, and that we’re actually making progress on the therapy goals you have!
What is the best age for play therapy?
Research shows that play therapy is most effective for children ages 3-12, play is their natural way of processing emotions. At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we go beyond traditional play therapy—we specialize in anxiety and anxiety-driven anger, using tailored interventions to help children of all ages. For older kids and teens, we integrate play therapy St. Louis techniques alongside cognitive-behavioral therapy strategies to ensure therapy is both engaging and effective.
What are the disadvantages of play therapy?
The biggest challenge with play therapy? If you’re not tracking outcomes, how do you know it’s working? That’s why we take a data-driven, results-oriented approach. Every session integrates Feedback-Informed Treatment (FIT) so we can measure progress, adapt interventions, and ensure your child is truly improving.
Our therapists don’t just "hope" therapy is working—we track real results so you can see the difference.
What childhood problems is play therapy best suited for?
Play therapy is a powerful tool for children struggling with anxiety, behavioral challenges, trauma, depression, and relationship difficulties (National Institute of Health). At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we specialize in working with anxious, angry, and overwhelmed kids. Many children express anxiety as anger—through meltdowns, defiance, or emotional outbursts.
Our expert therapists dig into the root of your child’s anger, using play therapy alongside cognitive-behavioral and family-focused interventions to create real, lasting change. We don’t just help kids feel better in the moment—we help them (and you) build the skills to see real improvement at home, at school, and in relationships.
How much does play therapy cost?
A 45-minute play therapy session with our specialized therapists costs $205. Our approach isn’t just about play—it’s about real progress. We use evidence-based techniques to get to the root of your child’s struggles. The therapists at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis create a unique treatment plan for each person that they work with to build meaningful skills for emotional regulation, resilience, and self-expression.
This means that the therapists at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis will use play therapy specifically tailored to your child and their needs.
Is play therapy covered by insurance?
Yes, many insurance plans cover play therapy. While we are an out-of-network provider, we support families by providing superbills, making it easier for you to submit claims and receive potential reimbursement.
We’re happy to walk you through the process to help maximize your benefits. In fact, we have put together a Out of Network Reimbursement Guide to help you navigate understanding what benefits and reimbursement that your insurance company may offer you.
Curious to learn more about play therapy and how it can help with anxiety and anxiety-driven anger? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety experts, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families by offering both in-person counseling and online therapy throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. We also provide online therapy Missouri -wide to teens and college students. You can set up your first free consult on this website, on our consultation page.
