The art of living does not consist of preserving
and
clinging
to a
particular
mood of
happiness...
But in
allowing
happiness
to
change
its
form.
Happiness, like a child, must be
allowed to
grow
up.
Charles L.
Morgan
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Play
Therapy
Children usually enjoy coming to play
therapy
because
play
is
the
natural
language
of
children.
So
play is
their
most
effective
means
of
communication.
Through
play,
a
child
learns
about
the
world,
they
experiment
with
various
behaviors
and
they
work
through
their
deepest
feelings
and
worries.
Developmentally, children
under
the
age
of
10
do
not
have
the
abstract
reasoning
skills
or
complex
verbal
abilities
that
an
adult
has
developed.
Kids
can
actually
have
an
expansive
vocabulary
and still not
have
the
ability
to
accurately
put
feelings
into
words.
Its just
a
physical
attribute
of
brain
development
rather
than
related
to
being
smart.
So
when
your
child
is
trying
to
process
difficult
feelings,
play
therapy
has
proven
to
be a
very
effective
way
to
bring
resolution
and
balance
back
to
your
child
and
family.
What is
Play
Therapy?
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A play therapy
session
is
a
place
where
your
youngster
is
able
to
work
through
various
challenges
they
are
having,
whether
they
are
large
issues
or
small
ones.
Using
play,
talking
about
issues
directly
and
sometimes
incorporating
relaxation
techniques,
this
early
work
in
processing
their
perceptions
and
feelings
is
a
wonderful
way
to
prevent
your
child's
issues
from
expanding
into
bigger
struggles
later
in
life.
Issues Helped by Play
Therapy
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Overall, you might consider
incorporating
a
few
sessions
of
play
therapy
whenever
your
child
is
trying
to
manage
any
transition
that
they
perceive
as
especially
difficult
or
frightening.
The
key
concept
here
is
observing
how
the
child
is
reacting,
rather
than thinking
they
"should"
be
able
to
handle
something
based
solely
on
their
chronological
age.
Even
if
you
feel
that your
child
is
"just
trying
to
get
attention",
below
the
surface,
their
behavior
has
a
very
important
message
at
the
root
of
it
all.
That
is
the
goal
of
our
play
therapy
work.
To discover
what
your
child
is really
trying
to
tell
us
through
their
behaviors.
Here
are a
few
of
the
many
issues
that
can
be
helped
through therapeutic
play.
-
Conflicts
with
peers -
Managing
transitions of divorce
-
Adjusting
to
a
new
school -
Shyness,
withdrawal
and
isolation
-
Not
talking
in
social
settings -
Fears medical
exams/procedures
-
Anger
and
Aggression -
Demanding controlling
behaviors
-
Not
trying
or
apathy -
Lying
and
stealing
-
Having
tantrums -
Acting
much
younger
than age
-
Doesn't listen
to
you
-
Fear
of
separating
from
parents
-
Grieving the
loss
of
a
pet -
Frequent
crying
or
whining
TOP
Knowing When to Call . . . . . .
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A
child
might
need
play
therapy
if
there
have
been
one
or
more
recent
changes
or
a
crisis
in
the
family.
Large
changes
are
easier
to
understand,
but
even
small
changes
can
be
surprisingly
challenging
for
children.
Look
for
clues
for
the
presence
of
stress.
They
can
show
up
as acting-out
behaviors,
general
irritability,
withdrawal
behaviors
or
becoming
clingy.
If
there
are
noticeable
changes
in
their
behaviors
in
general
or
if
they
start
acting
younger
than
they
usually
do,
they
might
be experiencing
some
stress.
It
is
also
very
helpful
to consider
coming
in
for
a
few
sessions
as
a
preventative
measure
when
you
know
that
something
stressful
will
be
coming
up.
This
works
well
with
doctor
visits,
starting
at
a
new
school
and
other
unavoidable
situations
that
are
on
your
calendar.
Common
Stressors
for
Children
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Children are usually pretty
flexible,
but
that
doesn't
mean
that
they
are
not
stressed by
challenging
situations.
For
example,
because
they
might
go
off
to
play
right
after
their
parent's
have
a
loud
argument
we
often
mistakenly
interpret
that
as
meaning they
were
not
affected
negatively
by
the
event. But
they
are
definitely
affected
by
the
intense
emotions
that
are
around
them.
