Written by Stephanie Gray, LMHC-QS, NCC, RPT
Play therapy has been a powerful tool for helping children (teens & even adults!) express emotions, process experiences, and build emotional regulation. With Teleo, therapists can bring these benefits into telehealth by creating a virtual play space while maintaining connections with young clients.
Set the Stage for Engagement
As a Registered Play Therapist who runs a primarily virtual practice, I truly believe in the power of play therapy occurring in the child’s safe space. Encourage families to prepare a comforting environment in a preferred space, usually the child’s bedroom or playroom. Welcome all the stuffies, cozy blankets, and other comfort objects! Familiar surroundings help children feel safe and focused.
Use Teleo’s Interactive Tools
Take advantage of Teleo’s built-in features such as the whiteboard, collaborative games, and more traditional play therapy tools like the doll house, puppets, and sand tray. These elements make virtual sessions feel more hands-on and allow children to express themselves creatively, even from a distance.
Use Classic Play Therapy Techniques
Much of traditional child-centered play therapy relies on the therapeutic relationship and the use of specific verbal skills while the child plays.
Below are common play therapist skills:
Tracking is when you act as a play-by-play announcer of children’s behaviors
Tracking is when you act as a play-by-play announcer of children’s behaviors
with the purpose of communicating to the child that they are seen and have the therapist’s full attention.
💭 Example: “You are choosing to play tic-tac-toe.”
Reflecting feeling is when you verbally express and validate the intensity of the child’s feelings
Reflecting feeling is when you verbally express and validate the intensity of the child’s feelings
based on what the child says or nonverbal expression through play. Keep your tone of voice and facial expression congruent with the state emotion. This helps children recognize, develop, and deepen their emotional vocabulary.
💭Example: “You’re being so patient when it’s my turn to play."
Returning responsibility is when you allow the child to do things they are capable of
Returning responsibility is when you allow the child to do things they are capable of
instead of the therapist doing it for them. This helps children become aware of their preferences as well as encourages independence, confidence, and decision-making.
💭Example: A child pulls a puppet out, it is unmistakably a dog, the child asks the therapist, "What's this?" Returning the responsibility would sound like: “In here, you can decide what the puppet is.”
Setting limits is intentional in play therapy
Setting limits is intentional in play therapy
While children have a lot of freedom and choice during play therapy, limits are also part of a child's world. Limit setting is phrased in a specific manner and delivered in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. It’s a “I know you want to… but this is not for that” message. Then offer other ways the child can express themselves, which helps them to learn responsibility and problem-solving. You can also introduce logical consequences. Children learn self-control, emotional regulation, and that choices and actions have outcomes, which helps them better cope with limits outside the therapy room.
💭 Example: “I know you want to use the video feature to search for other videos, but this video feature is not for searching. I chose this specific video for you. If you continue to try to search for other videos, I will remove the video feature, and we will not be able to watch the video I chose.”
Be Creative
Use a more directive approach and add therapeutic intent to the play. While playing traditional Connect 4, add a therapeutic element by creating a new rule: "whoever wins gets to share a helpful choice they made, and whoever loses gets to share a unhelpful choice they made." Adapting games to therapeutically explore different topics can be simple to do. There are so many ways to transform play!
Building rapport with new clients: "When it's your turn, name one thing you like, dislike, or a name of a friend, and how you met."
Incorporating emotional skill building: "Name a feeling and a situation that may make a person feel that way."
Preparing for discharge: "Each turn, we will name something you've grown in, or feel proud of."
⭐ Quick Tip
During the session, you may decide to add a book that fits what you are seeing in the moment. Using videos of read-alouds or e-books is a great way to use bibliotherapy virtually. To quickly add and open an outside activity:
On your Control Panel: Click The Lightning Bolt.
Copy then paste the URL in the "Enter a Website Field"
Don't forget to check the box before opening the activity to save it to your private activity bank for another time!
✍️Stephanie Gray is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, and Qualified Supervisor based in Florida. With a passion for helping children and families thrive, she specializes in play therapy and brings deep expertise to her private practice. Stephanie is dedicated to creating a supportive, compassionate space where clients can heal and grow through creative and interactive methods.
Learn more about Stephanie's work at https://stephanie-gray.clientsecure.me/