How Play Therapy Can Help a Child Recover from Sexual Abuse

Has your child been sexually abused? Are you unsure on how to help your child to recover from the sexual abuse? A good form of therapy that can help your child is play therapy. To help understand how play therapy can help a child recover from sexual abuse and what a typical play therapy session would be like, I have interviewed therapist Carrie Natale.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
"I am a licensed professional counselor working in private practice in Denver, Colorado. I received my master's degree in counseling from Colorado Christian University and have worked in the human services field for the past ten years. I have a passion for play therapy, and helping anyone who has experienced trauma."

What type of impact can sexual abuse have on a child's overall well being?
"While every situation is different, experiencing sexual abuse can change the way a child views themselves, the world, and love. Children may feel "dirty", like something is wrong with them, or feel that the abuse was their fault. They may be fearful and view the world as an unsafe place. Lastly, depending on their relationship with the perpetrator, children may become confused about love and how it is expressed. These challenges can manifest outwardly in behavioral difficulties."

How can play therapy help a child recover from sexual abuse?
"Play therapy allows a child a chance to process their negative experiences in the most powerful way possible for a child- through play. A play therapist creates an environment that is emotionally safe, and play therapy essentially provides a child with a very powerful "do-over". During therapy, a child can choose to metaphorically re-experience their traumatic experience in a new way. This time they are safe, they are in charge, and they decide how the story ends. The child gains a sense of control over their experiences, which is both empowering and healing."

What would a typical play therapy session be like for a child who is in recovery for sexual abuse?
"From the moment they enter the room, play therapy is like nothing children have ever experienced before. In this room, they are in charge, and they are always accepted, no matter what. Children make use of a wide variety of carefully chosen toys to play out their experiences in metaphor. They choose what type of play occurs, it's pace, the plot, and how their play ends. Often, children assign their play therapist a role within the play, and my job is to follow the child's lead and attentively interact in the way the child needs us to. Again, this gives them a sense of power over their experience that was not present during their abuse."

Thank you Carrie for doing the interview on how play therapy can help a child recover from sexual abuse. For more information on Carrie Natale or her work you can check out her website on www.carrienatale.com.

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