Annie’s Place Play Therapy

*Children shown in photos are not enrolled in the Play Therapy Program.

Why Play Therapy?

Our mission is to support parents who are experiencing a health crisis.  We know one of the ways we can best support parents is to support their kids because a diagnosis is stressful for everyone in the family. 

What is
Play Therapy?

"Play Therapy, a modality of child therapy, is a powerful tool for addressing cognitive, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Licensed professionals use play therapeutically to help clients better process their experiences and develop more effective strategies for managing their worlds"
-Association for Play Therapy.

Play therapy is one of the most researched children’s counseling services, with benefits for a variety of concerns.

Meet Our Play Therapist, Kait!

Kait Christian, MS, LPC, RPT™ (A Registered Play Therapist™) is a trained mental health professional who received her training at the University of North Texas and has served children and families in a variety of community and school settings. If interested in Play Therapy services, please contact Kait at kchristian@anniesplacecares.org

Our play therapist can help children:

  • Learn to express emotions and modify behaviors, which can help with diagnoses.

  • Address emotional and behavioral concerns related to a parent's medical condition.

  • Process a guardian's medical condition or addiction recovery.

  • Work through relational concerns associated with a parent's condition.

  • Process trauma due to a parent's medical condition

  • Learn about a loved one's diagnosis.

  • Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more successful strategies of emotional regulation.

  • Increase self-esteem and acceptance of self and others, which can help anxiety, aggression, and relational concerns.

  • Cultivate empathy and respect for others’ thoughts and feelings.

Our play therapist can help parents:

  • Walk through developmentally appropriate ways to tell their child about a medical condition or addiction.

  • Discipline children with anxiety, depression, aggression, ADHD, and other internalizing and externalizing behaviors.

  • Navigate the family’s “new normal” with parenting techniques to help support children.

  • Talk about development, diagnoses, and other helpful information related to a parent’s concerns.

  • Reflect children’s feelings, to increase parent-child relational bonds.

  • Discuss a child’s progress, parenting concerns, and changes at home and school.

  • Teach parents limit setting to help increase self-efficacy, responsibility, and tantrum reduction.

 Play Therapy FAQs

 

  • Play therapists use toys as children’s words and play as their language to help them express and explore their worlds. Play therapy is one of the most researched children’s counseling services, with benefits for a variety of concerns. Licensed professionals use play therapeutically to help clients better process their experiences and develop more effective strategies for managing their worlds.

  • It depends! Just as adults respond to change and life events in different ways, children may respond to your medical situation in a variety of ways. Feel free to reach out to our play therapy team to get further guidance on your family's situation.

  • Nothing! It is free! Annie’s Place offers our families play therapy for free thanks to Crystal Charity Ball’s generous donation.

  • Play therapy if for children ages 3-12. We also offer activity therapy for children ages 12-17.

  • Play therapy sessions are 45 minutes, once a week. Your child will come to play therapy at the same scheduled time once a week. This consistency helps to build the relationship with the counselor. We offer services in 10 week increments. After the first 10 weeks you and your play therapist will meet and check in on progress of behaviors, emotions, goals, and any concerns.

  • No. The sessions will be with just the child and play therapist. You will wait in the lobby during the session and meet with the counselor every month to talk about progress, concerns, and how to support your child. If you need to meet more often, just let your child’s counselor know.

  • No, not at Annie’s Place. If you need help finding a play therapist, please feel free to reach out to our team and we can provide you with resources in your area.

  • Contact our play therapist at (214)266-8065. Or submit the form below.

 

Need More Information?

Our Play Therapist will reach out to you with more information on our Play Therapy Program.

 

Check out our Play Therapy Tips from Kait Christian