Theraplay
THERAPLAY
Theraplay® is a short-term therapeutic approach to improving regulation, focus, attachment, and self-esteem, while building trust in the caregiver-child relationship and supporting resilience.
Theraplay® activities are rooted in natural give-and-take rhythms, sensory exploration, and non-verbal communication between adult and child. Starting with an initial play observation, the therapist will guide you in a series of activities tailored for your child’s age. These focus on (4) essential domains of family engagement:
Structure
Engagement
Nurture
Challenge
A baseline for child development, capacity for challenge, areas of growth, and family strengths can be reflected through a specific series of Theraplay® activities, offering a structured approach to observing your child’s play patterns and how communication flows in your family. This snapshot of current needs, patterns of play, and non-verbal family communication is called the Marschak Interaction Method (also call the M.I.M.). The initial play session involves caregiver and child working together through a set of tasks designed to highlight and appreciate your style of leading, setting limits, and responding to your child’s needs, as well as their response to these invitations and efforts.
The MIM is a standard assessment with activities selected for your child’s age and stage of development. Part of the set-up is that neither you nor your child will know the activities ahead of time. You will be active in guiding the activities, following prompts provided by the therapist, who will primarily be an observer for this initial session in the playroom. Your child will be given a tour of the space, be oriented to the activities, and meet me with no pressure to answer questions.
Often the MIM is videotaped, reviewed by the therapist, and brief excerpts shared with the caregiver in a feedback session within a week. The focus will be 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.
In the feedback session, we’ll review what went well and what felt challenging in the play observation. We’ll set goals together and determine next steps, including the format, frequency, and number of sessions, if family therapy or 1:1 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, supporting your child’s capacity for emotional connection, openness to feedback or redirection, and a view of the self as loved, capable and inherently worthy.
Disruption in early life—including premature birth, adoption, loss, NICU stay or other medical events—can interrupt development at later ages and stages. Social-emotional skills, sensory processing, distractibility or focus, and communication patterns can also be connected to physiological regulation. Any of these may show up in behaviors that seem off-track or lagging for a child’s age, at school, at home, or with peers.
Theraplay® can help with:
Social Challenges
Persistently shy or withdrawn
Social anxiety and rejection sensitivity
Communication needs: selective mutism, verbal aggression, whining, not listening
Conflict with peers or missing social cues
School challenges—including attention and focus, memory, following directions, taking turns, self-advocacy
Difficulty with transitions and/or slow-to-warm style of engagement
Connection & Attachment Concerns
Out-sized or persistent fears
Separation anxiety
Identity development and sense of belonging
“Clingy” behaviors
Constant need for engagement or stimulation, difficulty self-entertaining
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
Theraplay® helps kids access their internal regulation, follow your lead, and expand their capacity to bounce back from upsets.
The very act of engaging each other in this intentional approach to cooperative play provides ways to regulate and guide your child’s behavior—communicating warmth, joy, and safety through meeting challenges together. 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. These are foundational building blocks for self-regulation, soothing, and mutual parent-child trust.
Theraplay® family play therapy is designed to build relationships from the inside out, and brains from the bottom up.
