Play is vital for every aspect of a child’s development: social, emotional, physical and cognitive. All too often in society, play is trivialized but play is how children learn about their world and how they fit into it. ‘Playfulness’ has been linked to good mental health, creativity, problem-solving ability and resilience.
Young children are not sufficiently developed to express themselves fully through speech, they communicate most effectively through play (where they can act out their experiences and feelings).
Amanda is a fully qualified and experienced Play Therapist, who offers a range of play-based therapy services, including Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Child Attachment and Play Assessment (CAPA), Clinical Supervision and bespoke training packages.
Play Therapy and Filial Therapy are specialized forms of counselling designed for children, where the toys act as the child’s words : they work at the child’s pace and developmental level. A qualified Play Therapist is trained to communicate with your child through the metaphor of their play, working with the characters in your child’s ‘stories’ offers your child a level of safety so that he or she does not feel threatened or interrogated.
List of what type of problems respond to Play and Filial Therapy?
• Low self-esteem
• Friendship difficulties
• Aggression and challenging behaviour
• Nightmares and sleep problems
• Anxiety and depression
• Bereavement and loss
• Worries about chronic health issues and toileting
• Trauma and abuse
• Attachment difficulties