Play Therapy —
The language of children
You’ve watched your child struggle and it breaks your heart
Maybe they melt down over things that seem small. Maybe they shut down completely and you can't reach them. Maybe they act out in ways that leave everyone exhausted and confused. You've tried everything — the charts, the strategies, the books, the conversations — and nothing seems to stick. You love your child fiercely and you're scared something is being missed.
You're not failing as a parent. Your child is not broken. They are a child who is carrying something they don't yet have the words for — and that is exactly where play therapy begins.
What is Play Therapy
Play therapy is a research-backed, developmentally appropriate approach to helping children process emotions, experiences, and challenges through the natural language of childhood — play. Children don't think and communicate the way adults do. Asking a child to sit down and talk about their feelings often doesn't work — not because they won't, but because developmentally they can't yet. Play is how children make sense of their world, work through confusion, express what feels overwhelming, and build resilience.
In a play therapy session your child is given a thoughtfully curated space filled with carefully selected toys, art materials, and sensory tools. Through play they are able to express what words cannot reach — and healing happens naturally within that process.
What play therapy can help with
Big emotions and emotional dysregulation
Autism and neurodivergent experiences
Family transitions (relocation or loss)
ADHD and attention challenges
Highly sensitive children who feel everything deeply
School and social challenges
Trauma and adverse experiences
Anxiety and worry
Behavioral challenges that feel confusing or stuck
What Sets Us Apart
Play therapy as a philosophy, not a technique
At Oak Haven Therapy, play therapy isn't just a technique — it's a philosophy. We believe your child came into this world wired in a specific and beautiful way. The goal of our work together is never to change who your child is. It is to help them understand themselves, build confidence in their own skin, and develop the tools to navigate a world that doesn't always make space for the way they experience it.
specialize in neurodivergent & highly sensitive children
We specialize in neurodivergent and highly sensitive children — kids who feel deeply, think differently, and need a therapist who genuinely understands how their nervous system works. Not just clinically. Personally.
strengths-based & trauma informed
Our approach is strengths-based and trauma-informed, which means we start with what is right about your child — their creativity, their sensitivity, their intensity, their unique way of seeing the world — and we build from there. We don't pathologize. We don't label your child as a problem to be fixed. We see them fully, exactly as they are, and we hold that with care.
A note for parents
You are a vital part of this process. Play therapy is not something that happens behind a closed door while you wait in the lobby and hope for the best. We will work closely together — sharing observations, building strategies you can use at home, and making sure you feel supported and informed every step of the way. You know your child better than anyone. We bring the clinical expertise. Together we make a powerful team.
Your child doesn't need to be fixed. They need to be understood. That is what we do here.
Ready to take the first step? We'd love to connect and talk about whether play therapy might be the right fit for your child.