Children and teens sometimes need extra support with their emotional and mental well-being and getting that support early can make a huge difference in their lives. We offer Individual & Play Therapy for ages roughly 3 to 18 at our Centurion and Middelburg offices, providing a safe haven for young people to work through challenges with the help of a caring professional. Our approach is warm, child-centered, and grounded in proven techniques to help your child heal, grow, and develop healthy coping skills.
What is play therapy? Play therapy is a form of counseling that uses play the natural language of children to help them express feelings and deal with problems. Young children don’t always have the words to say what’s bothering them, but through stories, dolls, drawings, or games, they can show us. In play therapy sessions, our room is equipped with toys, art materials, sand trays, and other creative tools. The child leads the play, and the therapist engages, observes, and gently guides as needed. This process provides a contained way for children to express their experiences and feelings through an imaginative process in the context of a trusted relationship with the therapist. In other words, while it may just look like “playing,” important therapeutic work is happening: the child might replay an upsetting event with toy figures to gain mastery over it, draw their family to reveal how they feel, or use puppets to act out worries they can’t talk about directly. Play therapy is extensively acknowledged by specialists as an effective intervention to support children’s emotional and social development. It can help with a wide range of issues, allowing children to process trauma, learn to manage big emotions, and improve their behavior and relationships.
Therapy for older children and teens: For adolescents or those pre-teens who feel “too old” for play, we adapt our approach. We integrate talk therapy techniques (like cognitive-behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, or simply providing a compassionate listening ear) and often still include expressive activities suited to their age journaling, art, storytelling, or even therapeutic games depending on what engages the young person. The key is creating a non-judgmental, confidential space where they can open up about what’s on their mind. Teens often appreciate having an unbiased adult to talk to outside of their family or school. We ensure they feel respected and heard, which helps build trust and makes the therapy effective.
Issues we address: Our educational psychologist is equipped to help children and adolescents facing a variety of challenges, including but not limited to:
Anxiety and stress: Excessive worrying, school anxiety, test panic, or phobias (like fear of the dark, sleeping alone, etc.).
Behavioral issues: Anger outbursts, aggression, defiance, hyperactivity, or frequent tantrums beyond typical age expectations.
Depression and mood issues: Persistent sadness, withdrawal from friends or activities, or low self-esteem.
Trauma and grief: Recovery from traumatic experiences (accidents, abuse, witnessing violence) or coping with loss (death of a family member, divorce of parents, etc.).
Social difficulties: Bullying (being bullied or bullying others), difficulty making or keeping friends, social skills deficits, or peer pressure issues.
Adjustment challenges: Big life changes such as moving homes/schools, parents’ divorce/remarriage, or adapting to a new sibling or blended family.
Every child is different, so we tailor therapy goals to your child’s specific situation. For some, the goal might be to reduce anxiety and build confidence; for others, to improve behavior and impulse control; for another, to process a painful event and learn to trust again. We often collaborate with parents in setting these goals.
Our therapeutic process: In the initial sessions, the focus is on building rapport with your child. We want them to feel comfortable and safe with the therapist. With children, this might mean just playing and chatting to begin with; with teens, perhaps discussing their interests or what they find important. As trust grows, we delve into the heart of the matter at the child’s pace. Through their play or conversation, themes typically emerge fears, wishes, conflicts that the therapist will gently help them explore and make sense of. We teach coping skills in a way the child can grasp: a young child might learn a “calm down” routine with a glitter jar, while a teen might practice mindfulness or thought-challenging techniques to handle negative thoughts.
Parents are crucial partners in the therapy process. We usually meet with the parent/caregiver separately for an initial intake to understand the background, and we provide periodic updates (while respecting the child’s privacy on specifics shared in therapy). We may offer parent guidance on strategies to use at home, because consistency between sessions and home life can greatly reinforce progress. For example, if we’re working on temper tantrums, we’ll discuss with you effective ways to respond to outbursts. If a teen is depressed, we might suggest communication approaches or lifestyle changes (like routine and exercise) that you can support at home. Sometimes, we involve parents directly in sessions (like joint play activities or family therapy sessions) if that would benefit the child.
A warm, professional touch: Our therapist approaches each child with empathy, patience, and positive regard. We celebrate small victories – a child learning to self-soothe instead of hitting, or a teen using coping statements during a tough week – and we make sure the child also recognizes their own progress. We maintain professional ethics (our psychologist is registered with the HPCSA) so you can trust that your child is in safe, qualified hands. Everything shared in therapy is confidential, with the exception of any disclosures of serious risk (which we handle with care and in consultation with you).
Benefits of therapy: Over time, you may notice improvements such as: your child is more emotionally regulated (fewer meltdowns, or able to calm down faster), more communicative about their feelings, behaving better at school and home, or regaining their cheerful personality that might have been lost due to stress. They’ll be gaining lifelong skills – like emotional awareness, problem-solving, and resilience. Perhaps most importantly, they’ll know that when life feels hard, there are ways to cope and people who will support them. We aim to strengthen the child’s support system (internal skills + external help), so they no longer feel alone with their problems.
In summary, individual and play therapy can be a transformative experience for a young person. It’s a chance to heal and grow, packaged in the form of play, conversation, and genuine human connection. We are here to journey with your child through whatever storm they’re facing, toward sunnier skies ahead.
(Service available through in-person appointments in Centurion, Gauteng and Middelburg, Mpumalanga.)