West Vancouver Play Therapy
Help for Kids Who Can't Find the Words
Your 6-year-old can't tell you what's wrong. They just cry, melt down, or act out. Maybe they've been through something hard - parents divorcing, a scary medical procedure, bullying at school, losing someone they loved - and they don't have the words to explain how they feel. Or maybe nothing obvious happened but they're anxious, aggressive, or regressing to behaviors they'd outgrown. Young kids don't process feelings by sitting and talking like adults do. That's where West Vancouver play therapy comes in. Through play, kids work through trauma, express difficult emotions, and heal from experiences they can't verbalize yet.
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Creekside Counselling works with families throughout West Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay to Park Royal whose young children (typically ages 3-10) are struggling emotionally or behaviorally. Play therapy meets kids where they are developmentally, using toys, art, sand, and games to help them process what regular talk therapy can't reach.
Benefits of Play Therapy
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Play is how young children naturally communicate and make sense of their world. A 5-year-old can't sit across from a therapist and articulate "I feel anxious about my parents fighting." But they can show it through how they play with the dolls, what they draw, or how they arrange the sand tray. Play therapy lets kids express what they can't say in words.​
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Children's art therapy works for the issues young kids face. Separation anxiety that makes school drop-off a nightmare. Trauma from abuse, accidents, or witnessing violence. Grief after losing a grandparent or beloved pet. Anxiety that shows up as stomachaches and clingyness. Aggression and behavior problems that are really fear or powerlessness underneath. Regression after a new sibling or family change.
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For traumatized children, play therapy provides a safe way to process scary experiences without having to verbally relive them. A child who witnessed domestic violence might play out the scene with action figures until the play changes and they find resolution. A kid who went through medical trauma might "operate" on a stuffed animal over and over until they've processed the fear and helplessness they felt.
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Play therapy also helps kids who've been through abuse. They can show what happened through their play when they don't have words for it or when it feels too scary to say out loud. The playroom becomes a safe space where they can be in control when abuse took their control away.
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Kids dealing with big feelings they don't understand benefit hugely from play therapy. The angry outbursts that come from feeling powerless at home. The perfectionism that's really anxiety about disappointing parents. The acting out that's a cry for help when they don't know how else to ask for it. Through play, we help kids understand and regulate their emotions.
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Children's art therapy teaches coping skills in ways kids can actually use. We don't tell a 6-year-old "use your words when you're angry." We help them practice expressing anger through play until it becomes natural. We build their emotional vocabulary through puppet shows and storytelling, not lectures about feelings.
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Parents benefit too. After sessions, I help you understand what your child's play is showing - what they're working through, what they need from you, how to support their healing at home. You'll see patterns in their play that reveal what's really bothering them underneath the surface behaviors.
Creekside Counselling's Approach to Play Therapy
First session, I meet with parents to hear what's going on - behavioral changes you're seeing, family stressors, anything traumatic that's happened, what you've tried, what you're most worried about. This gives me context before meeting your child.
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The playroom is set up specifically for therapeutic play. There's no "right" way to play here - kids can be messy, loud, aggressive with the toys. The freedom to play without adult rules helps them express feelings they normally have to keep inside. We've got dolls and action figures for family play, art supplies for creative expression, sand trays for storytelling, puppets for acting out scenarios, dress-up clothes, building materials, and sensory toys.
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I don't direct their play or tell them what to do. Child-centered play therapy follows the child's lead. They choose what to play with and how to play. My job is to witness, reflect what I'm seeing, set safe boundaries, and gently guide when needed. Through this process, kids work through their struggles at their own pace.
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Some kids dive right into playing out their trauma or problems. Others need weeks of just building trust and getting comfortable before the real therapeutic work emerges. Both timelines are completely normal. We go at your child's pace, not some predetermined schedule.
I watch for themes in their play. A child whose parents are divorcing might crash cars together repeatedly or have family figures fighting and separating. A kid dealing with anxiety might obsessively organize toys or play out scenarios where characters are in danger. An abused child might have nurturing play with babies one session and violent play the next as they work through mixed feelings about their abuser.
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As play themes emerge, I reflect what I'm seeing back to the child in ways they can handle. "The little bear seems really sad that mama bear left" or "that felt like a really scary accident for the people in the cars." This helps kids make connections between their play and their real feelings without us having to explicitly talk about their trauma.
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For some kids, we combine play therapy with other approaches. Art therapy lets kids express through drawing and painting. Sand tray therapy helps them create their inner world visually. Bibliotherapy uses storybooks to talk about difficult topics. We adapt to what works for that specific child.
