Children under nine can't always convey what they're going through verbally, and sometimes therapists aren't always equipped to help children. This is where play therapy comes in. Sometimes young children do best expressing their vantage point trough play therapy. If you're undergoing family therapy, these techniques can help you to include your little one.

1. Worry Can

This play therapy technique has your child create a resealable can with a slot in the top. Your child is asked to draw or write things that worry them on pieces of paper and then share some of those. Your child can personalize their worry can with pictures or craft supplies. You can also change the type of can into a sad or an angry can depending on what your child's needs are. You can also follow up the worry can with techniques that encourage your child to express their emotions in a healthy manner.

2. Focused Pretending

Focused pretending is almost exactly the way it sounds. Your child is asked to act like someone when they're feeling a specific emotion. It's a roleplaying opportunity that will help see how your child sees interactions in the home. You may find someone in the family's behaviors upset the child. The first step to addressing these issues is to figure out how they began with focused pretending.

3. Drawing

Art therapy is often what people think about when they hear about play therapy. Your child is given prompts to draw to allow them to illustrate their feelings and concerns. They may be asked to draw someone sad or something scary. These drawings can help narrow down situations that are distressing to your child.

4. Spy And The Sneak

The spy and the sneak is a game typically introduced in a formal therapy setting. Your child is the sneak and is instructed to sneakily perform several good deeds around the home. As a parent, you are the spy, and your role is to discover the good behaviors and write down all the good behaviors that occurred. This game is great to use when family relationships seem to have broken down. This game is also great to increase the self-esteem of your child.

These four techniques are just a sampling of many techniques designed to help children. If you think play therapy will help your family, you should reach out to a family therapist. While some of these techniques can be effective at home when done on your own, a therapist can help direct your efforts.

For more information, contact a company like The A Treatment Center.