Children don’t always have the words to describe what they’re feeling — and that’s completely normal. Play is how children naturally make sense of their world, process difficult experiences, and express emotions that are too big or too confusing to put into language.
Play therapy can help children and teens dealing with:
- Anxiety, worry, and phobias
- Trauma, abuse, or difficult life events
- Behavioral challenges including aggression, impulsivity, or withdrawal
- Family changes such as divorce, a new sibling, or a move
- Grief and loss — including the loss of a loved one or a pet
- Low self-esteem and difficulty managing emotions
- Social difficulties and trouble with friendships
- ADHD, developmental delays, or autism spectrum challenges
- OCD and intrusive thoughts
What Is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is an evidence-based practice with a well-established research base. It is not simply playing in a room with a child — it is a structured, clinically guided process in which the therapist uses play as a medium to help children process experiences, express emotions, build coping skills, and develop healthier patterns of thinking and behavior.
The Association for Play Therapy defines it as the systematic use of a theoretical model in which trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.
What play therapy actually looks like depends significantly on the child’s age, developmental stage, and what they are working through. For younger children — typically ages four through eight — sessions tend to be more child-led and exploratory.
For children in the middle years — roughly ages eight through twelve — sessions often combine play with more structured activities and conversation. A nine-year-old might play a board game with their therapist, using the natural dynamics of winning, losing, and taking turns as an opening to talk about frustration, fairness, or peer relationships. Art, drawing, and storytelling are also commonly used at this age, giving children a way to express things they might not yet feel comfortable saying directly.
For teenagers, play therapy tends to look quite different from the younger years. Most teens feel too old for traditional play, but they can still benefit enormously from creative and expressive forms of therapy — such as art, music, journaling, sand tray work, or storytelling.
Who Play Therapy Helps
Play Therapy is effective across a wide range of ages and conditions. At Palo Alto Therapy, we provide play thearpy for children as young as four adapting techniques to be developmentally appropriate and relevant to each person’s life.
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Play Is How Children Communicate
Children often don’t have the words to describe what they’re experiencing — especially when something is frightening, confusing, or traumatic. Play is their natural language. In play therapy, a trained therapist engages with that language deliberately and therapeutically, creating a space where children can express, process, and begin to heal from what they’re carrying — without ever needing to find the right words.
Evidence-Based and Clinically Guided
Play therapy is not free play with a therapist watching. It is a structured, evidence-based clinical practice with decades of research supporting its effectiveness. Our play therapists are trained in multiple approaches — including Child-Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Play Therapy and tailor their methods to each child’s age, developmental stage, and specific needs.
Parents Are Part of the Process
Children don’t heal in isolation — they heal in the context of their relationships. That’s why parent involvement is built into our approach from the start. Depending on the type of play therapy being used, parents may participate directly in sessions or receive coaching on how to support their child at home.
With convenient office locations in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Jose, we proudly serve the entire Silicon Valley community – from Stanford University and the Peninsula to the South Bay, offering easy access for tech professionals, students, and families.
Frequently Asked Questions About Play Therapy
If you’ve noticed changes in your child’s behavior, mood, sleep, or eating — or if they seem to be struggling with anxiety, anger, withdrawal, or something they experienced — it’s worth reaching out. You don’t need to wait until things feel serious. Play therapy is also a gentle and effective first step for children who haven’t yet developed the language to talk about what’s bothering them.
The first session is typically a meeting with the parents to gather background information about your child and your family’s situation. The therapist will ask about what you’ve noticed, your child’s history, and what you’re hoping therapy will help with. In some cases, the child is also briefly introduced to the playroom so they can begin to feel comfortable in the space before sessions begin.
The Association for Play Therapy generally recommends play therapy for children ages 3 to 12, and our therapists typically work with children and teens between ages 5 and 14. That said, these are guidelines rather than firm rules. Developmental differences, neurodiversity, trauma, and individual communication styles all factor into whether play therapy is a good fit — and in some cases, even adults benefit from expressive and creative therapeutic approaches.
Session length and frequency vary depending on the child and what they’re working through. Most children attend weekly sessions of 45 to 50 minutes, and many see meaningful progress within a few months. Play therapy is generally a shorter-term, solution-focused approach — not something that goes on indefinitely. Your therapist will give you a realistic sense of the timeline early on and review progress with you regularly.
Some play therapy can be conducted via video — sometimes called tele-play therapy — and certain circumstances make this the most practical option. However, in-person play therapy is generally more effective for younger children, who benefit most from the full sensory environment of the playroom and the physical presence of their therapist. We’ll work with you to find the format that best fits your child’s needs.
Recognizing Good Therapy
Evidence-Based
Specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, we provide effective & caring counseling. Our therapists are passionate in delivering high-quality therapy & enhance their skills through the latest trainings.
Strong Relationships
Our relationship with you is valued & of highest importance. We are compassionate, respectful, & honest. Our professional counseling includes working side by side with you towards YOUR goals.
Short-Term & Focused
Our active therapists use tailored homework exercises to help you find relief in a timely manner. By keeping our meetings on track & targeting specific concerns we help you enjoy life again, usually in a matter of months not years.
Client Convenience
Appointments after 5pm & Saturdays, friendly administrative staff, & three locations: Palo Alto, Menlo Park, & San Jose. We help children, teens & adults, couples, & families. Video therapy available!
What Our Clients Are Saying…
Palo Alto Therapy does not just provide talk therapy, but focuses on teaching skills to maintain therapy. You have a genuine interest in the client’s well-being and you offered a new way of thinking about or means of addressing my issues.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
I liked the emphasis on doing concrete things to get results-writing down negative thoughts, trying to say things to counter those thoughts…Thank you for helping me make my life better.
What Our Clients Are Saying…
I found the homework exercises to be very helpful to me. I’ve been able to use techniques I have learned from those exercises to slow down my thoughts when problems arise and work through whatever the issue may be, OCD or otherwise.
Meet Our Team of Therapists in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, & San Jose providing Play Therapy
Hong-Ha Vuong, AMFT, APCC
Hannah Bodin, AMFT
Sarah Partridge, ASW
Sarah Chelew, AMFT
Sarah Covert, AMFT
Kitte Anderson, AMFT
Deborah Brewer, LCSW – Clinic Director
Get Support for Your Child or Teen Today
If your child is struggling and you’re not sure whether play therapy is the right fit, our care coordinators are here to help. They’re available Monday through Friday to answer your questions, learn about your child’s situation, and match you with the right therapist. Call, text, or book online — we’d love to support your family.