Talking can often leave children at a disadvantage when it comes to expressing thoughts and feelings because verbal communication may not come as naturally to them. This is where the intervention of play therapy can create significant benefits in helping children cope with difficult emotions, find solutions to problems, and to gain reparative experiences. Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children*. It best matches a child or teen’s developmental level and allows for discharge of distressing feelings, safe expression of their inner world, development of respect and acceptance of self, and social skill development. Through the unique play therapy relationship, a child will increase their self-efficacy as they discover their own 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.”

* Carmichael, 2006; Landreth, 2002; O’Connor & Schaefer, 1983