Preparing your child for play therapy

Do:

• Have your child wear clothing that can get paint, clay, or other messy materials on it.
  
  
• Ask your child if he or she needs to go to the bathroom before the session.
  
  
• Talk to your child about coming to play therapy before the appointment. Parents frequently don't know how to talk to their child about it, so we recommend saying something like, "You are going to be with (name of therapist) in a special playroom, where there are lots of toys for you to play with." If your child wants to know why he or she is going to the playroom, you can say something general like, "You seem to be having a tough time at home (or school, etc.) and sometimes it helps to have a special play time just for you."
  
  
• Recognize that play therapy is a process. While results are important and anticipated, your child's growth can't be hurried or pushed along. Some children demonstrate change quickly and others take a little longer, making it difficult to predict how many sessions a child will need.

Don't:

• Leave the waiting room while your child is in a session. If your child needs to leave the session early (i.e. an emergency, check-in), it is important that you be there to care for your child.
  
  
• Ask your child questions about their session when they leave the office (i.e. "what did you do?" or "did you have fun?"). Because your child's play session is a special, private time, your child should not feel as if she has to report what happened when she leaves, just as you would not want to feel you have to report your own session to a spouse or employer after you leave. Some children may offer to share their experiences while others may say nothing at all. Questioning children about their sessions may negatively impact their experience of play therapy. When greeting your child after a play session, we recommend saying something like, "Hi, we can go home now." Because we believe parents are so important to their child's therapy, we will share more information about the session with you at a later time. These conversations usually occur by phone or during a scheduled parent session.
  
  
• Be surprised or discouraged if your child tells you he "just played" during his session. Sometimes children are not aware of the meaning of their play, and when they are, they often don't know how to verbally express it.
  
  
• Be surprised if your child's emotions or behaviors are different after or between sessions. Like adults, sometimes children leave a session feeling great, and other times they leave a session feeling emotionally off-kilter. Each play session is a personal experience for children that can impact them differently each week.