Therapy doesn’t always have to involve a serious setting with the patient and therapist facing each other in chairs. In fact, this scenario may be intimidating for some people, especially children. That’s where play therapy comes in. This is a powerful tool for clients of all ages to explore emotions, reduce stress, and develop healthy coping skills. Play therapy in Troy MI can include anything from games to creative activities, allowing individuals to express feelings they might not even realize are there — often without saying a word.

The Core of Play Therapy and Why it Works

Play gives clients easier access to emotions and memories within a safe, structured environment. Whether it’s building a scene in a sandbox, rolling story cubes, or drawing on paper, these activities act as a window into subconscious thoughts. Because play therapy doesn’t have the typical structure and expectation of traditional therapy settings, it puts the patient at ease and allows for free and spontaneous expression of feelings, according to Psychology Today.

It’s most frequently used for children between the ages of 3 and 11 suffering from social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties. However, it can also be used for teens and adults as well.

Some common ways in which play therapy can help include:

Stress reduction: Engaging in playful activities naturally lowers tension. Sand therapy, for example, absorbs energy and promotes calm — much like a day at the beach.
Expression without pressure: Play provides a distraction that makes opening up easier, especially for children. Sometimes, clients don’t even need to talk; they simply act out their feelings through play.
Immediate, experiential learning: Unlike talking about emotions abstractly, play allows kids and adults to experience feelings in real time, leading to more productive growth.

Popular Games and Activities Used in Play Therapy

Here at Open Door Counseling Center, we commonly use the following strategies as part of our play therapy sessions.

Board and Card Games

Games are a fun way to teach valuable life skills and coping mechanisms:

Operation: Helps children with ADHD develop patience, persistence, and focus.
Perfection: Aids in managing anxiety, building confidence, and learning time management.
Sorry: Teaches frustration tolerance, fairness, and taking turns.
Uno: Keeps hands busy, helps manage frustration, and teaches how to handle setbacks gracefully.
Whack-a-Mole: Encourages confidence and stress release in a playful way.

Creative Play

Hands-on activities allow clients to express themselves in ways words sometimes can’t:

Puppets and Dolls: Act out scenes or tell stories, reducing intimidation and fostering expression.
Story Cubes: Roll and create stories based on images, encouraging imagination and emotional exploration.
Sandbox/Tub Play: Build scenes with sand, figures, animals, and trees to process hidden feelings and work through personal challenges.

Arts and Movement

Creative expression extends well beyond games and embraces all artistic formats:

Art Therapy: Drawing and painting help express emotions visually.
Music Therapy: Rhythm and sound provide calming and expressive outlets.
Dance Therapy: Body movement becomes a tool for emotional release and self-discovery.

The Positive Impact of Play Therapy

On the surface, play therapy sounds just like “fun and games”. But in reality, it has a measurable impact on emotional and social development. Research shows that play therapy can:

Reduce anxiety: Play therapy has been shown to significantly lower anxiety levels compared to standard therapeutic care.
Improve self‑regulation and emotional awareness: Studies of group play therapy in preschoolers demonstrate benefits of self‑regulation, empathy, and social communication.
Aid emotional expression: Recent studies show that play helps children “access the truths and realities around them,” reducing anxiety and building self‑esteem.
Support children facing medical stress: One review found that therapeutic play reduces post‑operative pain and distress in hospitalized kids.
Promote social skills and coping: The Association for Play Therapy says play therapy supports development of empathy, self-efficacy, social skills, and emotional responsibility.

How We Leverage These Benefits

Our therapists leverage these evidence‑based benefits to help clients not only express hidden emotions, but also learn long-term tools to manage stress, anxiety, and interpersonal challenges.

Play therapy for young and old can:

Help clients express emotions without fear or hesitation
Improve patience, confidence, and coping skills
Reduce anxiety and stress through structured, tactile activities
Provide a more engaging and enjoyable therapy experience, making it easier to work through difficult feelings

Play therapy turns learning and self-discovery into a hands-on, interactive experience that feels less like “work” and more like a safe space to explore emotions.

Schedule Play Therapy With Open Door Counseling Center

Play therapy isn’t just for children. It can actually be a powerful, effective approach for people of all ages. Through games, creative play, and expressive activities, our trained therapists can help you reduce stress, build confidence, and unlock emotional growth.