Child/Youth & Play Therapy In Kelowna
Certified Play Therapy In Kelowna
Play therapy in Kelowna is a fantastic way to engage children in feeling comfortable enough to share what they’re going through and feeling. At Crossroads Collective, we give them permission to play and in return, they open up to us.PLAY THERAPY IN KELOWNA CAN HELP
The use of play therapy in Kelowna as a tool helps children work through emotional issues. It allows children to form deeper self-esteem which helps improve their lives. Play Therapy can be used to address these concerns and others:- Behavioral concerns
- Attachment
- Emotional concerns
- Relationships
- Communication development
- Traumatic past experiences
TECHNIQUES USED IN SESSIONS
There are a variety of types of expressive play therapy in Kelowna including dramatic and fantasy play, sandbox play, and art-focused play. When a child comes to us, we allow them to explore the office and select the play activities they want to do. This helps build trust and a therapeutic alliance between the child and therapist.
The child’s therapist may also choose certain activities to help certain types of emotions or reactions come out. For example, they may encourage the child to play with dolls to elicit emotions pertaining to the family.
HOW WE WORK OUR MAGIC
This type of child therapy works best when it happens consistently. So, having a predictable schedule of the day and time remaining the same allows your children to get comfortable with us.
While a parent may want to ask questions to their child about the session, allow your child to reach out to share first. If the parent is tempted to ask, it could hurt the trust and comfortability that the therapist has worked to gain with the child.
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The Services We Offer
When you enter our clinic at Crossroad Collective, you and your family are our priority and our team works with you as though you are an extension of our family. Give us a call to learn more about:
Counselling • Child/Youth & Play Therapy • Life Coaching • Behavioural Consulting & Parenting Strategies • Sleep Consulting • Couples Counselling • Family Therapy • High Conflict & Mediation • Speech Therapy • Group Workshops • Music Centre • Nutritional Therapy • Fitness Coaching • Massage Therapy
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Play Therapy, What is it?
Play Therapy is a revolutionary type of therapy or counselling that is mainly used with children. The reason why it is so popular is because most kids are not capable of processing their feelings or explaining their problems as well as an adult. From the outside, it might look like our therapist is only playing but there is a lot more to it.
Play Therapy To Understand
Our team of therapists will use the playtime to understand and observe your child’s behavior and problems. If a child needs help with exploring their emotions or if they have unresolved trauma, we can help with their journey. If your child needs to redirect some inappropriate behaviors or if they simply need to learn some new coping mechanisms, give Crossroad Collective a call today to learn more about play therapy.
Who Practices Play Therapy in Canada?
There is a wide variety of mental health professionals that practice play therapy in Canada. This includes psychiatrists and psychologists that specialize with children’s therapy. Play Therapy can also be practiced by social workers, physical therapists as well as behavioral therapists. There is also a lot to learn for parents who wish to learn more about this kind of therapy.
What Are The Pros Of Play Therapy With Crossroad Counselling?
The first step to play therapy is to gain the trust of your child via diverse games based on your child’s interests. Once trust has been gained, your child will become more comfortable with the therapist which will bring them to become more vocal and more creative.
10 Benefits Of Play Therapy
Here are some of the pros of our play therapy services:
- Increase your children’s self respect
- Give them a sense of respect and empathy towards others
- It can help to alleviate feelings of anxiety
- It will strengthen their social skills
- It will teach them to express their feeling in a healthy way
- It will teach them how to solve problems with creativity
- It helps them to develop healthy coping strategies
- It can strengthen family ties
- It will teach them to take responsibility for their behaviors
- It can help to develop motor skills
Keep in mind that play therapy is not a replacement for medication or other necessary treatments for your kid. If your children are diagnosed with physical or mental illness, contact us to ask if this is the right service for them. It can also be combined with other forms of therapy in most cases.
When Do We Use This Kind Of Therapy?
Play Therapy is mostly used with children from 3 to 12 years old but it can really be beneficial for people of any age groups. Here are some of the most common situations where this kind of therapy is recommended:
- When dealing with illness or stressful medical procedures
- When someone has a learning disability or a development delay
- When problematic behavior has been observed in school
- When there is a problem with a child’s behavior, high aggressivity for example
- When children are facing issues within their family like a divorce or the death of someone close to them
- When your child had to face traumatic events and they don’t know how to deal with their feelings
- When domestic violence has been reported, if there is a case of neglect or even a case of abuse.
- When a child is dealing with high anxiety or depression
- When a children has an eating disorder
- When a children has an toileting disorders
- When a child is diagnosed with ADHD
- When a child is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum disorder
What Should You Keep In Mind?
