St. Louis Play Therapy: Theraplay for Engagement and Attachment
What is play therapy?
Parents of young children often call me, letting me know that they’ve been referred for “play therapy.” But what does play therapy mean, and what does it entail?
Play therapy is an overarching term that covers a lot of different types of therapy.
And, more often than not, when your pediatrician or school counselor recommends play therapy, they’re not telling you what specific kind of play is best for you and your child. They’re using it as a catch-all, for therapy that involves play in some kind of form.
Today, we’re talking Theraplay, a play-therapy informed intervention that takes components of directive and non-directive play, and then coaches parents on how to use these interventions to help build up their relationship with their child.
(Want to work with a Registered Play Therapist in St. Louis? Reach out here!)
What is Theraplay?
Theraplay is a research-based type of play therapy that is focused on four main components: structure, engagement, nurture, and challenge. Per the Theraplay institute, Theraplay is “child and family therapy for building and enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement.”
Theraplay Training and Experience
With theraplay, there are three levels of training, along with rigorous supervision and consultation required before you can be certified in the model.
During summer 2019, I completed a level one theraplay intensive, focused on building skills and learning the background information to theraplay. In the office, I often use theraplay techniques to help build engagement with anxious and angry kids, model self-regulation, and bring joy to our sessions together. Sometimes I’ll incorporate parents during our office time, and other sessions I’ll give parents homework of simple games they can do at home to help engage their child.
My favorite theraplay activity: Twinkle Twinkle
This is a great opportunity for parents to connect at home with their kids, using play therapy techniques. Holding your child in your lap (or, when I use it as a therapist, I sit across from your child), rock back and forth with them while tailoring the below lyrics, singing:
Twinkle twinkle little star
What a special girl you are
Nice black hair and soft soft cheeks
Big brown eyes from which you peek
Twinkle twinkle little star
What a special girl you are
How we incorporate play therapy techniques for anxiety at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis:
We tailor our approach to each individual client and family we work with. That means, for some kids, we focus much more on building our anxiety and anger management skills through play.
Rather than non-directive play therapy (where therapists allow your child to free play and analyze what’s going on and themes they notice), we incorporate play in a lot of different ways - including integrating parts of theraplay.
Coming up next week: Restorative Play Therapy
Using play therapy techniques such as story telling and modeling, we coach anxious and angry children on how to respond to stressors.
Curious to know more about how play therapists work with anxiety and anger management? Wondering if your angry child needs a play therapist or a counselor who knows how to integrate play into what they do? Set up a free phone consultation with Compassionate Counseling St. Louis right here on our website - www.compassionatecounselingstl.com/consult
We work with kids, teens and families throughout St. Louis, including Ladue, Town and Country, Creve Couer, Brentwood and Webster Groves.