Counselling for Children & Youth
Expressive Play Therapy
There are a variety of types of expressive play therapy including dramatic and fantasy play, sandbox play, and art-focused play. All types of expressive play therapy are premised on the idea that play is essential to the normal development of children. Because children are often unable to communicate and talk about their feelings the same way adults do, expressive play therapy allows a natural vehicle for children to recreate, and with assistance from the child therapist discuss feelings such as sadness, anger, and worry that might be influencing their daily lives.
Sandplay Therapy
Sandplay therapy is often used with those who have suffered some form of trauma neglect, or abuse. Although sandplay is especially well suited for working with young children, who often cannot express their inner feelings in words, it is also a technique that is helpful for some teens and adults who are having trouble expressing themselves and who may have suffered some form of severe trauma.
The Neurosequential Model
The Neurosequential Model is a developmentally-informed, biologically-respectful approach to working with at-risk children. The Neurosequential Model is not a specific therapeutic technique or intervention; it is a way to organize a child’s history and current functioning. The goal of this approach is to structure assessment of a child, the articulation of the primary problems, identification of key strengths, and the application of interventions (educational, enrichment and therapeutic) in a way that will help family, educators, therapists and related professionals best meet the needs of the child. The outcomes obtained from the assessment inform therapeutic interventions that are tailored to support the individual child’s functioning.