TELEHEALTH AND PLAY THERAPY

EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR CHILD’S TREATMENT

The need for quality and effective mental health services has increased more than ever.

This is also true for children and adolescents in our communities, as children are spending more time inside, are away from social supports, experience increases in stress, anxiety, and depression, and are having access issues to education. Childhood abuse and trauma experience rates are higher now than before, as well. The need is very much present for kids, and then the question is how can we access these services while staying safe and socially distant?

Therapists around the world and here at Elliott Counseling Group have poured time and resources into finding a solution to this question, in order to provide quality mental health services for children and teens. We ensure that our therapists have access to telehealth trainings, an abundance of resources that will be utilized with your child in their sessions, and that they are receiving consistent consultation with a supervisor surrounding the provision of tele-play therapy services.

What will your child’s session look like?

In face-to-face services provided at our office, your child would be working with the therapist utilizing a variety of play therapy approaches to increase emotional regulation, teach coping strategies, increase positive social skills, and process difficult experiences. Non-directive and directive therapeutic approaches are utilized most often. Non-directive approach means that child is provided with various toys and play items for processing and expression, and the session is client-led in terms of how they express themselves within the parameters set in the session.  Directive approaches include games, art therapy exercises, psycho-educational videos all with the purpose of educating the child about their emotions and mental health, teaching coping strategies, and eliciting healthy emotional expression.

We work hard to ensure that these non-directive and directive interventions can still be utilized within the context of video sessions.

      So how does this work?

      Accessing The Session

      Elliott Counseling Group provides access to online, video sessions through an easy-to-use, HIPAA compliant service called Thera-link. These sessions can be accessed through your email, and our Client Care team works with you to set this up before your first appointment.

      Meeting The Therapist

      You will meet with your child’s therapist for the first session one-on-one, so that the therapist can gather all necessary information and provide you with more information about what future sessions will look like.

      Get The Most Out Of The Session

      You will set your child up at home in a quiet, private space with minimal distractions.

      The First Session

      During the first session, your therapist will review a list of recommended materials ​to help your child get the most out of therapy, which may include various toys, art supplies, games, or worksheets that can be printed for the session.

      Accessing Materials

      We work hard to ensure that these materials are online when possible, cost-effective or free, and easily accessible

      Play Therapy Kits

      We also have Play Therapy Kits available for purchase at our office, which will have all of your necessary materials in one easy package

      Supporting The Process

      Your child’s therapist may ask to meet with you periodically throughout treatment or meet for parent-child sessions to create a stronger routine in what is being done in therapy.

      Is tele-play therapy effective?

      With the world’s big shift to tele-medicine as a whole in 2020, there is more and more research coming out that indicates telehealth medicine and therapy is highly effective. Some studies even suggest that for some kids and teens, telehealth medicine is more effective than in-person, due to the novelty of the services and this generations greater use and draw to technology. Take a look at some of the research HERE.

      Tele-play therapy has been shown to be effective with children/teens struggling with:

      • Anxiety/depression
      • Increased stress
      • Lowered self-esteem
      • Aggression
      • Difficulty interacting with peers/Peer conflict
      • Family conflict
      • Anger outbursts
      • School difficulties

      How do I get started?

      Elliott Counseling Group has offices in Champaign, Urbana, and Mattoon. With access to telehealth services, we are able to provide quality mental health to the Central Illinois region at large. Please give us a call at (217)398-9066 for a consultation with our Client Care team and to get you or your child’s therapy appointment scheduled.