Is my therapist a play therapist?

So, how do you know if your therapist is a play therapist? 

A play therapist must have received specialized training in play therapy and working with children.  After extensive training the counselor then receives the credentials of a Registered Play Therapist.  Therefore, the letters RPT will show up as part of their credentialing. 

There are many therapists that work with children, and that do a great job, but are not play therapists.  Playing games with children and interacting with them using dolls and puppets is playing, however it is not always play therapy.  It is important to be informed about the methods that your therapist is using.

Play therapy is empirically based (proven through research) and shown to be an effective method of counseling children and families (and even grown ups). 

If you have further questions regarding what play therapy means you can check out the resources page of this blog or other posts.

Play Therapy Best Practice

I want each person that comes to Necessary Play to have a positive experience of counseling and play therapy.  This article is from the Association of Play Therapy website and is 21 pages long, however it contains a lot of helpful information for families and parents that are either in counseling or considering it.  The article is also a good reminder for current therapists about the practice we are keeping.  Being informed about your child's counseling is important to the healing process.

Play Therapy Best Practice

Pretend Play

I am passionate about play and the power behind play.  Children naturally figure out the world through play.  As a counselor, I believe in this developmental need and in using a child's language to promote healing and meet their needs that are presented in counseling.

Here is a great post about pretend play in child development.
http://www.creativitypost.com/education/the_need_for_pretend_play_in_child_development