What is Play Therapy?

Many children need support in emotional literacy. Others have behaviour or mental health problems at some stage that prevents them from fulfilling their full potential. Some studies indicate that 20% of children have some form of psychological problem (Venables (1983); Rutter, Cox et al (1975); Jeffers & Fitzgerald (1991); Porteous (1991) etc.) and that 70% of these are helped through the use of psychological based therapies such as play and creative arts. The 1999 British government survey estimated that 10% of children have a mental health problem. It is also essential to realise that mental health, like physical health, is as much about prevention as cure.


The Therapeutic Play Continuum

Play is now widely recognised as being beneficial in the emotional development of children. It has a therapeutic value. With the growth of play therapy, play work and the use of therapeutic play skills there is widespread confusion about the roles of each and the skills required to be a proficient practitioner.

PTUK has developed definitions of each of the main terms. They are related graphically to each other in the Therapeutic Play Continuum diagram.

Since there are overlaps between each application they may best be considered on a therapeutic continuum to deal with differing levels of severity of emotional, behavioural and mental health problems in children.

Source - PTUK 2021.


Get in touch


Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about my counselling or training sessions. I provide a free no-obligation initial 30 minute session, where I can provide information on counselling and training, how it works and answer any questions you may have. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to therapy, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.

All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure email services.

I strive to continually improve my service, if for some reason you are not 100% happy with the service you have received, please do let me know and I will do my best to resolve this with you. If in the event you would like to make a complaint, please refer to the COSCA complaints procedure here.

“This has been truly life changing! Pamela made me feel at ease from our first session together.”

S.S. 2020

“Pamela has helped me a great deal to understand a lot more about myself, I now feel better equipped for any future challenges, thank you!”

C.D. 2021

“Attending Therapy has opened up my eyes to a whole new world, I really wish I had attended sooner.”

M.O'R 2021

“Thank you for helping my son to see all of his strengths and qualities that we all love in him, but he had forgotten he had, forever in your debt.”

C.McG 2022


©Pamela McKechan

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