Play Therapy for Depression and Anxiety in Children

According to a report by the United Health Foundation, Colorado had the highest rate of teen suicide attempts from 2016-2019. There was a sharp increase of 58%, and the deaths rose from 12.09% to 20.40% per 100,000 teenagers. Likewise, even the children in the age-group of 5-12 suffer from severe anxiety attacks. Only play therapy in Colorado Springs can help in curbing the depression issue among children.

Statistics have shown that Colorado ranked 14th in terms of the disoriented mental health of its residents. Children are prone to anxiety and panic attacks when they live with troubled parents. Their mental state is adversely affected due to the situations they face at home. It becomes the root cause of depression and anxiety disorders in 5-12-year-old children, as well as teenagers.

Various Play therapy sessions help in controlling depression and anxiety in children.

Helps Children to Express Themselves

According to the recent studies by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services in Colorado, children in the age group of 9-12 had symptoms of severe anxiety that totaled 31%. Most of the time, children avoid communicating about their internal emotional trauma to their parents and teachers.

There is a constant fear among them that hinders their mental growth. Play therapy sessions help in studying why a particular child behaves in a certain way. It also helps in understanding the ability of the child to deal with the trauma they face at home or school. Communicating with children while playing helps them to open up and disclose their discomfort at ease.

Helps in Assessing Security-level in a Child

The teenagers who undergo adolescent stage are most affected by depression and mental anxiety. The reason being, they go through puberty, and there is a lot of hormonal change that takes place within them. It also stimulates their cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone that aggravates their anger.

The HHS Department stated, at least 15% of the teenagers between 13-17 go through depressive episodes every year. Most of them even make attempts to injure themselves, among which 21% are females, and 13% are males. With Play therapy sessions, the therapist can assess how a child reacts to specific changes. They play board games, chess, monopoly, or scramble to analyze how intently a child is playing.

How a child behaves when he or she loses or wins. It helps in analyzing how secure a child is in terms of its emotional well-being. If a child behaves aggressively or shows symptoms of low self-esteem, then the treatment and play therapy in Colorado Springs is modified accordingly.

A Natural Tool to Heal Children from Depression

The famous author Virginia Axline wrote Play Therapy in 1947. She described various methods of therapy on how to deal with troubled children and young adults. In 2017-2019, many teenagers in Colorado made several attempts to commit suicide, among which 9% were girls, and 6% were boys.

The thought of suicide arises from depressing life or a bad childhood. Children often reveal their bad experiences only through play therapy. When a child is enrolled for play therapy sessions, a trust factor develops within him or her with the therapist. This trust becomes the core of the therapy process that helps in healing the child from traumatic experiences.