Frequently asked questions

A Registered Play Therapist™  has specialized training beyond standard licensure to understand and utilize play techniques effectively, which takes an additional two years of specific coursework, supervision, and practice before they can receive certification.  After that, ongoing training is required on a regular basis to maintain RPT certification.  Often therapists who work with children will say they do "play therapy" but haven't had this specialized training.  It's important to ask about this RPT credential when you interview potential therapists for your child to make sure they know how to properly help your child heal and grow.

"Play is the language of children and toys are their words," as Garry Landreth, a famous child-centered play therapist once said.  When a child engages in free play, their play is enjoyable and play is their natural way of exploring their world.  When a child engages in child-centered play therapy, they are joined in their play by a mental health professional who knows how to observe play and engage intentionally with child clients with therapeutic techniques.  While sometimes play therapy is enjoyable, often it is not, as children are working hard in play therapy to resolve social, emotional, or behavioral challenges.  Play therapy is serious work for children, much like talk therapy is for adults!

After your child gets comfortable in the playroom and develops a trusting relationship with their play therapist, you will notice changes start to happen in your child.  At first, caregivers often panic because problem behaviors can increase for a while as children feel comfortable enough to start working through deeper feelings and issues.  Usually after a month or two, the intensity of children's behavior decreases (e.g. fewer or less intense emotional meltdowns or limit testing), and some positive behaviors slowly start to emerge (e.g. verbally expressing feelings, showing more self-agency).  It's important to remember that behavior change takes time, and it's important to trust the therapeutic process and the child's own pace for healing and growth.  Regular attendance in therapy is also key for play therapy to work.

While this is something parents and caregivers ask, this unintentionally sets the expectation for children that play therapy should be enjoyable.  The playroom is a safe space where children often play out and work through difficult and intense emotions, so it's important not to confuse or possibly undermine the child's therapeutic work by making them think play therapy should be fun.  Instead, it would be more helpful for a parent or caregiver to say something like, "This is your time and you can play however you need to."

Usually.  Generally speaking, caregivers seek therapy for their children to treat a diagnosable mental health condition.  This can only be treated by a mental health professional.  Just as children sometimes need to miss school to see a doctor or dentist, sometimes therapists have limited availability and the caregiver may need to prioritize their child's mental health and seek therapy during the school day.  Therapy is considered to be a medical appointment and should count as an "excused" absence by the school.  It makes sense to prioritize mental health when a child is struggling their their emotional, social, and behavioral health so much that it gets in the way of their ability to learn academics.  After a period of receiving treatment, children are often better able to focus on learning, engage in social relationships, and feel more positive about school.  In the long run, prioritizing mental health treatment allows kids to enjoy and be more engaged in school.