What is Play and Creative Arts Therapy?
Play Therapy (also known as Play and Creative Arts Therapy) is a theoretically-based form of psychotherapy that can be particularly helpful for children and teenagers wishing to alleviate social, emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.
It is a type of therapy where play, art and sensory materials are used as the main vehicle for self-expression. It can sometimes be described as a form of counselling (indeed, clients are always welcome to talk through problems) but it is especially helpful for those clients who are struggling to put their experiences into words or who have difficulty understanding how they are feeling.
Play is a child’s natural form of communication and, like creative activities, it can provide a metaphorical, often non-verbal, means of expressing and exploring complicated feelings and deeply-felt experiences, some of which happens on an unconscious level.
This can feel like a much safer, and developmentally appropriate, way to process problems.
Gradually, as thoughts, feelings and memories begin to surface through play or creativity, clients can become increasingly self-aware. Self-awareness is aided further in the way the therapist can act as a mirror to the client (via verbal / non-verbal reflections and paraphrasing).
Improved self-awareness can sometimes result in new forms of play or creativity, often involving increased interaction between client and therapist (e.g. with role-play or puppets, or joint art, clay or musical activities).
Such play and creativity allows clients to safely explore, and form a deeper understanding of, their current problematic behaviours and associated feelings. It also allows them to begin experimenting with healthier behaviours, which the clients may then adopt for themselves -e.g. an increased ability to behave compassionately towards themselves and others.
Play and Creative Arts Therapy often results in the client being better able to self-regulate and become more focused and organised. There is frequently also a noticeable growth in self-esteem, self-reliance and resilience. This journey towards positive change is aided by neuroplasticity, because play can create new neural pathways in the brain.
Crucial to the success of the therapy is the trusting and non-judgemental relationship that the therapist will build with their client. I am very confident in my abilities to put new clients at ease and to be able to establish a good rapport with them, enabling them to begin safely exploring their issues.
Who Can Play Therapy Help?
I work with children and teenagers, who are currently finding life a struggle and would like to find ways to feel better.
Children and young people with any of the following are able to benefit from Play Therapy:
Anxiety, including generalised anxiety, social anxiety, and separation anxiety.
Low self-esteem.
Withdrawal, low mood, depression.
Anger and aggression.
Behavioural issues.
School-related problems, including non-attendance, friendship issues, behavioural or emotional difficulties, under-performance, bullying.
Sleep-related issues, including nightmares, bed-wetting, anxiety and insomnia.
Autism.
ADHD.
Delayed development.
Selective mutism and other communication issues.
Language difficulties, EAL.
Long-term illness, traumatic medical emergency or upcoming medical procedure.
Parental divorce or separation.
Parental illness, including mental illness.
Difficult new or ongoing family circumstances.
Bereavement and loss.
LGTBQ+ related issues.
Adverse childhood experiences: Trauma, abuse, attachment difficulties.
All children and young people, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, can benefit from Play and Creative Arts Therapy. Some adults with a lower developmental age can also benefit.
Referrals can come from parents/carers, schools and other professionals.
What are the Benefits of Play Therapy?
Increases ability to communicate thoughts and express feelings.
Greatly improves self-awareness.
Develops self-confidence in capabilities and a greater sense of self-worth.
Improves social skills and ability to build respectful, empathetic relationships with others.
Relieves stress and improves emotional regulation.
Allows for confident creativity.
Improves concentration and organisational skills.
Provides an opportunity to try out and adopt successful, real-life strategies.
Develops a greater sense of responsibility for behaviours.
Improves independent problem solving and resilience.
My Approach to Play Therapy at Yellow Flowers
I fully recognise that many of today’s young people are finding it hard to navigate our increasingly complex society. This is especially true of some of our older children with their increased use of social media and computer gaming, and their access to such diverse, often confusing, online content.
Some clients could also have issues related to unpleasant, maybe traumatic, current or past life-events or are experiencing ongoing difficult circumstances at home or elsewhere.
Some clients also have to contend with certain disabilities, conditions or learning needs.
All of this can sometimes lead our young people to feel that life is enormously challenging and overwhelming, and can hinder their ability to participate fully in society in a happy and healthy way. I am a passionate advocate for this young generation and am dedicated to supporting their journey towards independence and a more liberated existence through therapeutic interventions.
I firmly believe that developing a trusting, non-judgemental rapport with my clients, within a safe space, is crucial to the therapeutic process and I am confident in my abilities to do so.
I always take a very child-centred, holistic approach and I like to work in a non-directive way. This means that clients can choose to express themselves in their own way and in their own time, gradually bringing their problems out into the open at a pace that feels comfortable to them. This is often done through the safety of metaphor, which play and art can provide e.g. through the use of symbolic miniature figures and objects.
Clients can even play, create, sit or move around in silence if they wish to. Clients can choose whether or not (and how) they use any of the materials or toys in the room. Their choices are always respected.
However, there are also opportunities to work on specific problems with a more direct approach if this is something that the client prefers.
Of course, clients are always free to talk through their problems openly, if they feel comfortable to do so.
Clients will be able to choose from media (which I will provide) such as:
Paints
Crayons
Paper (and various craft materials)
Clay
Foam
Play-dough
Water
Musical instruments
Construction toys (like Lego)
Sand-tray
Symbolic miniatures and figures
Dolls’ houses
Board games
Guided imagery
Relaxation techniques
Drama
Puppetry
Movement (such as yoga ball for self-regulation)
Therapeutic stories -which can be written especially for a client around their specific issues.
