Heal, Play, Love

"Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like 'struggle'. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is right here and now." - Fred Rogers Play therapy is a theoretically based approach to therapy with children ages 3-12 years-old that builds on the communication and learning processes. It allows children a modality to cope with difficult emotions and find solutions to their problems in a healthy way. Play allows a safe psychological distance from the child’s problems, with the toys acting as the child’s words to communicate. Sessions last 50 minutes, and take an average of 20 sessions to resolve the problems referred for treatment. While some children can improve much faster, more serious or on-going problems can take longer to resolve. With younger children, the parent’s participation in the play is crucial to the child achieving their goals. Ashleigh is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and a Nationally Board Certified Counselor, with a certification in Infant/Family Clinical Practice and over 14 years of experience working with children and families. She also provides supervision to aspiring therapists looking for independent licensure or to become Registered Play Therapists. She serves on the board of the Arizona Association for Play Therapy, and is an active member of the Children's Services Network, Arizona Counselors Association, American Counseling Association.