FAQs

This is a frequently asked question?

How long can I expect myself or child to be in therapy?

Everyone’s therapy journey is different but typically we begin with either weekly or bi-weekly sessions and we will continually assess your progress and whether or not you have met your own personal goals for therapy.

This is a frequently asked question?

When doing play therapy are you just going to be playing with my child?

Play Therapy is not the same as regular, everyday play. While spontaneous play is a natural and essential part of the developmental process, Play Therapy is a systematic and therapeutic approach. Play Therapy incorporates a growing number of evidence-based practices and techniques.

“Play therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children (Carmichael, 2006; Landreth, 2002; O'Connor & Schaefer, 1983). The curative powers inherent in play are used in many ways. Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings (Gil, 1991).”

“In play therapy, toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language (Landreth, 2002). Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits (Pedro-Carroll & Reddy, 2005). The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions can provide a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing (Moustakas, 1997). Play therapy may also be used to promote cognitive development and provide insight about and resolution of inner conflicts or dysfunctional thinking in the child (O'Connor & Schaefer, 1983; Reddy, Files-Hall, & Schaefer, 2005).”

This is a frequently asked question?

What does it mean to be a Registered Play Therapist?

A Registered Play Therapist (RPT) is a licensed mental health professional who has additional education, training and supervised experience in the field of play therapy. Angela received her Play Therapy Credential alongside her Ed.S in Counseling Education from the University of Mississippi, allowing her to gain valuable experience in working with children and adolescents through Play Therapy.

RPT’s are regulated by The Association for Play Therapy, that ensures RPT’s meet the stringent standards set by APT to become a credentialed Play Therapist and maintain that status through ongoing continuing education.

Play Therapy should only be provided by mental health professionals who have met the required education, licensure, and additional specialized training and supervision specific to Play Therapy.

Our therapists engage in ongoing Play Therapy training in order to maintain their credential through The Association for Play Therapy. Be wary of practices who claim to “offer play therapy” without more information; a clinician who has spent 4 hours attending a training is not going to provide you with the expert services your child deserves.

This is a frequently asked question?

What is faith-based counseling? If we don’t share the same faith will it affect my treatment?

For those whose lives are guided by religious/spiritual principles, it is critical to their healing that their therapist appreciates their faith in order to understand their background, boundaries and morals. This allows counselors to apply the most effective evidence-based therapy techniques. In faith based counseling, the therapist provides science-based therapy techniques from a perspective in which they share, or at least understand (without judgement), the faith of their client.

We understand that your faith is likely a huge part of your identity. We appreciate that it guides your choices and informs your worldview in an important way. Ignoring this would be doing a disservice to our clients and the practice of therapy as a whole. We know that faith can be significantly important to people, therefore we offer the option to integrate your faith into treatment.