PLAY THERAPY
APT defines play therapy as "the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."
More simply put, child play therapy is a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the “language” of the child – play. Licensed mental health professionals therapeutically use play to help their clients, most often children ages three to 12 years, to better express themselves and resolve their problems.
Play Therapy works best when a safe relationship is created between the therapist and client, one in which the latter may freely and naturally express both what pleases and bothers them.
Mental health agencies, schools, hospitals, and private practitioners have utilized Play Therapy as a primary intervention or as supportive therapy for:
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Behavioral problems, such as anger management,grief and loss, divorce and abandonment, and crisis and trauma.
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Behavioral disorders, such as anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), autism or pervasive developmental, academic and social developmental, physical and learning disabilities, and conduct disorders.
Research suggests Play Therapy is an effective mental health approach, regardless of age, gender, or the nature of the problem, and works best when a parent, family member, or caretaker is actively involved in the treatment process. For more information on play therapy including research citations we invite you to view
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
What is Applied Behavior Analysis?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a therapy based on the science of learning and behavior.
Behavior analysis helps us to understand:
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How behavior works
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How behavior is affected by the environment
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How learning takes place
ABA therapy applies our understanding of how behavior works to real situations. The goal is to increase behaviors that are helpful and decrease behaviors that are harmful or affect learning.
ABA therapy programs can help:
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Increase language and communication skills
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Improve attention, focus, social skills, memory, and academics
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Decrease problem behaviors
The methods of behavior analysis have been used and studied for decades. They have helped many kinds of learners gain different skills – from healthier lifestyles to learning a new language. Therapists have used ABA to help children with autism and related developmental disorders since the 1960s.
Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning
Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning are essential elements of the counseling process, regardless of one's theoretical orientation.
Assessment is the process of obtaining information for use in the diagnostic process. Assessment data are collected through several formal and informal techniques including standardized tests, questionnaires, diagnostic interviews, personality measures, mental status examinations, behavioral observation, and reports by others (e.g., parents, friends, spouses, medical, educational, legal, social).
As noted in this definition, standardized testing is only one of several ways in which to collect assessment information. Diagnosis is the meaning that is derived from assessment data when it is interpreted through the use of a diagnostic classification system. Diagnosis is a matching of ...