The Center for Health, Learning & Achievement's Counseling Services:
Individual Counseling for Children & Adults ~ Marriage & Family Therapy ~ Play Therapy
Individual Counseling for Children and Adults
Whether you or your child are facing a life crisis, adjusting to a major transition, working toward important goals, or searching for greater meaning or fulfillment in life, counseling can help you move forward in a positive way. We offer solution based counseling services, which focus on the issues that are preventing you from achieving your goals and provide supports and action plans to help you and/or your child succeed.
A family's patterns of behavior influences the individual and therefore may need to be a part of the treatment plan. In marriage and family therapy, the unit of treatment isn't just about the person - even if only a single person is interviewed - it is the set of relationships in which the person is immersed in. At the Center for Health, Learning & Achievement, Our Marriage and Family Therapists provide solution-based counseling and attainable therapeutic goals which are designed to help families achieve the relationships they desire. Marriage and Family Therapists treat a wide range of serious clinical problems including: depression, marital relations, anxiety, individual psychological issues, and child-parent relationships.
"In the playroom, toys are used like words and play is the child's language. Children are provided special toys in play therapy to enable them to say with the toys what they have difficulty saying with words...They can use the dolls, puppets, paints, or other toys to say what they think or how they feel." (Landreth, 2002).
Children are not always fully able to express their internal world with words, and so while "talk therapy" is helpful for adults, children need the distance of expression created in play therapy. Play therapy allows children a safe psychological distance from their problems, safety needed for their identity development, and allows them to express their true thoughts and feelings in ways best suited for their developmental level.
As children begin to communicate their inner world through play, a healing relationship is built with the therapist to bring connection amidst the healing aspect of sharing. When we think of moments in our life that have been helpful and healing to our souls, typically we were vulnerable and someone caring offered connection, compassion, and truth. This happens in play therapy where the therapist and child build a relationship that provides the ground work necessary for change and growth.
Parents have an important role in the Play Therapy process. Because parents are the experts of their child(ren), there is much that they can do to enhance the work their child does in session. The therapist will meet with the parents to learn past and present issues in the child's life, to share observations (general themes, helpful responses, and progress), and provide suggestions on how parents can be supportive with their child's therapy. While therapy does take place in a playroom, much of the hard work of change will continue into their daily life, making parental involvement essential.