Here
are
a
few
examples
of
things
that
are
commonly
stressful
for
a
child.-
Parents
not sharing
much
undivided
attention with
their
child.
-
Child's
difficulty
regulating feelings
in
high
stimulation
environments.
-
Fears
of
being
abandoned by parents
when
parents
are
busy.
-
Divorced
parents,
children
struggle
with feeling
divided loyalty.
-
Custody
issues
and
the
challenges
of
living
in
two
households.
-
Using
food
as
a
way
to
self-soothe.
- Family
members
or
others
yelling and
high intensity
conflicts.
-
The
multiple
layers
and
questions
of
what
it
means
to
be
adopted.
What Play
Therapists
Do .
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Therapists who specialize in play
therapy
receive specific
training
related
to
understanding
and
de-coding
the
metaphors
of
a
child's
play.
The
therapist
provides
a
variety
of
carefully
selected
toys
and
activities
based
on
the
child's
needs.
This
gives
the
child
an
opportunity
to
play
out
their
feelings
and
any
difficulties
they
might
be
struggling
with.
There
are
many
parenting
skills
that
the
play
therapist
can
pass
along
to
you
as
well.
These
techniques are
derived
from
techniques
used in
our
sessions.
So
part
of
the
work
we
do
at
here
at
Wellspring
is
to
share
this
valuable
information
with
parents.
We
also
model
how
to
use
these
techniques
during
our
sessions
with
parents
and
their
child.
This
makes
it
much
easier
to
understand
and
implement
these strategies later
when
you
get
home.
What a Session
Looks
Like .
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A
play
therapy
session
looks
similar
to
regular
play
at
first
glance,
but
it
actually
has
many
complex
layers
below
the
surface.
As
you
take
a
closer
look,
you
might see
that
the
therapist
creates
an
environment
which
invites
the
child
to
play
out
and
talk
about
their
concerns.
Depending
on
the
child's
specific
needs,
we
might
use
various
toys,
games,
drawing,
clay,
music,
colage,
sand
play, stuffed animals, writing, making
books
or
we
might
use several
of
Wellspring's
projective
storybooks
called
"Guess What Happened Next?".
With most issues, the
child
generally
chooses
from
a
variety
of
activities
through
which
through
which
they
process
their
feelings.
The
therapist
paces
with
their
needs,
looks
for
clues
to
the
root
of
the
behaviors
and
provides
corrective
outcomes
to
guide
the
child
through
the
healing
process.
The
timing
of
quiet
moments
for
the
child
to
process
difficult
feelings,
the
careful
wording
of
questions
and
comments,
then
knowing
the
most
effective time
to
challenge
the
child's
problematic
perceptions
is
vital
in
the
play
therapy
process.
Much
of
the
talking
in
a
session
is
done
through
the
metaphors
found
in
the
child's
play.
Since
the
majority
of
young
children
have
the
ability
to
receive
verbal
information
more
effectively
than
they
are
able
to
express
themselves
through
words,
we
use
their
receptive
abilities
in
our
work
with
them.
The child is frequently able to comprehend
concepts
even
when
they
are
unable
to
verbalize
them.
Therefore,
the
play
therapist
models
the
idea
of
putting
feelings
into
words
so
they
have
the
opportunity
to
further
develop
this
important
life-long
skill.
TOP
Tips to Try . . . . . .
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Create a
Positive
Interaction
Cycle
With
Your
Child
What
is
this? A
Positive
Interaction
Cycle
occurs when
a
parent,
or
other
caretaker,
provides
a
variety
of
stimulating
experiences
for
the
child
as
they
spend
relaxed
time
together.
Its
a
mutually
beneficial
process
of
positively
interacting
with
each
other.
In
addition
to
the
wonderful
feelings
this
generates,
it
also
reduces
acting
out
behaviors
and
increases
intellectual
development!
These
stimulating
experiences
are
intended
to
involve
the
full
range
of your
senses
and
they
provide
an
opportunity
for
mutual
exploration
and
child-directed
play. But
please
hold
back
on
the
tendency
to
slip
into
the
lecture-teacher
mode.
Kids
don't
feel
connected
with
you
when
you
do
this
and
they
don't
usually
enjoy
it. Instead,
provide
a
safe
open
place
that
gives
the
child's
joyfully
creative
mind the
opportunity to
soar
and
explore!
