House Child and Family Therapy Center
Play Therapy for Children, Teens, & Adults
in Leesburg and Loudoun County
Helping Children, Teens and Adults to Express, Heal, and Grow Through Play
Play therapy and expressive, developmentally informed approaches
provides a safe and supportive space to process emotions, work through challenges, strengthen coping skills, and support resilience and connection across all stages of life.
What is play therapy?
Children often express themselves differently than adults. While adults may use words to explain emotions and experiences, children naturally communicate through play, creativity, storytelling, movement, and symbolic expression.
Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate therapeutic approach that supports children in processing emotions, experiences, relationships, and challenges in ways that feel natural and safe. Through the therapeutic relationship and carefully selected play materials, children are supported in building emotional awareness, coping skills, confidence, and resilience.
As a Registered Play Therapist (RPT), my work is strongly grounded in child-centered play therapy principles. I value creating a safe and supportive therapeutic environment where children can explore emotions and experiences at their own pace while feeling understood and accepted.
At the same time, therapy is always individualized to the unique needs, developmental level, and goals of each child or adolescent. Depending on the client and presenting concerns, sessions may also incorporate more directive, skills-based, relational, trauma-informed, or solution-focused approaches when clinically appropriate.
What happens in a play therapy session?
Each therapy session is tailored to the developmental level, personality, and needs of the individual child or adolescent. Sessions may include imaginative play, art, storytelling, games, emotional expression, sand tray activities, movement, discussion-based support, coping skill development, and other therapeutic interventions.
For younger children, therapy often relies more heavily on play and symbolic expression. With tweens and teens, sessions may become more verbally interactive and collaborative while still incorporating creative and developmentally supportive approaches when helpful.
My goal is to create a therapeutic environment where clients feel emotionally safe, supported, and understood while developing greater emotional awareness, regulation, resilience, and connection.
Parent collaboration is also an important part of the therapeutic process. Regular parent consultation sessions help support progress outside of therapy, strengthen understanding of emotional and behavioral needs, and promote meaningful change within the family system.