The Role of Play in Trauma Recovery
Play is far more than fun for children; it is an essential medium for communication, emotional expression, and healing, particularly for children who have experienced trauma. Whether recovering from traumatic events such as neglect, loss, or sexual abuse, children often struggle to articulate their feelings in words. Play provides a natural and developmentally appropriate outlet, allowing children to explore their experiences, express their emotions, and regain a sense of control in a safe space.
Why Is Play Important in Trauma?
Children process the world differently from adults. After experiencing trauma, they may not yet have the language or emotional awareness to describe how they feel. This is where the benefits of play become critical. Through play scenarios, children are given the opportunity to symbolically reenact their experiences, which helps them understand and gain mastery over what has happened.
Play offers children a sense of safety, allowing them to engage with difficult emotions or memories without direct confrontation. This emotional distance is vital in reducing trauma symptoms and promoting emotional resilience. Play not only helps children feel safe, it supports them in re-establishing a disrupted sense of trust and security.
How Does Play Heal Trauma?
Healing from trauma is a non-linear journey that must happen at a child’s own pace. Play therapy allows children to engage in this process gently and naturally. When provided with a supportive environment, children can project their internal world into the play, express their feelings, and begin to reframe their traumatic experiences.
Through repeated and supported play, children begin to build coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and develop stronger connections with caregivers and therapists. Over time, these interactions promote a sense of control, a powerful antidote to the helplessness many children feel after experiencing trauma.
What Is the Role of Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a structured, evidence-based approach designed to support emotional healing and growth in children. One of the most recognised models, Theraplay®, uses interactive, relationship-focused play to strengthen the bond between children and their caregivers.
To understand how these approaches developed over time, we invite you to read the History of Theraplay in Australia, which explores its foundations and impact in trauma-informed care.
What Role Does Trauma Play?
Trauma can alter a child’s development, sense of safety, and capacity to form relationships. Unaddressed, it may impact behaviour, academic performance, and mental health long into adulthood. But trauma does not define a child. With the right support, including individualised, trauma-informed interventions like play therapy, children can begin to rebuild confidence, stability, and trust.
To explore the role of play therapy in supporting children through trauma, Compass Seminars offers a range of Theraplay® Training & Workshops. As the Australian Affiliate for Theraplay®, we provide evidence-based professional development for those seeking to support healthy child–caregiver attachment and trauma recovery through structured, therapeutic play.