What is Play Therapy?
Children use play as a natural form of communication in everyday life and play is important for children’s overall development. However Connections Play Therapy Bundaberg is a different experience than everyday play for the child, as the specialised early childhood skills of the clinically trained play therapist enables the child to enter into a trusting therapeutic relationship where the child can express, explore and make sense of their difficult and sometimes painful life experiences in a safe supporting environment .
Play Therapy builds on the child’s inner resources and strengths, which are supported by the trusting therapeutic relationship to bring about developmental growth and healing in the child. Play therapy helps children develop confidence and positive self-esteem, find healthier ways of communicating and can promote resilience and coping, in ways that are appropriate to their age and developmental stage. As the child in Play Therapy is helped to cope with and work through difficult feelings, memories and experiences, he/she develops ways of dealing with them more effectively within the playroom and generally transfers these newly developed skills to his/her everyday life.
Play Therapy is an effective intervention for problems children may experience with additional needs, behaviour, social adjustment and personality.
These include but are not limited to:
- Adoption, fostering and out of home issues
- Anxiety and depression
- Aggressive and oppositional behaviours
- Attachment issues
- Parent separation and divorce
- Chronic illness and hospitalisation
- Grief and loss
- Exposure to domestic violence
- Childhood trauma (all forms of abuse)
- Trauma from natural disasters
- Trauma including birth and pre birth trauma
- Sleeping and eating issues
- Peer relationships
- School difficulties
- Self esteem and identify issues
- Additional needs (ADD and ADHD, autistic spectrum disorders, speech delays and developmental delays)
Over the past 20 years, Jasmine has been employed in various organisations within the Early Childhood industry from educator, director, teacher, manager and university teacher. During this time, she gained vast experience and obtained numerous qualifications including an Early Childhood Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and Bachelor of Early Childhood Education.
What we experience in childhood can impact our overall development, relationships and mental health throughout the duration of our life. Jasmine has always had an empathetic understanding towards children and people who need extra support, and this led me to explore Play Therapy and consequently undertake postgraduate clinical training. Children learn, communicate and develop through play and should not be expected to work through their trauma, fears, anxieties and issues in a standard, adult-focused therapeutic environment.
Play therapy maintains a somewhat magical power in the way it can help with healing and the development of children and their overall sense of self. Consider the sense of self-worth a child could have transitioning into adulthood if they had the opportunity to work through their trauma, fears, anxieties or issues in a safe, supportive and child centered therapeutic play environment! Jasmin is excited to be offering this service to the local Bundaberg area and surrounds and hope to share my knowledge and experience with the Early Childhood industry, to support the healing and growth of our children.
Make time to see Jasmine Harris at Connections Play Therapy & Consulting located at 5 Maryborough St, Bundaberg.Contact Here.
