During play therapy, the therapist works with the child, viewing the child as a plant, a being that has been growing and has been affected by its surroundings. The energy to help the child grow exists in the child already, and the therapist is responsible for facilitating the “child- plants” health.
During play therapy, the therapist will come to understand what environmental factors and stressers have stunted the plant-child’s growth or caused any detriment. The child-plant’s environment remains an important aspect for the therapist to explore, to understand how the seedling came to be the child plant.
The therapist will figure out what the child needs and work with the child as well as with the child’s environment to create the optimal setting for the child to flourish and succeed. Sometimes the therapist will need to prune the edges and cut the leaves or other times the therapist will need to use different tools, but every session the needs and mental wellness of the child will be assessed and valued above all.
