When entrusting the care of your child to a helping professional, you have a right to know the provider’s qualifications.

There are many modalities (styles) of play therapy, special ways of working with children and teens.  Most  therapists who specialize in working with kids have some skill in several modalities and great skill with at least one modality.  Children do not usually have the vocabulary to communicate their inner feelings.  This is very important.  Toys are the words, and play is the language, that a child uses.  A trained and experienced counselor understands this language of play and can help.  Here are some specific questions to ask about the counselor and about the kind of play therapy the counselor will be doing.

• What special training do you have in the area of child or teen counseling?

• Which style(s) of play therapy do you have supervised training and experience using?

• How many clinical hours of supervised child, teen or play therapy counseling do you have?

• As a parent, am I welcome in the room during the play therapy session?

• What style of play therapy would you use to help my child?

Finding the right therapist is an important step in the healing and growth process.