Play Therapy in Galway and Mayo
For children aged 3 to 12 years old
Play Therapy offers a vital outlet for children to express and process their emotions. We provide Play Therapy sessions designed specifically for children aged 3 to 12 years old. These sessions create a supportive environment where each child can explore their feelings and work through any challenges they may be experiencing.
Discover the Healing Power of Play
Through Play Therapy, children are given the time and space they need to address what may be troubling them. Our sessions are crafted to help children reach their full potential by allowing them to express their feelings in the most natural way they know—through play. This method taps into their innate ability to communicate, providing a non-verbal outlet to work through their emotions.
The Importance of Play in Self-Discovery
We firmly believe that play is one of the most crucial tools for children to understand and accept themselves and others. Play serves as a fundamental vehicle for self-discovery and emotional growth. It helps children navigate their feelings, understand their emotions, and develop a sense of self-awareness and empathy.
A Safe and Confidential Space for Expression
Our therapists are dedicated to creating a secure and confidential environment where your child can freely express their thoughts and feelings. In this safe space, children are encouraged to explore their emotions without fear of judgment. Our therapists are skilled in supporting children through this process, helping them develop strategies to overcome any adversities they might face.
Support and Guidance Every Step of the Way
Our Play Therapy sessions are not just about play—they are about providing structured support to help your child navigate their emotional landscape. Our therapists work closely with each child, offering guidance and techniques to handle their emotions and build resilience.
By integrating these elements into our Play Therapy sessions, we aim to foster emotional well-being, boost self-esteem, and support the overall development of each child. Discover the transformative impact of Play Therapy with Helplink in Galway and Mayo. Book a session today to help your child unlock their full potential through the power of play.
Our Galway and Mayo Play Therapy and Creative Therapy appointments are 45 minutes long.
The appointments are non-directive and non-investigative in nature. This means, the child leads the sessions and the therapist follows. In addition, the rooms Helplink provides hold the play therapy ‘tool kit’ which includes:
- sand
- clay
- puppets
- role play
- art materials
- therapeutic stories
- creative visualisations
- music/movement
We want to make sure that all children feel comfortable at our sessions. Due to this, we encourage the child to express the negative or difficult emotions through their actions. The therapist is able to track and observe what is happening and gently guide the session when necessary. The therapist provides the space which allows the child/young person to play as they need to. As a result, our sessions have as little limits as possible but as many as is necessary for physical and emotional safety.
Galway Play Therapy Room
Mayo Play Therapy Room
Who is Play Therapy for?
Any child over the age of 3 years can benefit from play therapy. This type of therapy nurtures creative thinking, builds self-esteem, confidence, resilience and much more. Furthermore, play therapy can be specifically used to support children with any emotional or behavioural difficulties. Ones who have suffered bereavement/loss, suffering with anxiety. Also, it can help children who are having any family issues. Naming only a few, there are a wide range of benefits for children from Play and Creative Therapy.
Creative therapy is for older children aged 11 to 15 as above this service can assist these children across multiple areas.
Initially our play therapists contract with a child for 12 session. This is because it allows adequate time for the child to build a connection and trust with the therapist, time for the child to play out and understand their difficulties and to provide time to have a proper and positive closing. Some children may need longer than that of course which is why parental involvement is so important throughout the process, parent reviews will be carried out to discuss your child’s progress . Both legal guardians will need to sign consent prior to any play therapy sessions going ahead.
A free phone consultation is available for all parents and caregivers to see if play therapy is the right fit for your child.
Parents/caregivers are in no way obligated to commence the play therapy following the phone call but can use the phone call and play therapists recommendations to decide on whether or not play therapy is the right fit.
Parent-Child Attachment Play (PCAP)
Parent-Child Attachment Play (PCAP) helps parents to strengthen the relationship between themselves and their children through dedicated weekly play times to reduce emotional and behavioural challenges.
PCAP helps parents to manage time, environment, emotions and help their children to make helpful choices. Parents are introduced to tools to increase parental sensitivity and understanding which is proven to increase attachment security in children.
Parents and carers are often concerned about their children’s behaviour and that by adopting a playful attachment approach they will somehow lose control over their family life. In fact, the opposite is true. When the parent-child relationship is working, helpful child behaviour generally follows and family life becomes more manageable which can also lead to a positive change in school.
PCAP for Parents involves sharing three key skills with parents and carers through weekly interactive workshop-style sessions across 6 weeks (or more if required). Once these skills are well-established, the parent or carer is helped to transfer them to problematic areas of home life.
Our Play/Creative Therapists
Full details of our Play/Creative Therapist available here
Appointment Fees:
Full details of fees available here
Testimonials
Play Therapy for my child has been of huge benefit to her. Her anxiety has improved as has her confidence to try new things.
She also knows she had a safe space to return to with Cliodhna if she ever needs it.
Cliodhna is very professional, thoughtful and turned into my child very quickly, helping her with her confidence and communication.
Play therapy with Cliodhna has been a hugely positive experience.
Thanks to Karel’s expertise and compassionate care, my child has made significant progress in their mental and emotional health. They are now more confident, self-aware and better equipped to handle stress and challenges. I highly recommend Karel to anyone looking for a play therapist who truly cares about their clients and their families
I found play therapy really helpful for my child while we were going through a lot of change. Play therapy has given my son an outlet to express himself in a safe environment which I am really pleased with. It has also given me support and advice to support my son as best as I possibly could. It’s provided me with new tools for when dealing with some of my child’s emotions which I struggled with such as anger. He has not had an outburst in weeks and I am truly thankful for Clíodhna. Play therapy with Helplink has helped us at a difficult time in our lives. Thanks.
My son, now 10, attended Karel’s weekly play therapy sessions for a year. These sessions were a huge help in improving his emotional regulation and self soothing strategies. He looked forward to his hour with Karel every week. She is a very giving play therapist, took the time to get to know my son and his world in depth. She was very open to queries from myself and held regular review sessions for us, always taking on our concerns and thoughts on how he was doing. I would thoroughly recommend Karel as a play therapist and should the need ever arise in the future would happily bring my son back to see her. He is a calmer, more confident child after his time with her.
I did just want to drop you a quick line to say thanks for all the work you did with our son this year. He is much more content, and has none of the issues he had when we first made the referral. He still experiences big emotions, but seems better able to manage and understand them, and even better still he can now say he is proud of himself which is not something I expected. This was something he never said before and would shy away from, but he has grown in confidence over the last number of months