Play Therapy at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis
As child anxiety specialists in St. Louis, we know how important it is to tailor our approach to each client that we see, so we are so excited to now be offering Play-based Therapy with Allison Campbell!
You may have heard of Play Therapy but aren’t quite sure what it means, how it can help or if your child would benefit from it. We are thrilled that Allison Campbell, MSW, LCSW, RPT In Training has joined our team and we have asked her to help you through a few of those questions!
If you’re interested in scheduling a session with Allison or one of our other awesome therapists, you can schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation at the link below. This call will give us a chance to hear from you about what’s been going on, walk you through our session structure and figure out the best therapist to pair you with.
Tell us about play therapy. What does it look like, and what would be a good example of how you can use play therapy for anxiety?
Play is a great tool in therapy, particularly for children. Play is children's way of communicating and expressing themselves, so it only makes sense we use it to help them explore and process their big emotions!
For anxious children specifically, it gives them a platform to express themself in a way that feels familiar and safe.
Some anxious children might have trouble using their words in therapy. Play relieves some of the pressure they may feel to talk. Instead, they can express themselves through play. This can also allow them to feel a sense of control, as they are often leading the play session. Many children do not have control in other areas of their life so this is often a powerful experience for them.
Why did you choose to become certified in play therapy?
I chose to become certified in play therapy because I wanted to find a way to help children express themselves in a language they feel comfortable with. It is also a very researched and effective tool, which is important to me. And it's just so fun!
Right now, I provide play-based therapy, and am working on becoming a fully licensed play therapist.
What does your typical first session look like?
During a typical first session I start by introducing myself, sharing some fun facts about me (this year I created a slideshow to show my virtual students), get them acquainted with the room (if doing in person therapy), I often ask if they know what my job is or if they know why they get to see me, and share a little bit about some of the things we will get to do together during our sessions. I focus heavily on rapport building early on.
Can only Registered Play Therapists (RPT) provide play therapy interventions?
You don't have to be an RPT to provide play interventions, however, true play therapy can only be done by an RPT or RPT In Training. An RPT can go deeper with the interventions, pick out themes, guide the children, and provide more effective directive and non-directive play.
Play therapy is very in depth and goes beyond what many see on the surface! For example, we select, not collect, toys, meaning there are specific toys that are used/made available during play sessions. If the toys are moved or changed it can totally change a child's play. Small details, such as these, are typically things unknown to a non-RPT using play based interventions.
Can you still do play therapy even through virtual therapy?
You can absolutely still do play therapy virtually. I will say it is more challenging to have non-directive sessions, but directive sessions are totally doable. Directive sessions can be done if the child has the right toys and a supportive parent who can set up the room and camera correctly.
When might a parent consider getting their child play therapy?
There are so many times it would be beneficial for a parent to consider play, but some big ones include, aggressive behavior, anxious and withdrawn behaviors, if they've experienced a trauma. I truly think any child going through something, no matter what it might be, could benefit from play. And if they are pre-k and kindergarten then I would absolutely recommend play therapy be the modality of choice 99% of the time, regardless of what the child is struggling with.
As a play therapist, what overlap do you notice between anxiety, anger management, and conduct issues?
Unfortunately for so many of the kids and teens I work with, their social and emotional concerns, such as anxiety, are often perceived by others as anger or conduct. Many of my clients don't yet have the language or the tools yet to identify and/or express that they are feeling worried, anxious, or sad, and instead express it through yelling, crying, or throwing things.
I love completing an activity with my students called the Anger Iceberg which allows them to identify all the things that they feel when they might look angry to others. This overlap is one of the reasons I advocate for my students and take time to provide psychoeducation to their teachers and families, so that they can recognize when one of their kids or students might be experiencing anxiety, and send them to a trusted adult instead of the office.
Do you only provide play therapy at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis?
The nature of my full time job, working at SSD, requires me to work with a variety of clinical issues. I enjoy utilizing play therapy techniques as I am working on my RPT, and I also enjoy incorporating CBT. The main thing is providing the type of therapy that’s the best fit for my kids and teens: I am always flexible in my approach and will meet clients where they are at.
Play therapy at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis: Do you provide play therapy?
We do! And we have our play therapist, Allison Campbell, on staff. In addition to play therapy, we use many different interventions in counseling, including play therapy interventions, art therapy interventions, mindfulness and yoga practice, along with EMDR, CBT, ACT, PCIT interventions, and others.
No “one size fits all” approach.
With anxiety, overwhelm, and anger management, the most important component of work is helping you and/or your child feel like those emotions are less out of control. So, we tailor our approach to each client - and we make sure that we’re really hitting the nail on the head with regular check ins.
Curious to learn more about Play Therapy for kids and anxiety therapy in St. Louis? Do your thoughts get way too loud? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anger management and anxiety therapy in St. Louis for kids, teens, and college students. We love helping with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 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. You can set up your free phone screening to see if we’re a good fit for your needs right on our website.