Some
example
activities
might
be
:
1. Set
up
a
relaxed
time
where
you
can
taste
a
variety
of
foods
which
have
different textures,
colors
or
temperatures.
Or
maybe foods
that
taste sour,
sweet,
bitter
or
salty.
How
does
each
food
smell?
How
does
it
sound
when
they
chew
each
bit?
You
can
invite
them
to
briefly
describe how each
piece
of
food
feels
to
their
fingers
when
they
hold
it
or
to
their
tongue
when
they
chew
it.
2. Plan
an
activity
where
you
put
different
textured
items
in
a
bag
and
the
child
tries
to
guess
what
it
is, learning
how
to
put
feelings
into
words
as
they
describe
the
texture.
3. Do
things
that
involve
moving
their
big
muscles
like
running,
skipping,
jumping,
stretching,
balancing or
climbing.
And
other
activities
that
involve
their
fine
motor
skills
like
drawing
or
making
something
together.
4. Go
outside
and
listen
to
nature
sounds and
city
sounds
and
talk
about
what
you
hear.
While
learning
to
be mindful
about what
you
and
your
child
are
experiencing
in
that
moment
you
are
also
helping
the
child
learn
how
to
put
feelings
into
words
so
they
can
communicate
and
connect
with
others
and
with
themself.
Forming
healthy
adult-child
bonds,
especially
in
the
earliest
days
of
life,
is
a
reciprocal
experience.
The
adult
and
child
each
influences
the
actions
of
the
other
and
both
are
enriched
a
great
deal.
Lively
social
interactions
are
one
of
the
most
important
parts
of
parenting.
The
more
social
interactions
a
child
has,
the
more
strongly
attached
he/she
becomes
to
that
person
and
the
more
likely
he/she
is
to
feel
lovable
and
worthwhile.
These
are
important
components
of
self-esteem.
Your
ability
to
create
a
Positive
Interaction
Cycle
is
a
very
effective
way
to of
generating
emotional
health
in
your
family. It
might
take
a
little
practice
to
become
comfortable
with
this
relaxed
explorative
play,
but
it
can
bring
you
and
your
child
such joy.
I
hope
you'll
give
it
a
try!
TOP
Note :
The use of this web site or
email
link
does
not
in
any
way imply
a patient-therapist
relationship.
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No More Phone Tag!
*
Meetings are in the
office
with
masks
and
distancing.
*
Personal
Check
Receipt
provided
for
insurance
Private
Pay Patients
For maximum
confidentiality
and
treatment
options,
use private
pay.
None of your personal
treatment information
is
required by
insurance
and
you
are free
to
decide
your
own course of
therapy to
best
meet
your
needs.
Bring a check
and
have
that
ready
at
the
beginning
of
each
session.
A
receipt
can
be
given
if you would like to submit that to
your
insurance
for
reimbursement.
In-Network Patients
Bring a check for the
full
fee with
your
first
session, and have that ready at
the
beginning
of
the
appointment. The amount will be
adjusted
after
your
insurance
has determined their coverage
amount.
After
providing
your insurance
ID
and
date
of
birth,
our office verifies your benefits
and your
appointment
will
be
confirmed.
Please contact
your
insurance
to
determine
your
copay
and
if
an authorization is required.
Note that insurance requires
clinical
information
about
you
and imposes
limitations on
your
treatment.
Out-of-Network Patients
Receive reimbursement directly from
your
insurance by
submitting
the receipt
provided
by
our
office. Please contact
your
insurance
for details
about
your
coverage.
Bring a check and have that ready
at
the
beginning
of
each
session.
We have helpful submission
tips,
office
receipts
for patients
who use
their
insurance
out-of-network.
Monthly
Payments
Individuals
and
families
with
very
busy
schedules
sometimes use
a
monthly payment
schedule
to
streamline
the
process
even
further.
24-Hour
Cancellation
Your appointments are very important and they
require
a full
24-Hour
notice
in
order
to
release
your
financial
obligation.
If
you
use
insurance,
please
note
that
they
will
not
cover missed
sessions
or
late
cancellations.
These
remain
your
financial
obligation.
Call our office to determine which
billing
method
will
work
best
for you.
Contact
Us
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Us
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We have only this
moment...
Sparkling
like a
star in
our
hand...
And
melting
like a
snowflake.
Let
us use it
before
it
is too
late.
Marie
Beynon
Ray
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