Helpful information for children
A Play Therapist is someone who is trained to help children who are finding life difficult. A Doctor would help you if you hurt your leg or had a sore throat, but a Play Therapist helps children who are hurting on the inside, with their feelings.
It can be hard for children to talk about their feelings and then they might not know what to do with them so they might become angry, cry or become very quiet. A Play Therapist will try to help you feel better by playing with you so you can show how you feel with the toys or art materials without having to talk. Playing can sometimes make it easier to talk too.
Your Play Therapist will meet the people who know you best to find out about what might be troubling you. Then you and your Play Therapist will meet once a week for 45 minutes in a play room which has been specially set up for you to play in. Over a number of weeks, you will be able to get to know your play therapist.
Your Play Therapist will talk to you about how your sessions will just between the two of you. They would only need to tell other adults if they felt you were not safe and would let you know if they needed to do this.
Only if you want to. You can talk with family and friends about what you do in the play room but you don't have to. You can also show them any pictures you have drawn or art you have made if you want to. Or you may want to keep them private.
