Play therapy for children
Sometimes children exhibit behavior that concerns their educators (parents, teachers, ...). They are aggressive or just very quiet and withdrawn. They cry a lot lately or have unexpectedly low results at school ...
This behavior makes parents or teachers suspect that something is wrong. The child appears not to feel too good. This can have many causes: problems with peers (including bullying), problems at home, a sudden loss of a loved one or their own capabilities (eg by an accident), the awareness of its limitations (learning difficulties or disabilities), ...
Children may then need help. Playtherapy is an option.
In my work I combine play, creative work (drawing, painting, clay ,...), stories, fantasy (symbol communication), bodywork, energy work, psychodrama, Stemwerk and relaxation (via massage). In this way, children have the chance to bring up the inner conflicts by play or to portray these conflicts and move towards a solution. Afterwards the child can experience the inner peace that completes this growth process.
Important for this therapy is the involvement of parents. I am convinced that a child never has a problem in his/her own. The problem of the child may be a signal of another problem or have a particular place or a function within the family. It is therefore absolutely necessary for me to include parents in the mentoring process. I do this in collaboration with Karin Verboven. In consultations with the parents we commemorate their questions, but also their views on education, their views on the cause of the problem and how they as parents can support their child's therapy .
With this way of working, we believe in a more profound and longer lasting result, according to the well being of the entire family.
Specifically:
- After a first call we make an appointment for an intake interview. Both parents, Karin and I attend this intake. We take the time to get the situation clear: what is exactly going on, how long is this problem going on, what have you tried to change things, what factors do you think affect how your child feels, what do you want to achieve with the therapy ,...?
- When at the end of this conversation we all think that play therapy is appropriate, we put your child down for three sessions.
- After the 3 sessions we come together again: the parents, Karin and me. We talk about how the child responds to therapy (does he/she likes to come or not, does your child talk about what we do here, do you see some changes in the behavior of your child ,...). We also discuss the image I now have formed of your child and his/her problem. Together we decide how we go on (new appointments for the child, new appointments for parents ,...).
- Both a playtherapy session and a consultation with the parents last one hour and cost 50 €.
