Play Therapy
Play Therapy in Tigard, Oregon
Therapy for children who need support expressing, processing, and making sense of their big feelings.
Children do not always have the words to explain what is happening inside.
Sometimes distress shows up as big feelings, meltdowns, clinginess, withdrawal, irritability, defiance, sleep struggles, school concerns, aggression, anxiety, regression, or behavior that seems to come out of nowhere.
As a parent, you may find yourself wondering:
Is this normal?
Are we doing something wrong?
Why is everything so hard right now?
How do I help my child without making things worse?
Play therapy gives children a developmentally appropriate way to work through emotions, experiences, relationships, and stress. Instead of expecting children to sit on a couch and explain themselves like adults, play therapy uses the natural language of childhood: play, creativity, imagination, movement, relationship, and expression.
At Hale Counseling NW, play therapy is not about “fixing” your child. It is about helping your child feel understood, supported, and more able to manage the feelings and experiences that are overwhelming them.
Children communicate through play.
Adults often process by talking. Children often process by playing.
In play therapy, a child may use toys, stories, art, movement, games, or pretend play to express what they may not yet be able to say directly. Their play can reveal themes of fear, anger, control, connection, separation, conflict, care, protection, loss, power, helplessness, or repair.
A trained therapist can help create a safe space where the child’s inner world has room to come forward.
Over time, play therapy can help children develop more emotional awareness, confidence, flexibility, self-regulation, and connection with the important people in their lives.
Play therapy can help when:
- Your child has frequent meltdowns, tantrums, or emotional outbursts
- Anxiety, fear, separation distress, or worry is affecting daily life
- Your child is struggling with aggression, impulsivity, or big reactions
- There has been a major transition, loss, divorce, move, illness, or family stress
- Your child seems withdrawn, sad, irritable, or unlike themselves
- School, friendships, or peer relationships have become difficult
- Your child has experienced trauma, scary events, or overwhelming stress
- You are worried about attachment, connection, or parent-child conflict
- Your child is neurodivergent or has sensory, emotional, or behavioral needs
- You want support understanding your child’s behavior with more compassion and clarity
Play therapy can also support parents in understanding what their child may be communicating through behavior and how to respond with more steadiness, connection, and confidence.
What We Can Work On Together
Understanding Big Feelings
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Children often show emotional distress through behavior before they can explain it with words.
Play therapy helps children express anger, fear, sadness, worry, confusion, or frustration in a safe, supported way so those feelings do not have to come out only through meltdowns, shutdown, or conflict.
Strengthening Parent-Child Connection
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When a child is struggling, parents often feel confused, exhausted, or unsure how to respond.
Play therapy can include parent support to help caregivers better understand what is underneath the behavior and strengthen the relationship through warmth, boundaries, attunement, and repair.
Building Emotional Regulation
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Many children need help learning how to notice what is happening in their bodies and calm down when feelings get too big.
Through play, relationship, and developmentally appropriate support, therapy can help children build more capacity to pause, recover, and return to connection.
Supporting Confidence and Self-Expression
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Play can help children experiment with new roles, choices, boundaries, problem-solving, and self-expression.
Therapy gives children a space where they can feel seen, capable, and more confident in who they are becoming.
Processing Stress, Change, or Trauma
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Children may need support making sense of difficult experiences such as divorce, loss, medical stress, family conflict, moves, scary events, or other disruptions.
Play therapy gives children a way to process overwhelming experiences at their own pace without requiring them to explain everything directly.
Understanding Behavior as Communication
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Read more:
Behavior is often a child’s way of saying, “Something is hard for me,” even when the behavior itself is difficult for adults to manage.
Therapy helps us look beneath the surface so we can respond not only to what the child is doing, but to what they may be needing.
Our approach to play therapy
Our work with children is warm, relational, developmentally sensitive, and trauma-aware.
We believe children heal best in safe relationships. That means the relationship between the child and therapist matters, and so does the relationship between the child and their caregivers.
Depending on the child and therapist, play therapy may include child-centered play, expressive arts, games, emotional identification, storytelling, parent consultation, family support, attachment-informed work, and practical support for home routines and relationships.
We do not see children as problems to be solved. We see children as whole people whose behavior often makes more sense when we understand their developmental stage, nervous system, relationships, stressors, and emotional world.
Play therapy may be a good fit if:
- Your child seems overwhelmed by feelings
- You are seeing behavioral changes you do not fully understand
- Your child has gone through stress, loss, transition, or trauma
- You want support with anxiety, aggression, separation distress, or emotional regulation
- You want help strengthening your connection with your child
- Your child has difficulty talking directly about what is wrong
- You want a therapist who understands that behavior is communication
- Your family needs more support, not more shame
Getting Started is Easy
Book Appointment
If we are a good fit, schedule your first session…
1st Session!
Start working toward what you want for yourself in your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I be involved as the parent?
Yes, in some way. Parent involvement may include check-ins, parent consultation, family sessions, or support understanding your child’s behavior and needs. The structure depends on your child’s age and goals.
Is play therapy just playing?
No. Play is the child’s natural language, and in therapy it becomes a way to express feelings, process experiences, practice regulation, and build connection. A trained therapist pays attention to themes, patterns, emotional expression, and the child’s relational needs.
Can play therapy help with behavior problems?
Often, yes. We look at behavior as communication. Therapy can help children build emotional regulation and help parents better understand and respond to what may be underneath the behavior.
How do I know which therapist to choose?
At this time, Quinlan Sitenga is our only play therapy provider. View her profile here, and request a meet and greet to see if she’s a good fit: https://halecounselingnw.com/about-quinlan/
What age is play therapy for?
Play therapy is most often used with children, especially younger children who may not yet have the words to process emotions and experiences through talk therapy alone. The best fit depends on the child, provider, and presenting concerns.
What if my child does not want to talk?
That is okay. Play therapy does not require children to sit and explain themselves like adults. Children can communicate through play, art, movement, stories, and relationship.
Do you work with neurodivergent children?
Some providers may work with neurodivergent children or families navigating ADHD, autism, sensory needs, emotional regulation, or related concerns. If this is important to you, let us know when you reach out so we can help determine fit.
Do you offer online play therapy?
Play therapy is usually best suited to in-person work, especially for younger children. Some parent support or family consultation may be available online depending on provider availability and fit.