Kids Who Need Play Therapy

Our little ones do not posses the vocabulary to explain their emotions, their experiences or their fears. Therefore Play Therapy can serve as a communicative platform for them to express their needs and process their experiences in a safe way. These are a few situations where Play Therapy can be most helpful in helping your child heal.

Children who would benefit from Play Therapy

Play therapists in South Africa can work with children who face a range of challenges and difficulties, including:

1. Trauma and abuse: Children who have experienced trauma, such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, or exposure to violence, can benefit from play therapy.
   

2. Behavioral problems: Children who struggle with behavior problems, such as defiance, aggression, or impulsivity, can benefit from play therapy.
   

3. Anxiety and depression: Children who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression can benefit from play therapy.
   

4. Attention and hyperactivity difficulties: Children who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or other attention difficulties can benefit from play therapy.
   

5. Grief and loss: Children who have experienced a significant loss, such as the death of a loved one, can benefit from play therapy.
   

6. Autism spectrum disorder: Children on the autism spectrum can benefit from play therapy, as it can help them improve their social and emotional skills.
   

7. Family issues: Children who are experiencing family conflict or other family-related difficulties can benefit from play therapy.

These are some of the situations that a play therapist can work with in children in South Africa. Play therapy can be an effective intervention for addressing a range of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns, and it can help children build resilience, develop coping skills, and improve their overall well-being.

The Limits of Play Therapists

It is important to bring your child for play therapy while having the right expectations from your counsellor or play therapist. These are a few things that a play therapist cannot do for your child:

1. Play Therapists do not diagnose:

It is out of the scope of practice for a play therapist to diagnose a child with a specific disorder or disability, diagnosis is only for trained professionals in psychiatry, educational psychology, occupational therapy and medicine. A Play therapist can make a referral to these professionals.

2. Play Therapists cannot prescribe medication:

It is not legal for practitioners outside of the field of medicine to prescribe any medications.

3. Play Therapists do not settle legal matters:

Play therapists typically do not get involved in court cases if not subpoenaed to do so, therefore it will not be appropriate to assume that your play therapist will be involved in any legal matters related to a child's custody, divorce matters or abuse matters. They also do not typically write formal reports for court cases.

4. Most Play Therapists only do informal assessments:

Please note that specific training is required in specific fields of study to be able to do formal, forensic and psychological assessments on children, therefore if you want a specific assessment done on your child you need to confirm the abilities and qualifications of the assessor. Play therapists can do informal assessments to be able to refer to the right professional.

It is important to have an open discussion with your play therapist about their skills, abilities and training to know exactly what you can expect from your therapist as well as their therapeutic process involving your child's situation.

Play therapy is definitely not a magic wand that "fixes" any child or situation - like counselling, it is a process and it takes hard work and commitment. A dedicated and passionate play therapist can make the worlds difference in working with a dysregulated child. We need to support one another and trust the process of healing. Healing takes time and patience is key for every parent's contribution to the process.