Emma Rooney
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Our play therapist brings specialized training in child-centered and attachment-informed therapy, supporting both children and their caregivers throughout the process. We partner closely with parents through ongoing communication and steady guidance, helping you make sense of your child’s emotional world and the behaviors you’re seeing at home. Care is always paced to your child’s needs, with compassion, developmental awareness, and respect at the center of the work.
Your child enters a room intentionally designed with toys and materials that help them express their feelings and experiences. They may use dolls, figures, art supplies, sensory items, or story play. The therapist follows your child’s lead, observes how they interact with the materials, and reflects emotions in simple, supportive language. Nothing is random — each action offers insight into your child’s internal world.
Play is the natural language of children. While it may look like ordinary play, it is a structured therapeutic process guided by a trained child therapist. Through play, children communicate emotions, process experiences, and explore problems in a way that matches their developmental stage. This is how young children express what they cannot yet say in words.
Most often, parents are not in the playroom. This allows the child to express themselves freely without feeling observed or influenced. But you remain an essential partner in the process. Your therapist meets with you regularly to share insights, explain themes, and guide supportive strategies at home.
Play therapy supports children experiencing anxiety, anger, sadness, behavioural challenges, stress, fear, or emotional overwhelm. It is also helpful after medical procedures, changes in routine, conflict at home, or events that felt scary or confusing. Children with sensory needs, attention challenges, or communication differences also benefit from a space designed for their developmental and nervous system needs.
Not at all. Big emotions and confusing behaviours are often a child’s way of communicating internal struggle. These behaviours are not signs of failure in parenting — they are signals that your child needs a different path for support. Play therapy helps reveal the emotional story beneath the behaviour so parents can respond with clearer understanding and confidence.
Every child is different. Some children begin showing shifts in emotional expression or behaviour within a few weeks, while others need more time. Change in young children tends to be gentle and gradual. What matters most is steady support, a safe therapeutic relationship, and partnership with parents throughout the process.
It is normal for children to express bigger emotions as they begin to feel safer. This does not mean things are worsening — it means your child finally has a space where those feelings can be released and understood. Your therapist will guide both you and your child through these moments with care.
Your involvement is essential. You provide history, context, patterns, and insight that guide the direction of therapy. Your therapist will teach you strategies to support emotional regulation at home, strengthen connection, and respond confidently when your child is overwhelmed. Play therapy supports the whole family system — not just the child.
