Play Therapy

Sand Tray Therapy is one of the most powerful and gentle tools available in play therapy. Using a tray of sand and a collection of miniature figures, animals, people, buildings, and symbolic objects, children and adolescents are invited to create their own world — a world that reflects their inner experience in ways that words alone often cannot.

The sand tray becomes a safe container where feelings, fears, conflicts, and hopes can be expressed and explored symbolically. The therapist provides a non-directive, accepting presence, allowing the child to lead the process at their own pace.

Because Sand Tray Therapy does not require verbal expression, it is especially effective for children who have experienced trauma, have difficulty identifying or expressing emotions, or who feel overwhelmed by traditional talk-based approaches. The act of creating in the sand engages both hemispheres of the brain, supporting deeper processing and integration of difficult experiences.

Expressive Arts Therapy uses creative modalities — including drawing, painting, collage, clay, movement, music, storytelling, and journaling — as pathways to healing, self-expression, and personal growth. For children and adolescents, creative expression is often the most natural and accessible language available.

No artistic talent or experience is required. The focus is not on creating beautiful art, but on using the creative process as a means of exploring feelings, processing experiences, and developing a stronger sense of self.

Expressive Arts Therapy is grounded in the understanding that the creative process itself is healing. When children engage in art-making within a safe therapeutic relationship, they often access and process emotions and experiences that are difficult to reach through words alone. This approach is particularly valuable for children who have experienced trauma, as it allows healing to occur without requiring them to verbally recount painful experiences.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most well-researched and effective therapeutic approaches available for children and adolescents. CBT helps young people understand the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors — and learn practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns.

In play therapy settings, CBT techniques are adapted to be developmentally appropriate and engaging. Therapists use games, stories, art, and playful activities to teach children how to identify and challenge negative thinking patterns, develop healthy coping strategies, and build confidence in their ability to manage difficult emotions and situations.

CBT for children is collaborative, skills-based, and empowering. Children learn tools they can use not just in therapy, but in their everyday lives — at home, at school, and in their relationships.

Emotional regulation — the ability to understand, manage, and express emotions in healthy ways — is one of the most important skills a child can develop. Many children who struggle with anxiety, anger, behavioral challenges, or trauma have nervous systems that have not yet developed the capacity to regulate strong emotions effectively.

Play therapy provides a rich environment for building emotional regulation skills. Through play, children learn to identify and name their emotions, understand the connection between feelings and behaviors, develop healthy coping strategies, and practice self-soothing and calming techniques in a safe and supportive setting.

Our therapists draw from a range of evidence-based approaches — including Polyvagal Theory, mindfulness-based techniques, and somatic awareness — to help children develop a stronger relationship with their own emotional experience. Over time, children gain greater confidence in their ability to navigate big feelings without becoming overwhelmed or acting out.

Children who have experienced trauma — whether from abuse, neglect, loss, family violence, accidents, medical procedures, or other overwhelming events — often carry the impact of those experiences in their bodies, behaviors, and relationships long after the event has passed.

Play therapy is uniquely suited to trauma work with children because it meets them where they are developmentally. Rather than requiring children to verbally recount painful experiences, play therapy allows healing to occur through the natural language of play — through storytelling, symbolic expression, movement, and creative activity.

Our trauma-informed play therapists integrate approaches such as Sand Tray Therapy, Expressive Arts, Trauma-Focused CBT, and Polyvagal-informed techniques to help children process traumatic experiences, reduce distressing symptoms, rebuild a sense of safety, and reconnect with their natural capacity for joy, curiosity, and connection.

We understand that trauma affects the whole child — their nervous system, their sense of self, their relationships, and their view of the world. Our approach honors the child's pace and provides a consistent, safe, and compassionate therapeutic relationship as the foundation for healing.