Play Therapy and Neuroscience 101 – Child Counselling in Vancouver, BC
Kimberly Yamada, MCP, RCC, VITALITY COLLECTIVE
Vancouver THERAPIST
What is child counselling?
Just like adults, children’s lives are a rollercoaster of experiences. Up, down, sideways, upside down, and loop-de-loops - children go through it all! While a child’s rollercoaster might look different than an adult's, it does not mean they don’t need support on the journey. Through nurturing children’s socioemotional development, facilitating connection to self and others, and building skills for the rest of their lives, child counsellors are there to help children find safety, joy, and strength on their ride. Child counselling provides children with a safe space to ride their roller coasters and learn how to navigate all the topsy-turvy.
What happens in child therapy?
So, how does a child experience therapy? While adults talk, children do and play! Child counsellors enter the child’s world by using creative techniques like play therapy, expressive arts, movement, and stories.
If you’re curious about how play can be therapeutic, there are many ways child counsellors transform play. Here is just a couple!
Metaphors. Child counsellors tend to work in metaphor during play. A child’s play narrative about a princess defeating a dragon or dogs travelling to outer space or whatever their imagination builds is communicating a real-life experience. Metaphor not only provides a way for children to express complex feelings in a language they understand but also provides safety. Talking about bullying might be scary but if it is a story about a dinosaur that is mean to all the other dinosaurs? Much safer and more fun! The counsellor can then guide the child through the story, supporting them to work through the emotions attached.
Brain science. Play therapy also applies a lot of brain science! While the brain is a massive, complicated thing, it can be simplified to be seen in two parts: the right brain is our “experiencing brain”, while the left brain is our “thinking brain”. While children play, they are in their “experiencing brain”. This is where children feel their emotions, let their imagination flow, and connect to their bodily sensations. Child counsellors feel this experience with the child, while also engaging their “thinking brain”. The “thinking brain” organizes and makes cognitive sense of things. Through reflection and attunement with the child, the counsellor can support the child to bridge their “experiencing brain” to their “thinking brain”. This helps children make sense of their emotions and experiences while building control and stability.
Some approaches dive further into our neurobiology, like synergetic play therapy, which is rooted in nervous system regulation. Other approaches, like expressive arts, focus on expressing emotions and feelings through creativity or building regulation skills through art. There are diverse approaches for diverse needs. But the core of these approaches is the same - connection with the child and meeting the child where they are at. Children may not be able to express or understand their emotions in the same way as an adult, so through play, child counsellors create space for healing without a need for language, cognition, or anything outside a child’s grasp.
What to look for in a child counsellor:
As a parent, you want the best for your children, which is why finding a counsellor for them can feel daunting. Finding the right fit means that parents need to balance both their needs (and adult things, like commute or cost) and their child’s needs. What each parent chooses to prioritize may be different, but here are some things to look for in a child counsellor that will support you and your child having a safe, nurturing experience:
Prioritises child autonomy and listens to the child.
Advocates for your child.
Has knowledge or experience in child development and play therapy.
Includes parents in the child’s healing process, through offering parental support or consultation. A child does not heal in isolation!
Is someone your child is excited and happy to spend time with.
Common issues
Child counsellors can support children with a range of experiences. Some children simply need a safe space of expression, while other children may need more goal-oriented work like navigating anxiety or building emotional regulation skills. Some children have histories of trauma and come to counselling for healing, other children may be neurodivergent and are looking for tools to better understand how their brains work. Common issues child counsellors work with include:
Anxiety
Neurodivergence
Attachment
Self-esteem and self-identity
Emotional awareness and emotional regulation
Anger
Trauma, including oppression-related trauma
Connecting to culture
Bullying
Divorce or separation
Self-harm
Sometimes, parents may seek counselling for children in hopes of a “fix” or change. While counselling can (and often does) support children’s development or adjusting behaviour, a child counsellor makes space for the child exactly as they are. Healing is not linear for both children and adults! The unconditional acceptance a child counsellor provides can be the most powerful agent of change.
Contrary to some stigmas surrounding counselling (both for adults and children!), nothing needs to be “wrong” for a child to benefit from counselling. Think of your child’s physical development - when children are growing, regular doctor’s check-ups for their physical health is standard practice. Mental health is no different! Child counselling supports a child’s socio-emotional development and supports them to take care of their mental health, now and in the future.
If you are wondering if child counselling is right for your child, many Vancouver child counsellors (including Vitality Collective) offer free consultations and would be happy to discuss the process further.
Why is child counselling important?
Our world is built by and (mostly) for adults, so in a lot of places children exist, but they are confined to the rules/norms of adults. While some of those rules may be in place for safety or learning, our adult world can unintentionally trap children in small boxes. But, children are expansive, and wise, and need the freedom to express who they are and what they feel! The world needs more spaces where children are able to be themselves, without any expectation or restraint. One of the things that make child counselling so important is the special, liberating space it provides for children - a space where their voice is heard, they co-create their ways of being, and they are free to express themselves however they like.
Booking an appointment with a child counsellor
Our child therapists do a thorough parent intake session first before meeting with your child in order to be able to gather a full history of your child’s development, hear your observations and concerns, and establish the foundations of what the counselling process will look like with your child. Our Vancouver child counsellors are able to book in-person or online appointments.
To set up your parent intake session and book your child’s first appointment, please fill out our New Client Inquiry form on our website.
Kimberly Yamada is passionate about helping little and big people thrive. She works with children, youth, adults, and families in a variety of capacities and is experienced with many issues including anxiety, depression, trauma, stress & burnout, child & youth development, neurodivergence, racial/cultural identity, racial trauma and oppression-related trauma, and survivors of violence and abuse.