Ever notice how kids can express deep feelings through a drawing, a story, or a game — even when they aren’t able to say what they feel?
That’s where play therapy comes in.
At Health & Happiness: Counselling and Wellness in Vaughan, play therapy is one of the ways we help children (and sometimes adults) work through emotions, build confidence, and find their voice — often without saying much at all.
What Is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a specialized therapeutic approach that uses play-based activities — such as drawing, art, or games — to help people express and process their feelings. Words of course can be used as well, just the primary therapy takes place with play.
It’s most commonly used with young children, but it can also be incredibly effective for teens and adults who may find it hard to express themselves through traditional talk therapy.
This might include someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a developmental delay, or simply a person who feels more comfortable expressing themselves through action than through words.
Play therapy creates a safe, structured space where the patient’s imagination, creativity, and emotions can be seen and processed. This can help the therapist understand what’s going on internally in ways that conversation alone sometimes can’t. And most important: the patient can better understand themselves.
How Play Therapy Works
A play therapist is trained to observe and understand the themes, emotions, and patterns that emerge during play. For example, a child might repeatedly build and knock down towers, act out family dynamics with figurines, or use drawing to express sadness or anger.
Each of these moments gives the therapist insight into the child’s emotional world. Over time, this helps the child:
- Develop emotional awareness and regulation
- Build self-esteem and problem-solving skills
- Process difficult or confusing experiences
- Strengthen communication and trust
This process can be both healing and empowering — because the child learns that their feelings are valid and manageable, even when they’re hard to put into words.
For more on the professional standards and philosophy behind this approach, visit the Association for Play Therapy. One message from their page is amazing: play is the language of children. So let’s speak their language in Therapy.
Play Therapy at Health & Happiness: Counselling and Wellness
We are proud to offer Play Therapy as one of our specialty services. It can be hard to find a play therapist, and we have a great one!
Julia Zuckernick not only has her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology but also has years of experience in dance. When she works with children and youth she incorporates movement as well as play. By using creative, evidence-based techniques she is able to develop a good relationship with her patients. Her warm, gentle approach helps children feel safe enough to explore difficult emotions through play — leading to genuine growth and emotional resilience.
If you’ve been searching online for “play therapy near me,” and you’re in the Vaughan, Toronto, or York Region areas, our clinic provides a welcoming, child-friendly environment where therapy doesn’t feel intimidating — it feels natural.
You can learn more about our child therapy services or contact us to see if play therapy might be the right fit for your child.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the most powerful conversations don’t use words at all.
Through play therapy, patients can express what they feel using what comes natural: play. Even when they can’t explain it they can still heal, grow, and connect more deeply with themselves and others.
If you’d like to explore whether play therapy could help your child, we invite you to reach out today.