Play Therapy – Uriko Therapy

Why Play Therapy?

I worked for many years as a Counsellor with primary school aged children doing ‘talking therapy’ and I felt I was doing them a disservice. I was trying to get small children to talk to me about their world and feelings in adult language – and it was not working.

I did additional training as a Play Therapist so they could express themselves in a way that was more meaningful to them.

‘Toys are the words, and play is the language’

Play therapy gives children the opportunity to express and be heard on their terms.

What is Play Therapy?

As a parent, it can be hard to see your child struggling and not know how to help. Children don not always have the words to explain how they are feeling—but they often show us through their behaviour or play.

Play Therapy is child-centred and it allows the child explore at their own pace with their own agenda. Instead of being asked lots of questions, your child is free to explore and play, with the support of a trained therapist who understands how to make sense of their world.

Play allows the child to explore and express in a language that best suits them, following their own agenda. In play they are able to explore issues past and current, conscious and unconscious, that may be affecting the child’s life. Children can explore their emotions, process big ideas, and practice different ways of responding in the safety of therapy room and the relationship with the therapist. The therapist is not their to judge, but to follow the child’s lead.

What do you use in Play Therapy?

Play Therapy gives the child the opportunity to express themselves and make sense of their world through play. The play kit involves various mediums for the child to explore this, including: