Helping Professionals Interview Series: Play Therapy with Rachel Zahniser, M.Ed, LPC
We are so excited to have interviewed Rachel Zahniser, M.Ed, LPC to learn more about her approach and treatment as a play therapist in St. Louis, MO.
Rachel provides a safe place for kids in St. Louis to process their emotions, build helpful skills and increase their self-esteem through play! Rachel talks more about how she integrates play into anxiety treatment in our interview below.
Why did you choose to become a play therapist in St. Louis?
I chose to become a play therapist because connecting with kids has always been easy, fun, and fulfilling for me. I started babysitting as soon as I was old enough. While babysitting, I wasn’t just entertaining kids or making sure their basic needs were met, I also helped them explore their emotions and work through conflict with siblings or friends. I’m a highly sensitive person who can tune into people’s emotions on a deep level. My natural ability to give kids unconditional positive regard and acceptance, combined with my passion for connecting with children, made becoming a play therapist a perfect career choice!
What kind of treatment do you provide?
As a play therapist, I use a combination of child-led play and therapist-directed activities to help children learn more about their emotions and process the challenges they are facing. With child-led play, a child gets to choose something to play with from the variety of toys in my playroom. As the therapist, I respond therapeutically as they play to foster self-awareness, emotional awareness and increase self-esteem (and much more!).
Sometimes parents wonder, “How can my kid deal with their anxiety if they aren’t talking about what worries them?” The beauty of play therapy is that children don’t need to talk about their worries; they can play out their worries. Play is the language of children, so playing is a beneficial and productive way to express themselves and process their experiences.
I also incorporate therapist-direct activities into our sessions to teach specific coping skills and help children develop emotional awareness.
What ages do you work with?
I provide play therapy to children ages 3-12.
What can parents expect to leave with after working with you?
My approach is collaborative, so when parents bring their child to me they are also agreeing to meet with me for regular parent sessions. In these sessions we process the emotional load of parenting their child and we strategize together about how to help their child cope and learn emotion-regulation skills. Oftentimes I provide education about child development and mental health, which helps parents better understand their child.
Parents can expect to leave therapy with a better understanding of their child and more tools to support their kid during tough times or stressful moments.
How long have you been working with anxiety, and how long have you been in St. Louis?
I have been working with children and teens with anxiety for the past 6 years, which is right around the time I moved to St. Louis. But also, as a highly sensitive person with anxiety, I have been working with anxiety my whole life! I find that having the lived experience of being a child with anxiety helps me engage with more empathy. Although I don’t necessarily talk about it a lot with my clients or their parents, it definitely impacts the way I show up as a therapist.
Who are your favorite types of clients to work with?
My favorite clients to work with are highly sensitive children struggling with anxiety and big feelings. I especially love the preschool ages (3-6). Highly sensitive kids feel things more deeply than their peers and it can be so overwhelming to not know how to handle these big feelings. I love getting to support these kids as they develop more self-acceptance and self-esteem, and learn to navigate their big feelings.
What happens during a first appointment with you?
My therapeutic approach starts with a parent intake where I ask questions about your child and your family history. This helps give me context on the environment your child has grown up in. Trigger warning- we might talk about your childhood too! Parents’ own attachment history with their caregivers during childhood actually affects their relationship with their own child. Parents often leave the intake feeling hopeful and less alone in supporting their kid.
The first few sessions with the child are all about rapport building and getting to know the playroom. While children explore the toys, I focus on building trust with your kid so that they feel safe enough to open up about their worries and big feelings.
Could you talk a little about your approach and how it plays into your work with people recovering from anxiety?
I don’t necessarily think people “recover from anxiety,” but rather learn to manage their anxiety. Part of my work is to help children (and their parents) accept themselves for who they are, anxiety and all. When we accept our feelings and let them surface, rather than push them down, we feel more integrated and whole.
Life will always have curveballs and unexpected moments of stress. Highly sensitive kids are likely to feel anxious in these moments, but play therapy can help in a couple ways:
Play therapy can help reduce the triggering nature of stressful circumstances. Kids graduate therapy feeling more grounded and less reactive to stress.
Play therapy can help children develop more coping skills that they can access to reduce anxiety during stressful moments.
What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for anxiety disorders?
I wish people knew that getting support early on for their anxious kid will help their child navigate life with so much more confidence and ease. Early prevention and intervention goes a long way!
It also doesn’t hurt to reach out to a play therapist if you aren’t totally sure if your kid needs therapy. Most therapists, including myself, provide a free intro call so you can ask questions and figure out if therapy is needed. It can be confusing to seek therapy for your child for the first time, and we’re here to help demystify the process!
How can people learn more and contact you?
Folks can visit my website to learn more about me: https://www.brightdaystherapy.com/
Feel free to use the contact form to reach out or email me directly: brightdaystherapy@gmail.com
Share one fun fact about you that most people don’t know.
A fun fact about me (although if you’ve read my website you might know this): I am scared of heights, but that hasn’t stopped me from pursuing sports I love. I did gymnastics as a kid, and now, as an adult, I love rock climbing!
Curious to learn more about getting treatment for anxiety? Wondering if you need to connect with a therapist in St. Louis? Contact Compassionate Counseling St. Louis to set up a free 15-minute phone consult. We’ll talk about what’s going on and best next steps - and if we’re not the right fit, we’ll connect you with other wonderful St. Louis-based therapists, like Rachel!
Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anger management and anxiety therapy in St. Louis for kids, teens, and college students. We work in Clayton, MO and serve kids, teens, and college students throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Coeur, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood.