You should keep in mind that play therapy is a therapy method that can be combined to other methods or be used on it’s own. It is used to uncover psychological issues and to deal with them. This kind of child’s therapy should only be practiced by certified professionals. If you need more information about play therapy, you should reach out to our team or book an appointment directly on our website.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or if you are interested in booking an appointment, contact our team of experts. They will take the time to understand your situation and needs. At Crossroad Collective, we are a team of professionals that are here to help you. Do not wait any longer and contact us today!
We are here to support you along your journey.
We are now accepting both virtual appointments as well as in-person appointments. Click below and schedule your first visit today!
Certified Play Therapists
Lisa Moore, MA
MA Counselling Psychology, RCC, CCC, Certified Play Therapist & Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults and Family Therapy
SPECIALTIES: Play Therapy, Special Needs Advocacy and Diagnosis, Anxiety, Depression, Career Counselling, Addictions, LGBTQIA+, Aboriginal Issues, Grief
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Desiree D’silva, m.ED
Clinical Counsellor (CCC) & Certified Play Therapist with a specialization in anxiety
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, Couples
SPECIALTIES: Depression, Anxiety, Self Esteem, Play Therapy, Behaviour Intervention, Supporting parents with Autism/adhd/odd diagnoses
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Nadine Viker
Certified Play Therapist & Behavioural Technician
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, Parents
SPECIALTIES: Child Play Therapy, Assessments for various Diagnoses, ADHD, Autism, ODD
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Shannon Lawrence
Certified Play Therapist & Behavioural Programmer
DEMOGRAPHIC: Adults, Families, Youth, Children
SPECIALTIES: Anxiety, Grief & Loss, Self-Esteem, Fears, Mental Health, Trauma, Personal Development, Parent Education, Blended Families, Depression, supporting parents with special needs, Autism/Adhd/ADD/OCD/ODD diagnosis
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Tracy tillapaugh, M.A.
Clinical Counsellor (RCC) & Certified Play Therapist
DEMOGRAPHIC: Young Adults, Youth, Children, Family, Couples
SPECIALTIES: Holistic Approach, Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Self-Esteem, Fears, Life Transitions, Grief, Relationship Concerns, Finding Balance, Abuse
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Cassandra Hildebrand, M.A.
Clinical Counsellor (RCC, CCC) & Certified Play Therapist
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Young Adults
SPECIALTIES: Play Therapy, Special Needs, Anxiety, Depression, Personal Development, Boundaries
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Rubina Garcha
Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Young Adults
SPECIALTIES: Play Therapy, Anxiety, Depression, Divorce/Separation, Life Transitions, Personal Development, Self-Esteem, Trauma
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Mansi Parekh
Associate Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Young Adults, New Moms, Families
SPECIALTIES: Play therapy, Art therapy, Special needs, Anxiety, Fear, Self-esteem, Behaviour Intervention, School and academic related challenges, supporting parents with Autism/ADHD/ADD/ODD diagnosis
LOCATION: Langley, BC
Daniel Smith
Associate Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, and Family Therapy
SPECIALTIES: Anxiety, Depression, Behavioural Interventions, Crisis Counselling, Depression, Thoughts of Suicide, Addictions, LGTBQ, Trauma (recent, acute, or historic), Grief and Loss
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC
Amanda Morazain
Intern Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, Couples, Group Therapy, Seniors
SPECIALTIES: Anxiety, Depression, Music Integrated Therapy, Play Therapy, Self Esteem, Life Transitions, Trauma, Mindfulness Based Techniques
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC
Brent Hayter
Intern Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, Couples, Group Therapy
SPECIALTIES: Self-Esteem, Depression, Anxiety, Thoughts of Suicide and Self-harm, Addictions, LGTBQ+, Trauma (recent, acute, or historic), Grief & Loss, Addiction, ADHD, Stress, Family Conflict, Life Coaching, Life Transitions, Parenting, Relationship Issues, Sports Performance, Men’s Issues
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC
Alex Mcivor
Intern Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adults, Couples, Group Therapy, Seniors
SPECIALTIES: Addictions, Career changes, Parenting, Men’s Issue, Anxiety and depression, Child and Youth
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC
Andres Beltran
Intern Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Children, Youth, Adolescents, Adults, Couples, Group therapy Seniors
SPECIALTIES: Anxiety, Stress Management, Life Transitions, and Behaviour Change
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC
Jessica Hughes, RPC
Associate Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Youth, Adult, Individual and Groups
SPECIALTIES: Grief & Loss/Chronic Illness/End of Life, Life Transitions, Health- Wellness-Lifestyle Coaching, Personal/Spiritual Growth and Development, Reiki- Master Level, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC
Gurdeep Patara
Associate Counsellor
DEMOGRAPHIC: Toddler, Child, Youth, Adult, Adults 65+ Individual and Groups
SPECIALTIES: Grief & Loss, Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Low self-worth,Confidence Relationship and couples/Physical and Mental abuse
LOCATION: Kelowna, BC