Play Therapy

Does your child experience behavioral, emotional, developmental, or social challenges? At my practice, Sea Hope Counseling in St. Augustine, Florida, I offer play therapy to help children with neurodivergence and other conditions thrive. As an experienced licensed mental health counselor, I invite you to schedule an evaluation by calling my office or booking a visit with me online today.

What is play therapy?

At my practice, Sea Hope Counseling, I offer a safe and creative space for children to explore their emotions, grow, and build resilience. Through the natural language of play, I help people of all ages better understand themselves, build connections, develop healthy coping skills, and move forward with confidence.

What are the advantages of play therapy?

I use play therapy to help children express thoughts and emotions they might not yet have words to describe. Through our sessions, children can process trauma, stress, and behavioral challenges in a developmentally appropriate and evidence-based way.

I provide a safe space with no expectations or rules. Here, kids can utilize creative problem-solving skills and bottom-up thinking to pave the way for success and resilience as they grow and develop.

Who benefits from play therapy?

While play therapy is highly beneficial for everyone, I generally design my sessions for children aged 3-12 who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioral, or developmental difficulties. I find it especially helpful for easing bothersome symptoms of grief, anxiety, trauma, emotional regulation challenges, behavioral difficulties, and family transitions.

I view play therapy as an excellent way for children to "try on" situations and circumstances without the fear of reality. It is how I help children and teenagers prepare and practice for the future situations they encounter.

How does child-centered play therapy work?

At Sea Hope Counseling, I provide a safe and structured environment where your child leads the play. I use specific skills—including facilitation, tracking, reflection, and limit-setting—to help your child build emotional regulation, self-awareness, problem-solving skills, distress tolerance, and a stronger sense of self.

What is parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) plus play therapy?

By combining PCIT with play therapy, I help you strengthen your parent-child relationship while addressing common behavior concerns.

I will coach you in real time to use effective, play-based interaction skills. These skills boost positive behavior patterns, support better communication, and foster connection and limit-setting to reduce challenging behaviors in your child’s daily life.

You can meet with me as often as needed so that I can help your child effectively progress through their journey and flourish in their home and school environments.

Schedule a play therapy evaluation with me at Sea Hope Counseling by calling my office or requesting a visit online today.