Understanding Play Therapy: A Guide for Parents
As a parent, it can be heartbreaking to see your child overwhelmed by big emotions, showing challenging behaviors, or struggling to say what they’re feeling. You want to help, but sometimes words just aren’t enough and traditional talk therapy may not quite meet your child where they are.
That’s where play therapy comes in.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, our St. Louis child therapist team often incorporates play therapy in their specialized approach. Play therapy is a form of counseling designed specifically for children. Instead of relying on words alone, play therapy uses the natural language of children - play - to help them express feelings, process experiences, and build coping skills.
Image Credit: Unsplash Vitaly Gariev @silverkblack
Why Therapists Use Play Therapy
Play therapy provides a safe, structured environment where children can explore their inner world, work through challenges, and learn healthier ways to express themselves and relate to others.
Play therapy is an evidence-based approach for emotional and behavioral challenges. The St. Louis child therapists at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis use it because it:
Connects with children in ways that match their stage of development
Establishes trust and rapport with the therapist in a way that feels natural for children
Fosters open self-expression without fear of making mistakes or getting in trouble
Supports children in understanding experiences that are hard to express verbally
Promotes emotional awareness and teaches coping strategies for everyday situations
How Play Therapy Works
Play is the language of children. In play therapy, the toys, art materials, and games become your child’s way of communicating. While your child is playing, the therapist is gently tuning in to the feelings, stories, and patterns that your child is expressing, often without needing words.
Children are able to explore their thoughts and emotions at their own pace. And as the play unfolds, the therapist helps your child begin to make sense of their inner world, build self-awareness, and develop healthy coping skills.
Play therapy meets children in a way that feels safe, natural, and just right for them.
Why Play Matters for Anxious Kids
For many kids, especially those experiencing anxiety, life transitions or having big emotions, play offers a safe space to process what they’re feeling.
That’s why in the therapy room, play is so powerful. It looks like fun, and it often is, but it’s also a deeply meaningful and effective way to support your child’s emotional growth and well-being.
Through play therapy, children:
Recreate real-life experiences to better understand and cope with them
Express feelings they might not yet have the words, or comfort, to say out loud
Increase their problem-solving and social skills
Practice emotional regulation
Build self-confidence and resilience
Types of Play Used in Therapy
St. Louis play therapists use many different forms of play, including:
Imaginative or pretend play: Using dolls, action figures, or role play to express feelings or experiences
Creative Expression Through Art: Drawing, painting, or using sand trays allows children to show what they’re feeling inside - even when they don’t have the words to explain it. You can read more about this with our St. Louis Registered Art Therapist, Erin right here.
Games and activities: Board games, card games, or cooperative play to build emotional regulation and frustration tolerance. You can read more about this in our blog Uno Therapy Tools
Sensory play: Using playdough, sand, or water to build calming and grounding experiences.
Storytelling or puppet play: Helping children express complex emotions through characters or narratives at a safe distance. Our Compassionate Counseling St. Louis Senior St. Louis Therapist, Molly talks about storytelling for building coping skills right here.
Interested in Play Therapy for Your Child?
You care so deeply about your child and want them to have all the resources that they need. You’re looking for the right St. Louis play therapy therapist for your child.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we would love to connect you with our team of St. Louis therapists. Let’s set up a free consultation call to talk about what is going on, and how we can support you and your family at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
Want to read more about play therapy? Check out these blogs:
Curious to learn more about play therapy for anxiety and anxiety-driven anger? Reach out to us at hello@compassionatecounselingstl.com. As child anxiety experts, we love working with kids, teens, college students and parents to help manage their anxiety, stress, and anger. Compassionate Counseling St. Louis is located in Clayton, MO and works with families by offering both in-person counseling and online therapy throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Couer, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. We also provide online therapy Missouri -wide to teens and college students. You can set up your first free consult on this website, on our consultation page.