Children are not miniature adults but people who are unique and worthy of respect. They have an inner intuitive wisdom and are able to cope with their world in creative ways. Children’s natural language is play!
At Trusting Connections we offer a child centred approach in therapeutic play, which is a ‘way of being’ with the individual and intentionally looking through the child’s eyes to understand their perception of self, their experiences, and their world. This way of being with the individual allows the development of a trusting therapeutic relationship, an important key in any therapy, to facilitate healing, growth and change.
Therapeutic play is a highly engaging form of expressive counselling, where the individual can work through issues and concerns. The toys become the words and the play becomes their talk. As a child, feelings and unresolved conflicts are often inaccessible at a verbal level and progressive development of the brain throughout the childhood years means they lack the cognitive ability to communicate their thoughts and feelings too. Words are made up of symbols which are abstract. Play is the concrete expression of the child and provides a way of coping with their world. When children re-enact experiences through play, they become in the here and now, and can process what is going on in their own way, allowing the unfamiliar to become familiar.
What does a session look like?
Over a 45 minute session the individual is able to engage with and play with toys of their choosing, whilst Joanne verbally tracks and gives feedback of the individuals thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The individual is encouraged to make their own choices and try things out for themselves, to highlight their strengths, build greater independence, and improve self-awareness, to help with the healing process and integration of all aspects of themselves.
What will my child learn?
‘In the playroom all parts of the child are welcome’
Therapeutic play will help your child to learn about themselves and their world. In the presence of a safe and trusting relationship, where they feel fully accepted, and careful therapeutic limits are used to guide them, risk taking, self-exploration and self-discovery can unfold. Problems can then be acted out through play and worked on in a way that works best for them.
How does this help?
The model of therapeutic play at Trusting Connections focuses on the ‘person that your child is’, not their problem, to help them to cope with present and future problems that may pop up in their life.
Your child will be helped to:
· Develop a positive concept of self
· Express themselves responsibly with a feeling of control
· Build more awareness of themselves in order to cope with dysregulation
· Be creative and resourceful in confronting problems
· Be self-determined and responsible for their choices
· Learn ways in how to regulate themselves
· Trust themselves
Is this only for children?
Absolutely not. Many adults can also immerse themselves in this type of therapy session, and the activity of play itself engages an awareness that is not possible through just verbalisation. As an adult you have lived through experiences which have shaped your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours over time. Exploring issues and concerns through choosing symbolic objects, rather than verbalising with words, is a highly personal process which can have powerful healing effects.
“Through play, the adult has a conversation with self that is a very personal experience because direct involvement is called for” – Garry Landreth.
Therapeutic play can also incorporate ‘Sand Tray Counselling’. You can read more about this by pressing LEARN MORE
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