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Parents stay involved throughout. Every few weeks we do parent sessions to review progress, teach you strategies for home, and adjust our approach if needed. Play therapy works best when therapist and parents are on the same team supporting the child.
Pricing Information
Play therapy sessions are $165 per 50-minute session. For very young kids (3-5) with short attention spans, we sometimes do 30-40 minute sessions more frequently rather than forcing a full 50 minutes when they can't focus that long.
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Most kids start with weekly play therapy. As they improve - fewer tantrums, sleeping better, less anxiety, improved behavior - we space out to biweekly or monthly sessions before ending treatment.
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Length of therapy depends on what we're treating. Adjustment to a family change like a new sibling might take 8-12 sessions. Processing abuse or significant trauma could take 6 months to a year. We go as long as your child needs, watching for signs they've worked through their struggles.
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We provide detailed receipts for insurance. Most extended health plans in BC cover play therapy for children under mental health benefits. Check your plan - many West Vancouver employers offer good coverage families don't realize they have.
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Some situations qualify for additional funding - MCFD support for kids in care, autism funding, ICBC coverage for accident-related trauma, Crime Victim Assistance for abuse cases. We can help navigate those systems if relevant to your situation.
Areas We Serve
We're located in West Vancouver and work with families throughout the North Shore. Our play therapy clients come from all West Van neighborhoods - Horseshoe Bay, Dundarave, Ambleside, Caulfeild, British Properties, Eagle Harbour, Whitby Estates, Cypress Village, Gleneagles, Bayridge, Chartwell.
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We also see young children from North Vancouver, Lions Bay, Bowen Island, and throughout Metro Vancouver when families need specialized play therapy and can't find the right fit closer to home or specifically want someone outside their immediate community.
Play therapy works best in-person where kids can interact with physical toys and materials. Virtual therapy doesn't work as well for very young children who need hands-on play to process their experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions About Play Therapy
How is play therapy different from just playing with my kid at home?
Regular play is fun but not specifically therapeutic. Play therapy is structured to give kids a safe space to express difficult feelings, work through trauma, and practice new ways of coping. I'm trained to recognize therapeutic themes in their play and gently guide healing. It's not just supervised playtime - it's a researched treatment approach.
What age is play therapy appropriate for?
Typically ages 3-10, though some younger teens benefit too if they're not ready for talk therapy. Kids need to be developmentally able to engage in symbolic play. Toddlers under 3 usually do better with parent-child therapy where I work with you and your child together.
Will you tell me everything my child does in play therapy?
I share themes and progress - like "she's working through anger about the divorce" or "his play shows he's processing the car accident." But I don't give blow-by-blow descriptions of every session. Kids need some privacy to play freely. That said, young children have less confidentiality than teens, and I tell you anything safety-related.
How long does play therapy take to work?
Depends what we're treating. Some kids show improvement in behavior and mood within 4-6 sessions. Others need 3-6 months for more complex issues. Trauma processing takes longer than adjustment issues. You'll notice gradual changes - better sleep, fewer meltdowns, more willingness to talk about feelings, improved behavior at school.
What if my child just wants to play and won't work on their problems?
That IS them working on their problems, just not in ways adults expect. Play is how kids process. Even when it looks like random playing, therapeutic work is happening. Trust the process - kids will get to what they need to work through when they're ready.
Can play therapy help with behavior problems or just emotions?
Both. Behavior problems usually stem from underlying emotions - the aggressive kid might feel powerless, the defiant one might be anxious. We address the feelings driving the behavior through play, which then improves the behavior itself. Play therapy isn't about making your kid compliant - it's about helping them feel better so they act better.
What happens in a typical play therapy session?
Your child comes to the playroom and chooses what to play with. I watch, reflect what I see, set safe limits when needed, and occasionally guide or comment on their play themes. Sessions end with cleanup and a brief check-in. After, I might talk with you briefly about progress or strategies for home, but not every session.
Do you teach my child specific coping skills in play therapy?
Yes, but through play, not lectures. We might practice "calming down" through playing with putty or sand. Build emotional vocabulary through puppet shows. Practice problem-solving through storytelling. Kids learn better through doing and playing than through adults telling them what to do.
Your young child doesn't have to find the words to heal. West Vancouver play therapy helps kids work through struggles using their natural language - play. Book your consultation today and let's talk about how play therapy can help your child feel better.