Theraplay
THERAPLAY
Theraplay is a short-term therapeutic approach to improve attachment and self-esteem, while building trust in the caregiver-child relationship, supporting regulation and resilience.
Theraplay activities are rooted in natural give-and-take rhythms, sensory exploration, and non-verbal communication between adult and child. The therapist will help guide you in a series of activities tailored for your child’s age. These focus on (4) essential relationship areas:
Structure
Engagement
Nurture
Challenge
A series of Theraplay sessions often starts with a specific and standardized assessment called the Marschak Interaction Method, or MIM, a structured observation with a caregiver and child working through a set of simple tasks designed to highlight a caregiver’s capacity to lead, limit, and respond to a child’s needs, as well as the child’s response to these efforts.
Often the MIM is videotaped, reviewed by the therapist, and shared with the caregiver in a feedback session. The focus is on what went well, building on strengths, boosting support for what feels difficult, and finding more joy in being with your child.
For two-parent families or separated/divorced co-parents, having both of you participate can help establish a current snapshot of family dynamics, how communication flows, how you each set boundaries and invite connection, and how your child approaches and expects needs to be met differently with each parent.
We’ll follow the play observation with a parent feedback session about a week later. In this meeting, we’ll determine next steps, including the format, frequency, and number of sessions, as well as setting shared goals, if family therapy or individual play sessions are recommended.
The MIM may also stand alone as a baseline assessment of developmental strengths and areas of challenge, whether or not your child does further play therapy sessions.
The benefits of Theraplay have been documented for people of all ages, from infancy to elders, and are especially effective in working with attachment and trauma injuries.
Essentially, the goal is to foster an active, positive, rewarding pattern of interaction, shaping an emotional connection and a changed view of the self as loved, capable and inherently worthy.
Disruption in early life—including premature birth, adoption, loss, or medical events—can interrupt development at later ages and stages. Social-emotional skills, sensory processing, and communication can also be connected to physiological regulation. And any of these may show up in behaviors that seem off-track or lagging for a child’s age. Theraplay can help with:
Social Challenges
Persistently shy or withdrawn
Social anxiety
Communication needs: selective mutism, verbal aggression, whining, not listening
Conflict with peers, social delays, or school challenges
Connection & Attachment Concerns
Out-sized fears
Separation anxiety
Identity development and sense of belonging
“Clingy” behaviors
Regulation Needs
Sleep troubles (difficulty falling asleep, night waking, bedtime fears)
Toileting skills or trouble with soiling/wetting
Eating for comfort more than hunger, or not tuned into hunger cues
Frequently irritable, grumpy, or difficult morning wake-ups
Sluggishness, low motivation for either fun or challenging activities (homework, exercise)
Challenging Behaviors
Angry outbursts, disruptive behavior
Physical or verbal aggression
Bossiness or controlling behavior
Hyperactivity or difficulty with focus/attention
Defiance, opposition, or constant negotiating
The very act of engaging each other in this intentional way of playing provides ways for you to regulate and guide your child’s behavior, communicating warmth, joy, and safety through therapeutic play. This allows kids to internalize a sense of safety and security that they can access when you need to set a limit or redirect behavior at other times.
Theraplay helps kids access their internal regulation, follow your lead, and expand their capacity to bounce back from upsets.
Family play therapy is intended to build relationships from the inside out and brains from the bottom up…this follows evolutionary patterns in a safe, supported, social dance of human development.
