What play therapy actually is
Children don’t always have the words. Often, the things they need to express — a fear, a frustration, a confusion about something that’s happened — come out in play long before they come out in conversation.
Play therapy is a trained therapeutic approach in which a child works through their experience using toys, art, sand trays, role-play, and other expressive materials. The therapist follows the child’s lead, holds the space, and where appropriate, gently shapes the work.
It’s not “letting a child play while a therapist watches.” It’s a careful, attuned process — one that can reach children whose distress is below the surface, or whose language hasn’t caught up to their emotions.
Who play therapy is for
You might be reading this if:
- Your child has been through a difficult event (a loss, a transition, a hospitalisation, a separation)
- They’re showing emotional or behavioural changes you can’t quite name (more anger, more withdrawal, more fear)
- A school or paediatrician has suggested emotional support
- You suspect there’s something going on inside, but they can’t tell you what
- They’re young — often 4 to 8 — and traditional talk therapy isn’t a fit
- They’re navigating a developmental difference that’s affecting them emotionally as well as practically
Children don’t need a “diagnosis” or a specific event for play therapy to help. Sometimes it’s just the right space for a child to process being a child.
What a play therapy session looks like
Sessions are usually 45 minutes, in a dedicated play therapy room. The room itself is part of the work — its shelves, its materials, its predictability.
The child chooses what to engage with. The therapist is fully present, watches closely, and reflects back — sometimes verbally, sometimes simply by being a steady presence. The child sets the pace.
What happens in the room often looks small from the outside. A repeated theme in the sand tray. A character that keeps getting buried. A drawing returned to week after week. The therapist tracks it carefully. The child works it through.
How we approach play therapy
Confidentiality, with a parent’s place protected. What a child does in the room is largely private — that’s part of what makes it safe. The therapist meets with parents regularly and shares themes and observations, without breaking the trust of the room.
Senior-led, slow, attuned. Play therapy is one of the most senior-dependent modalities. Junior practitioners can over-direct or miss what’s happening. Our play therapy is led by senior therapists with extensive training and experience.
No medication of feelings. Children come into the room sometimes angry, sometimes sad, sometimes scared. We don’t try to make those feelings go away. We help the child find a shape for them.
What you can expect
Pace. Play therapy is one of the slower-feeling modalities. Sessions are weekly. Visible “results” — calmer behaviours, fewer outbursts, clearer expression — often emerge over months.
Reports. Less data-heavy than other modalities. Reports describe themes and progress in narrative form.
PTMs. Regular parent meetings to share what’s happening at the level of theme and progress, while protecting the privacy of the room.
What we don’t promise. Quick fixes, behavioural targets met on a schedule, or a “cure” for difficult feelings. We promise a careful space, a senior therapist’s attention, and the kind of slow, real work that sticks.
Frequently asked
Is play therapy just playing? No. The therapist is trained to read what a child expresses through play, to hold the space, and to respond therapeutically. The play looks ordinary from the outside, and that’s part of why it works.
Will my child tell me what happens in there? Maybe a little, maybe nothing. The privacy is part of what makes the space useful. The therapist meets with you regularly to share themes — at a level that protects what needs to stay private.
Can play therapy run alongside ABA or OT? Yes. Many children we see are in both. The play therapy adds something the others don’t — space for what’s emotional, ambiguous, or hard to name.
My child is 9 — too old? Not necessarily. Play therapy adapts as children get older — more drawing, role-play, narrative work, less imaginative free-play. The senior therapist will recommend whether this or another approach fits better.
Will I be in the room? Generally not. The room’s privacy is part of the therapy. Exceptions are sometimes made for very young children settling in.