Play therapy isn't just play

One of the reasons I love doing play therapy is because I get to play!  I get to act silly, laugh, dance, sing, draw, go on scavenger hunts and play all kinds of games.  This isn't all I am doing, however.  I am actually using an intervention that is very therapeutic for kids!  Most kids don't realize they are even being "counseled."  This is on purpose.  I get to see the child for who he really is, not someone he is supposed to be.  What child can answer why he is acting or feeling a certain way anyhow?  Asking that question is like asking me to do complex algebraic equations.  I would answer you with a long, blank stare.  The same goes for kids.  I very rarely ask a child to tell me why he was punching his brother or feeling sad.  Instead of asking, we get to playing.  It is amazing the answers I find when I get down on a child's level.   In this way, I begin seeing the world through the child's eyes and he communicates with me all kinds of things.  This  happens because play is a child's language.  Children communicate and express themselves best without saying anything at all!  That dinosaur world he created isn't really imaginative, it is actually how he views his world, himself right now. He is either the king dinosaur standing on top of the castle or the one buried under the sand.    There is no need for me to ask how he feels, I already know.  A child gives me all kinds of clues like this during a session.  I oftentimes feel like a detective trying to figure it all out.  The type of activities a child chooses to play, how he plays them, what he says or doesn't say, even the colors he uses, the pictures he draws all tell me something.  While all this is going on, I am also playing the role of a cheerleader.  Hey, don't knock it.  I was one in high school you know.  As the child's cheerleader, I am encouraging him to put it all out there, knock those buildings down, even throw the toy if he wants to.  In the playroom different rules apply.  He can say and do what he wants.  He is the one who is in control.  This sense of control is so empowering to kids! It builds confidence and gives freedom!  How often is a child allowed to really be who he is and do what he desires?  We adults spend most of our time telling kids what to do, how to do it, where & when they should do it.  Rarely do they get to call the shots.  Because of this difference, play therapy builds trust & mastery.  Kids learn what they are good at through creative thinking!  Confidence grows! They also learn how to solve problems on their own!  They get to think through things without having an adult tell them what to do.  I am still amazed at the positive conclusions they most always find.  I see bridges being built, two sides compromising, dinosaurs becoming unburied.  At this point, we turn on the music and dance! Maybe you will hear it coming through the walls while sitting in the waiting room.  We are celebrating success.  We dance because hope has been found, lessons have been learned, seeds have been planted, hearts healed!  Play therapy isn't just play. It is sooo much more.