Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between when Timmy is “just being a boy” or Jane is “just sad” and when behaviors of your child are concerning enough to seek professional support. Here are a few ways to help parents delineate when play therapy may be appropriate.

1. Sudden Changes in Behavior– If you notice that your child is becoming much more anxious that usual, can no longer sleep though the night, is having a lot more tantrums than he usually does, this may indicate that there has been an event or events that are triggering for your child. Addressing issues early and before they become a pervasive pattern is associated with best outcomes so don’t hesitate to get a professional opinion.
2. Additional Stresses at Home or School- If there have been changes in your family system such as death, divorce, or blending families or significant stressors related to your child’s school and she is having a hard time adjusting, you may give her a safe play to play through her fears and worries. Children’s natural language is play and this is the medium of expression that she would be comfortable working through the hard feelings at her own pace.
3. Loss of Pleasure- If you notice that your son used to enjoy so many things and now he is not motivated to do even what used to be his favorite thing this may indicate that he may be experiencing some depressive symptoms and could use play therapy to explore the changes and ultimately reignite his motivation.
4. Starting a New Medication- If your child has recently begun a new medication to help with symptoms, research shows that if you supplement the new treatment with skill set they can develop in play therapy that results can be accelerated. Many play therapists are happy to be in collaboration with your doctor about your child’s progress and how they are seeing the child change since starting the new medication and implementing new coping strategies.
5. Trauma- If you know that your child has experienced trauma, do not hesitate to get them into play therapy. Just because they are young does not mean that they are not capable of experiencing deep emotional pain. Children are resilient and have a tremendous capacity to overcome obstacles. Seek support right away when you are made aware of trauma your child has experienced.
6. Regressive Behaviors- If your daughter used to have no problem with wetting the bed and now she is much older and has started to wet the bed, this may indicate that some things in her life are feeling out of her control. Coming to play therapy where she feels empowered to take the lead and direct the play can help her regain the confidence that she has lost with regressive type behaviors.

Finally, if you find that your internal resources are overwhelmed, you have run out of ideas to help your child, and you are still not getting results then consider the play therapist an additional resource for you to try some things differently and to get some relief for all of you.