Clear Minded
Counseling
Elly Keller, MA, LPC-MH, NCC
Owner & Clinical Therapist
Play Therapy
Sometimes Children Need Help Expressing What They Feel
Children don't always have the words to explain what's bothering them. Big feelings, difficult experiences, and changes in their lives can show up through behavior, play, or struggles at home, daycare, and school.
Play therapy gives children a safe, supportive space to express themselves, work through challenges, and develop skills for managing their emotions. You don't have to know exactly what's wrong to reach out for help.
What is Play Therapy?
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Play is one of the main ways children communicate and make sense of the world around them. When children are struggling with big feelings or difficult experiences, they may not have the words to explain what they're going through.
Play therapy uses toys, games, art, and imaginative play to help children express feelings, work through challenges, and develop healthy ways to cope. With the support of a trained therapist, children can explore their experiences in a safe, supportive environment.
Over time, play therapy can help children better understand their emotions, build coping skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more confident navigating everyday challenges.
What Does Play Therapy Look Like?
Play therapy sessions provide children with a supportive environment to express themselves, explore feelings, and work through challenges using toys, games, art, and imaginative play.
Play therapy is typically child-led, meaning children are given the freedom to choose how they play and what they explore within a safe, supportive environment. Rather than directing children to talk about a specific event or answer particular questions, the therapist follows the child's lead and uses the therapeutic relationship and play to support emotional awareness, coping skills, relationships, and healthy development.
What play therapy isn't: Play therapy is not an investigative interview or forensic evaluation, and it is not a way to determine whether abuse has occurred or establish exactly what happened during a specific event. While play therapy may support children who have experienced trauma, sexual abuse, divorce, or other difficult experiences, the goal is to support the child's emotional well-being—not to investigate or verify what happened.
If your primary concern is suspected abuse, determining what happened, or obtaining a specialized evaluation related to a traumatic event, a different or additional service may be needed. We can help you explore the type of support that best fits your child's needs.
Specialized Training Matters
Play therapy is more than simply playing with a child. It is a specialized therapeutic approach that requires training to understand how children communicate through play and how to use play to support their emotional and behavioral needs.
Play therapy isn't simply providing toys, keeping a child entertained, or letting them play without therapeutic purpose. A trained play therapist uses the child's play, the therapeutic relationship, and developmentally appropriate interventions to help children express feelings, work through experiences, and develop new skills.
Our play therapy team includes Registered Play Therapists (RPTs) and RPT-Supervisees. RPTs have met the requirements for the Registered Play Therapist credential, while RPT-Supervisees are working toward that credential under qualified supervision.
We believe children deserve care from providers who understand the therapeutic process behind play and how to use it thoughtfully to support each child's needs.
Could Play Therapy Be a Good Fit for My Child?
Children don't always have the words to explain what they're feeling or what they're going through. Play therapy may help when a child is experiencing emotional, behavioral, social, or adjustment difficulties.
Play therapy may be helpful for children who:
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Struggle with anxiety, worry, or big emotions
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Have difficulty expressing feelings or communicating their needs
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Are experiencing grief, loss, or significant family changes
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Have experienced stressful or traumatic events
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Struggle with self-esteem, friendships, or social skills
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Show changes in behavior that may reflect underlying emotional needs
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Need support adjusting to changes at home, school, daycare, or in their relationships
Every child is different, and play therapy isn't the right approach for every concern. If you're unsure whether it's a good fit, we're happy to discuss your child's needs and help you explore your options.
Our play therapy brochure offers more information about how play therapy works and how it can support your child.
Not Sure Whether PCIT or Play Therapy Is Right for Your Child?
PCIT and play therapy can both help children who are struggling, but they work in different ways.
PCIT focuses on strengthening the parent-child relationship, improving challenging behaviors, and helping parents respond effectively to their child's emotions and behavior. Parents take an active role in sessions and receive live coaching from their therapist.
Play Therapy gives children a supportive space to express feelings, explore experiences, develop coping skills, and work through emotional or behavioral challenges through play.
Sometimes, one approach is a better fit than the other. In some situations, both approaches may be helpful. The best starting point depends on your child's needs, your family's goals, and the concerns bringing you to therapy.
You don't have to figure it out alone. We're happy to talk with you about your child's needs and help you explore which approach may be the best fit.