Therapy for Children & Play Therapy
“I’ve tried everything I can think of. He just won’t listen to a word I say!”
“She doesn’t want to go to school. I don’t know what to do. I have to get to work and I don’t have time for a fight in the morning.”
“I’m not sure what is wrong with my child. It hard for him to make friends and it breaks my heart to see him playing alone.”
Signs It’s Time to Consider Therapy for Children in Overland Park, KS, Leavenworth, KS and Liberty, MO
We say adulting is hard. I mean, there should really be a t-shirt for that. But we sometimes forget that childhood can also be hard. Children are not grown enough to have the abilities to deal with daily stressors like adults. So if we are struggling, that might mean your child is really struggling!
There are signs that you can look for to determine if it is time to see a child therapist for play therapy in Leavenworth, KS, Overland Park, KS, or Liberty, MO. Here are a few:
Poor Choices in Behaviors
Your child is making poor choices when it comes to how to behave at home, school or in public. Previously, your child may have followed your instructions but now it seems like he does the exact opposite.
Withdrawing from friends and family
Typically, your child enjoys playing with friends and hanging out with family. However, something has changed. Now your child plays alone and keeps to herself. In fact, she does not want to go outside and play with the neighbor kids.
Reports feeling nervous or scared more often
In the past, your kiddo was outgoing and felt confident. Now, something is making him feel nervous or scared to do things that previously he was okay doing.
Struggles to pay attention in school
Parent teacher conferences are a fun time. You get to hear about how your child is a joy to be with and how well she learns in class. Unfortunately, when you go to conferences, you find out something is wrong. You’re surprised to know your kiddo is actually struggling to pay attention. As a result, grades are going down.
Therapy for Children to treat Childhood Anxiety and Depression
You noticed your child’s behavior change in the past few weeks. She is more withdrawn and stays in her room more often. She just isn’t interested in the things that used to interest her. Or maybe you have noticed her not be able to sit still as she used to be able to do. She asks you the same questions over and over about things that she used to be able to do with ease. It’s like she is scared now. If you notice one or more of these symptoms, your child could be struggling with anxiety and/or depression.
Our child therapists have specialized training in play therapy. They use age appropriate language to help your child open up so they can understand the cause of their anxiety or depression. We’ll speak your child’s language while helping her learn coping skills and reduce the anxiety and depression.
Therapy for Children Can Help Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Little by little you have been seeing your child struggle with paying attention. Now, you heard from your child’s teacher that he is not able to pay attention or remain in his seat during school. Sadly, you’ve noticed some signs of this behavior at home too. Now, that he is also struggling at school, you know you have to take action.
But is it really ADHD? And if it is ADHD, you don’t want to your child to be on medication. But what other options do you have? What else works for ADHD?
Don’t worry. Our child therapists have helped several children find ways to cope with the symptoms of ADHD in therapy for children. We help children, and their parents, find ways to take control of the ADHD instead of the ADHD having control of you. With behavioral interventions, we can help your child get back on track and succeed in school.
Trauma Therapy for Children and Play Therapy in Leavenworth, KS and Trauma Therapy for Children in Overland Park, KS
The worst thing that can happen to a child is a trauma. Children are so innocent and don’t do anything to deserve these traumas. As the adults who care for these sweet children, we need to take action as soon as possible to prevent the trauma from having long lasting mental health effects. If you suspect your child is suffering from trauma consider online trauma therapy in Kansas.
At JS Therapy Group, our skilled trauma therapists use approaches to help children resolve the trauma in their brain so they can move on with a healthy life.
Trauma-Focused CBT and play therapy in Kansas
When subjected to a trauma, children can adopt an incorrect narrative about the trauma. We use Trauma-Focused CBT therapy to help your child learn coping skills for the memories of the trauma. Then we help your child write the story of the trauma. Ultimately, this helps your child to feel better and return back to their old self.
IS EMDR appropriate for Children? Can it be used in Play Therapy?
Yes! Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be done with children and is a very successful way to help children move forward in their healing journey. Through EMDR, we help the brain to reprocess the trauma and move the traumatic memory from short term memory to long term memory. When we combine EMDR with play therapy, we turn this very effective treatment method into a developmentally appropriate approach to help your child get back to normal. We offer trauma therapy for children in Overland Park, KS and Leavenworth, KS.
Can We Do Family Therapy While We Do Play Therapy for Children?
In some situations, play therapy could be very beneficial to your child while your family works toward treatment goals in family therapy. Play therapy offers a very unique setting for children to play out worries, concerns, trauma, etc with a trained play therapist who can facilitate the session.
Play therapy also can be done in family therapy sessions. Kids love to play and kids love to play even more when they get to play with their parents! We can combine the two help your child and family feel better and get back to having fun and making great memories! Consider family therapy with play therapy for children incorporated in Overland Park, KS, Leavenworth, KS, or Liberty, MO.
The JS Therapy Group Approach to Therapy for Children and Play Therapy
We feel play is important to children, adolescents and adults alike! Play Therapy is helpful for a variety of presenting problems including:
Aggression
Acting out behaviors
Emotional struggles related to divorce
Poor social skills
Anger
Depression or prolonged sadness
Play Therapy is especially helpful for children who are not developmentally capable to communicate verbally or cognitively process traumas or worries.
"Toys are words and play is language for children" says Garry Landreth (2002).
Our child therapists use Play Therapy to help children process and work through problems. It uses the normal communication and learning processes children currently have available. If you have further questions, contact us. We would be happy to talk with you about how Play Therapy could help your child.
We provide services to all individuals, couples and families without discrimination on the basis of race, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, gender, health status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status.
Begin Therapy for Children and Play Therapy in Leavenworth, KS, Overland Park, KS and Liberty, MO
As a parent, you do not have to continue to struggle with not knowing how to help your child. Counseling can help you feel like the confident and competent parent you want to be. JS therapy group has caring child and play therapists who specialize in working with children, families and play therapy. To begin counseling in Overland Park, KS, Leavenworth, or Liberty, MO, follow these steps:
Complete the form below to contact JS Therapy Group.
Meet with one of our caring child and play therapists
Start making happy memories again
-OR-
THIS BUTTON WILL OPEN THE FORTIS WEBSITE CONTACT US FORM.
Other Counseling Services at JS Therapy Group
Therapy for children and Play Therapy are not the only services we offer in our Leavenworth and Overland Park counseling centers. Other mental health services JS Therapy Group provides include anxiety treatment, family therapy, trauma and PTSD treatment, addictions counseling, trauma and PTSD treatment for children, couple and marriage counseling and premarital counseling. We also offer professional consultations and supervision opportunities. If you can’t make it to see one of our therapists for in-person counseling, consider online therapy in Kansas to meet your mental health needs. Contact us to get started or click on one of the links to learn more.
