Play Therapy

How we communicate, explore and transform our stories is unique to each of us.  Play therapy honors a child’s developmental level and creates opportunities to connect, emotionally regulate, and heal in their own language – play.  Whether that's through expressive art, toys, imaginative play, sand tray, online games, music, movement, and more. Play therapy is not just for the youngest children. It is for adolescents, young adults, adults, families, and groups. I therapeutically use play therapy and expressive arts to help my client's connect to their calm center, express themselves, understand their lived experiences, externalize and resolve problems, form healthy relationships, and heal.

Trauma occurs in relationship and healing occurs in relationship. Play therapists carefully design an environment that creates space for the building of trust, a safe relationship, and children's play, decision making, and control. Children and adolescents in play therapy learn to emotionally regulate and make increasingly mature, developmentally-appropriate choices in day-to-day behaviors. Play therapy with teens and young adults can look as diverse as the participants themselves, including art, games, writing, acting, music-making, gaming, and much more. In play therapy, clients of all ages experience themselves in a safe, trusting, playful relationship and are given the opportunity to select and act on increasingly self-responsible, self-affirming choices in major life directions and ways of being. 

As a play therapist, working towards certification as an RPT, I am providing play therapy services (virtual and in-person)
at Modern Change PLLC, a private practice in S. Durham, NC , and at Tricia Anbinder LLC (virtual only) in Atlanta.  I am honored to be the supervisee of play therapy expert Dr. JoAnna White,  Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. 
To learn more or schedule an appointment, I may be reached at alexa@groundedinstory.com.