Online And In Person Play And Art Therapy In Eureka, CA

What Is Play Therapy?

Play Therapy represents a unique form of counseling that is not only geared toward children, but is translated into a language children understand and use often- the language of play.

Play Therapy is a type of therapy designed for children ages 3- 12, but can also help those that are older and have difficulty expressing themselves. The therapist encourages the child to explore life events which often includes role playing using toys to represent the stressors or traumas they have been through and how they are coping .

Play Therapy as a form of trauma counseling can help children communicate, explore things that are hard to think about or put into words, address traumas, and help children grow and learn new skills.

It helps children:

• Become more responsible for behavior and develop better strategies.

• Develop respect and acceptance of self or others.

• Develop new and creative solutions to problems.

• Learn to experience and express emotions.

• Builds respect for the thoughts and feelings of others.

• Learn new social skills and relationship skills with family.

• Develop belief in their ability to cope with stressors.

Why Play?

Play is a fun, enjoyable activity that lifts our spirits and brightens our outlook on life. Play relieves feelings of stress, connects to others in a positive way, stimulates creativity and exploration, regulates our emotions, and boosts our belief in ourselves. It also allows us to practice skills and roles needed for life. Learning and development happen best through play.

Importance Of Play

Research shows play is an important part of healthy child development that takes place in the first five years and play contributes to the connections between brain cells. Play has a major role in learning, social skills, emotional development, and memory.

Research has also found that Play Therapy helps with Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Depression, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, anger management issues, crisis and trauma, grief and loss, divorce and separation issues, academic and social developmental issues, and physical and learning disabilities.

Play is especially important for healthy development of children who have experienced trauma. The effects of trauma tends to reside in the nonverbal parts of the brain (Hippocampus, Amygdala, Thalmus, and the Brain Stem), but the person’s capacity to talk about and process traumatic events is in the front part of the brain called the Frontal Lobes.

As a result, children affected by trauma or other negative life events may find it difficult to let others know they need help. The ability to role play or act it out rather than say it has been proven to be important and helpful to children so they can move traumatic memories from the nonverbal brain areas to the Frontal Lobes. This also helps to process trauma and transition it to long term memory where it no longer bothers us as much.

What To Expect

The parent or caregiver plays an important role in online and in person Play Therapy for children and their healing process. Children and families heal faster when they heal together in counseling. The play therapist will guide when and how to involve family members. Sometimes the caregiver may be regularly involved in counseling sessions to change how the child and caregiver are interacting or the whole family may be involved. Whatever the level of involvement, family plays an important role in the child’s healing. Our deepest hurts usually happen in our relationships, but so does our greatest healing. Arts and crafts, music, dancing, storytelling, and other tools may also be incorporated into Play Therapy. Online and in person Play Therapy usually occurs weekly for an average of 20 sessions in Eureka, CA.

If you are ready to move from being stressed, depressed, anxious, and feeling powerless to calm yourself or your child, to being confident in your ability to help yourself and your child, use the contact page to request your free 15 minute phone consultation for online or in person counseling in Eureka, CA.

Art Therapy

Online or in person Art Therapy involves the use of creative counseling techniques such as drawing, painting, collage, coloring, or sculpting to help people express themselves through art and examining the emotions and story behind the art. With the guidance of an art therapist, clients can come to a better understanding of their feelings and behavior so they can resolve deeper issues in therapy.

When Is It Helpful?

Online or in person Art Therapy helps children, teens, and adults explore their emotions, improves their belief in themselves, helps them manage addictions, relieves stress, improves symptoms of anxiety and depression, and helps them cope with a physical illness or disability.

No artistic talent is necessary for online or in person Art Therapy to succeed, because the process is not about artistic value, but about finding connections between creative choices made and a client’s inner world. The artwork can be used as a way of processing memories and telling stories that may reveal messages and beliefs from the mind that they aren’t aware of.

Online or in person Art Therapy has been used successfully with children with disabilities, adults experiencing severe stress, children with behavior or social problems at school or home, people with mental health issues, individuals suffering brain injuries, and children or adults who have experienced trauma.

Conditions it helps with are anxiety, depression, medical conditions, age related issues, PTSD, emotional difficulties, eating disorders, substance use, family or relationship problems, psychosocial issues, stress, and psychological symptoms associated with medical issues.

This is great for those that find it very difficult to express feelings verbally, both children and adults. Online or in person Art Therapy provides an outlet when words fail.

It helps clients identify coping strategies and internal strengths to begin the journey of healing. They may create collages of internal strengths.

Art builds grounding and coping skills by photographing pleasant objects. It can help tell the story of trauma by creating a photographic timeline.

Art safely gives voice to and makes a survivor’s experience of emotions, thoughts, and memories visible when words aren’t enough.

Creating art stimulates Dopamine which is a chemical that happens in the brain when we do something pleasurable and it basically makes us feel happier. Increased levels of this feel good neurotransmitter in the brain can be very helpful when battling depression and anxiety.

During art creation, you take yourself on a journey of self discovery that will help eliminate emotional roadblocks, and learn how to communicate with yourself and others.

If you are ready to move from being stressed, feeling stuck and unable to move forward, and feeling powerless to calm yourself or your child, to being confident in your ability to help yourself and your child, use the contact page to request your free 15 minute phone consultation for online or in person counseling in Eureka, CA.