Play Therapy

Play therapy is defined by the Association for Play Therapy as “the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained Play Therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.” 

Play Therapy is commonly used with children ages 2–11. Because children often express thoughts and feelings through play more naturally than through words, play becomes a powerful “language” for communication and healing.

Within the supportive structure of the therapeutic playroom, children can work through stress, anxiety, conflict, and difficult experiences—which addresses trauma, strengthens coping skills, and supports healthy emotional development.

The Creative Therapy Center utilizes Dr. Byron Norton’s Experiential Play Therapy model and Garry Landreth’s Child-Centered Play Therapy model. Both approaches are non-directive and are designed to honor the child’s unique process while supporting growth, resilience, and healing.

For more information please visit www.a4pt.org

Filial Therapy

The Creative Therapy Center specializes in Filial Therapy for children and their parents. Filial Therapy is designed to strengthen the parent-child relationship and enhance connection within the family system.

Filial therapy can support families who are experiencing few or no major concerns and simply want to strengthen relationships. It can also be helpful for families navigating significant challenges, as well as families working toward reunification.

In Filial therapy, parents partner with the therapist to create positive change within the family system. Parents build skills in structuring, limit-setting, and empathetic listening while engaging in play with their child. Filial therapy typically begins in the office setting and gradually transitions to the home, helping parents create consistent “special” play times with their child.

In Filial therapy the parents work as a partner with the therapist to create a positive change within the family system. Filial therapy assists parents in developing skills in the areas of structuring, limit-setting and empathetic listening while engaging in
play with their child. Filial therapy begins in the office setting, but gradually moves to the home-setting, allowing the parent to have “special” play times with their child.

Advantages to Filial Play Therapy

• The parent has the relationship with the child and knows the child better than the therapist.
• Parents learn the process of the play session.
• Parents are the most important being in a child’s life.
• Changes that occur in the filial play therapy are usually positive and long-lasting.
• Parents gain a better understanding of their child through plan.

Directive Play Therapy

The Creative Therapy Center specializes in Directive Play Therapy and counseling services for children who are diagnosed with:

• Developmental & Cognitive Delays
• Autism Spectrum

Directive Play Therapy can assist the child in:

• Learning social skills
• Managing anger
• Expressing emotions
• Identifying facial expressions
• Increasing conversation skills
• Understanding personal boundaries & space
• Developing empathy

Parents are invited & strongly encouraged to participate in the Directive Play Therapy process.

Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health

“Infant mental health” is defined as the healthy social and emotional development of a child from birth to 5 years; and a growing field of research and practice devoted to the:

• Promotion of healthy social & emotional development.
• Prevention of mental health problems.
• Treatment of the mental health problems of very young children in the context of their families.

Adapted from a working definition Developed by Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families-Infant Mental Health Task Force.

How can The Creative Therapy Center help?

We can assist you in:

• Identifying normal childhood development
• Identify indicators of at-risk behaviors in your infant/small child
• Provide support & counseling with Postpartum
• Depression symptoms
• Offer support in parenting
• Assist in birth plan development

We can assist you in fostering a positive healthy relationship between you and your child that will continue a lifetime.

• Biological (temperament, genetics, etc)
• Parenting practices (socialization, nurturing, play, exposure to violence, etc)
• Environments (prenatal, family, community, experiences, poverty, etc)
• Relationships/Attachments (experiences, interactions, etc).

Somatic Experiencing®

Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-awareness approach to working with and addressing trauma events in an individual’s life developed by Peter Levine, Ph.D. “Somatic” means “of the body.” In somatic therapy we work with the stress and trauma symptoms that appear when our bodies get stuck in the survival stage (fight or flight, freeze and dissociation) of the Stress Response Sequence.

What Symptoms Can SE Address?

• Hyperactivity
• Difficulty concentrating
• Compulsive behaviors
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Self-harm behaviors
• Defiance

Purpose of SE

• Assist our bodies in moving through survival stage and return to a state of ease
• Develop an awareness of our body sensations
• Use awareness to guide our bodies through the Stress Response Sequence.

For more information visit www.traumahealing.org

Sand Tray Therapy

Sand Tray therapy allows the client to explore and express their feelings in a “safe” manner. Sand Tray therapy assists the individual in discovering deep and underlying issues as well as developing coping mechanisms through the use of metaphor and symbolism. Sand Tray therapy is excellent for children, adolescents, adults, families and couples. Sand Tray therapy can access complex issues that standard talk therapy cannot. Sand Tray therapy utilizes a container filled with sand and a variety of miniature items. This allows the client to develop their own scene in the sand and speak to the scene in a metaphor. This approach is non-threatening and assists the client in identifying issues they are struggling with in their life.

Sand Tray Therapy at The Creative Therapy Center

The Creative Therapy Center offers an exquisite collection of sand tray miniatures. Each miniature has been carefully selected with the clients use in mind. We offer two different sets of sand tray miniatures; one for children up to twelve years of age, and one for adults. These two sets allows the client endless possibilities to their counseling sessions.

Theraplay®

Theraplay® is a child and family treatment for enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement. It is based on the natural patterns of healthy interaction between parent and child, and is personal, physical and fun. Theraplay® interactions focus on four essential qualities found in parent-child relationships: Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge. Theraplay® sessions create an active and emotional connection between the child and parents, resulting in a view of the child as worthy and loveable and of relationships as positive and rewarding.

Please visit www.theraplay.org for more information.

*Nicole Baker, Sarah Cross, Aneshia Fisher, Tasha Burg, Kennedy Hayden, and Haley Berner are trained in Level One Theraplay® and are providing interventions based on Theraplay® principles.  Nicole and Sarah do not conduct Theraplay® sessions.

EMDR

EMDR is a non-invasive, evidence-based therapy developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro to
help people recover from trauma and other distressing experiences. It’s grounded in the
Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which suggests the brain is naturally
equipped to heal from psychological wounds unless that process is disrupted by trauma.
In those cases, memories can become “stuck,” triggering the same fight, flight, or freeze
responses long after the event is over. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (eye
movements, tapping, or sound) to reprocess distressing memories. While the memory
remains intact, the distressing emotional and physiological charge is reduced. Unlike
traditional talk therapy, EMDR does not require a detailed retelling of the traumatic
experience, making it a gentler approach for many. It is recognized by the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the World Health Organization, and the American
Psychological Association as a best-practice treatment for PTSD.

 Who can benefit from EMDR?

While EMDR is most often associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is
also highly effective for:

• Anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, performance anxiety
• Chronic illness and medical issues
• Depression and bipolar disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Grief and loss
• Personality disorders

EMDR reduces emotional reactivity, enhances resilience, and supports long-term
healing. Many clients find that EMDR helps them regain a sense of control, clarity, and
emotional balance—often in fewer sessions than traditional therapy approaches.

For more information on EMDR, please visit:
EMDRIA (International Association)
EMDRIA Video about Trauma Processing