Play Therapy is an approach to counseling utilized for children. Children learn to understand the world through play. Play Therapy embraces play to facilitate therapeutic interventions. Play can include games, dolls, art activities, sports, make-believe, or any other activity that fits a child developmentally and emotionally.
Play Therapy can be beneficial for children with behavioral issues. Because these children might not have the words to communicate their feelings or might not want to, this allows them a space to express themselves and share their feelings through play.
Play therapists get to know the child’s specific interests and can tailor their counseling space to make it unique for each child. As the counselor observes and interacts with the child, they can understand the emotions that lead to their behaviors. Over time, therapists can encourage children to use play to express feelings instead of expressing them through inappropriate or harmful behaviors.
Play Therapy can also be used for adults to help them connect with their inner creativity and facilitate child-like joy.
My name is Amanda Essinger and I am a Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor. I work for Family Connection 2, LLC under Dr. Katafiasz, IMFT-S. I specialize in working with families and couples as well as individuals, adolescents, and children. I enjoy practicing experiential types of therapy that encourage prosocial expression of the authentic self. I have...
Is your child experiencing anxiety and uncertainty with all of the big changes happening due to current events? Has the transition from being in school to being stuck at home all day been overwhelming for you or your child? Call for a free 10-minute consultation to learn about teletherapy and determine if I am a good fit for your family. I specialize in treating children with developmental...
Are you or your loved one feeling stressed or depressed? Are you struggling to feel better? Are you ready to make a change? I can help you reach your goals of feeling happier and living a fulfilling life. Together we will work on improving your mood by learning strategies and techniques in order to cope with the difficulties you have been experiencing. I believe in focusing on all of your...
I believe that there is hope and possibility in life for all people. I want to empower individuals and families to expand their capacity, find brave space and write a new story for themselves. Clients I work with struggle with many different things - anxiety, depression and/ or low self esteem or they may have warped relationships with food, money or sex. Yet, through creating a place where the...
Hi! Let’s work together. I am a psychotherapist in the Greater Denver Area who is enthusiastic about working with children, adolescents, young adults and families. My down-to-earth approach helps me create a safe environment to delve into your personal concerns. I utilized evidence-based practices, which include cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy and play therapy. As an USAF Vetera...
Hope, healing, and wellness is the focus for the counseling journey that we will enter together. Each person has a unique set of needs, personal strengths, and the ability to overcome difficult times. Our therapeutic relationship begins and ends with grace and my willingness to enter into your experiences alongside you with an authentic listening heart. It is important to grow from our experien...
Therapy can be a challenging and transforming process. Each person has their own natural areas of strength and I work to help clients discover these strengths, increase coping skills, reduce stress, and improve their relationships. I have experience working with individuals of all ages struggling with Depression, Anxiety, Parenting, Anger and Stress Management, Trauma and Abuse, and Post Trauma...
Many people find themselves stuck in repetitive patterns of behavior and thinking that do not serve their well-being. Therapy helps to identify and examine these patterns in order to understand how and why they affect our sense of self, our moods, and our relationships in negative ways. Together we will uncover new ways of thinking and relating, and learn how to apply them in your life. The...
Does your family have a unique dynamic? Are you or your family needing help negotiating the new roles and responsibilities of raising a child with special needs? Are the current pressures faced by our children, teens, and young adults, uncharted waters you need help navigating? By working in conjunction with my clients and their families, together we map and discover a new normal. Through...
Welcome! I specialize in working with children, adolescents and young adults coping with anxiety, depression and/or other behavioral difficulties related to life transitions including but not limited to divorce, out of home placement, grief and loss. I work closely with families and focus on the importance of relationships, building self worth and creating/maintaining peace at home. Caregiver...
Hi! I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist. I'm familiar with and practice a variety of techniques that help individuals, couples, and families uncover underlying issues and work collaboratively to implement a plan to change maladaptive behaviors. I can provide guidance to help rebuild and repair relationships. I understand it is difficult to handle concerns such as loss, relationship...
When children are wrestling with emotions and experiences that are too big to handle, play can communicate much more than words. Play therapy, art, movement, sand-tray therapy, and story are the tools I use to give children the safe place they need to grow and heal. Adolescents experience a great deal of anxiety and stress regarding social status, academic performance, and future planning durin...
Kids and teens often face unique struggles that must be uniquely approached. As a specialized youth therapist, I recognize that academic stress, self-esteem, self-harm, depression/anxiety, and behavioral issues impact youth and their families in unique ways. I am here to partner with you and your child to better understand and address the underlying causes of your child or teen's struggles. I...
Offering client centered, solution focused, compassionate, guidance and support. As we begin our work you will discover, and we will tap into, your strengths; even if you don't think you have any, you do. You will learn to communicate in a healthy productive manner, which will improve your relationships in all aspects of your life, to include with yourself. You will gain perspective about self,...
