Play Therapy

What Is Play Therapy?

The ability to talk about ourselves and our feelings is a process that takes until adulthood. A child may not fully express their feelings, verbally, about what is happening in their lives, and more importantly, how it is affecting them. Children communicate through play using toys as their language. Play may offer a 'safe space' in which the child can explore their world.

Play Therapy is a term used for a group of techniques that a trained therapist uses to "hear" what a child is saying by the way they play. By understanding the symbols children use, the therapist can 'listen' to what the child is really saying and then help them to work through difficult emotions and cope with their problems.

Giving a child the opportunity to communicate enables them to gain more control over their feelings and anxieties. This doesn't just mean the child who is ill but is just as true for their brothers and sisters. Play Therapy is just as important for them. They too, may need to express their feelings and fears and can do so in the same safe, confidential environment.

Here at the Kids Cancer Charity, Play Therapy is also available to the brothers and sisters of the family who need us.