Play is the young child’s language and toys are their words. Play helps children make sense of their world, express their feelings, learn new skills, and heal after traumatic events.

Play Therapy is the foundation of our work with children at Center for Child Counseling, underlying all the interventions we use to help children and even teens work through trauma, loss, grief, and other circumstances that impact mental health and well-being.

A wealth of research shows that play expands self-expression, self-knowledge, self-actualization, and self-efficacy. Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom, connects us to people in a positive way, stimulates creative thinking and exploration, regulates our emotions, and boosts our ego (Landreth, 2002). In addition, play allows us to practice skills and roles needed for survival. Learning and development are best fostered through play (Russ, 2004).