YOUTH COUNSELING
YOUTH COUNSELING IN CHAMPAIGN, URBANA AND MATTOON ILLINOIS
Parenting is a challenging world to live in especially when your child is not feeling understood. As a result, it can add layers of stress and difficulty. We are here to help through those tough times and help your child communicate beyond the tantrums. With 30+ therapists in Champaign, Urbana, and Mattoon will match you with a therapist that fits your unique needs. Whether you’re experiencing those tantrums from a toddler, your child rebelling, or a change in life that affects them.
Therapy can be very effective for children and teens, especially when therapeutic rapport gets established between the therapist and child. However, talking can often leave children at a disadvantage when expressing thoughts and feelings. This is because verbal communication may not come as naturally to them. Therefore, play therapy intervention can create significant benefits in helping children cope with difficult emotions, find solutions to problems, and gain reparative experiences.
ABOUT PLAY THERAPY
The power of play is often used in youth counseling to help achieve growth and resolve difficulties.
BACKED BY RESEARCH
Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children*.
* Carmichael, 2006; Landreth, 2002; O’Connor & Schaefer, 1983
IT CREATES A SAFE SPACE
It best matches a child or teen’s developmental level. It allows for the discharge of distressing feelings, safe expression of their inner world, respect and acceptance of self, and social skill development.
IT IS UNIQUE TO YOUR CHILD
Through the unique play therapy relationship, a child will increase their self-efficacy as they discover their strengths and find alleviation from distressing thoughts and feelings. When children feel better about themselves, they will behave in more self-enhancing ways.
In terms of how informative play can be of a child’s inner experience, Plato sums it up beautifully, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
PLATO