Art and Play Therapy Services

 Create, Explore, Imagine

Children can be great at expressing their big emotions in some not so great ways, such as; screaming in the middle of the grocery store, throwing toys at their classmates, pushing their siblings down, sobbing uncontrollably in their car seats, and shutting down when asked “what’s wrong?” For children who may have autism or ADHD, these expressions can be even more difficult to unlearn and teach new ways of coping with big emotions. This is where Art Therapy comes in!

Our Art Therapy Group for Kids Program at Gateway Wellness Center is an ideal way to help children learn new ways to cope with big emotions and express them in better ways. Through art, games, social stories, and interacting with parents and other children, they will learn about a new theme each week and it will be reinforced with an activity.

Goodtherapy.org says “Art therapy has been shown to benefit people of all ages. Research indicates art therapy can improve communication and concentration and can help reduce feelings of isolation. This type of therapy has also been shown to lead to increases in self-esteem, confidence, and self-awareness.” With the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities for people to interact in a safe way is important and our art therapy program helps counteract the effects of loneliness and isolation.

Our Art Therapy Program is open to children between the ages of 3 and 13. We are open to children of all backgrounds, including children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. We include the children’s’ caregivers in our groups to help increase positive interactions between you and your children. We also will work with you on ways to help your child as they learn new coping skills and how to apply them in helpful ways.

 Ready, Set, PLAY!

Play is the primary method in which kids learn, interact and interpret the world around them. That is why the staff at Gateway Wellness Center have chosen to help children process their feelings and emotions and experiences through play therapy! Play therapy is to children as talk therapy is to adults. Finding the right words to accurately express how a child is feeling can often be hard and even stressful for them. Using this form of therapy allows for children and adolescents to express themselves in a playful and fun way!

In play therapy there are several modalities which provide for a wide range of interventions and activities that can be used to assist clients, clinicians and families with developing a comprehensive plan of care. Play therapy has been shown to improve a child's social, emotional and behavioral functioning through the introduction of coping skills, behavior interventions and social emotional learning activities.

Gateway Wellness Center not only offers play therapy for children and adolescents in individual sessions, but also in group sessions! Our play therapy group is an ideal way for kids to learn and practice social and behavioral skills. Through the use of games, imaginary play, and social stories, children will have the opportunity to practice social and behavioral skills learned during each group session.

Our play therapy group is open to children between the ages 4 and 10. We service clients with behavior and social challenges resulting from mental health challenges. The goal of this group is to facilitate the learning of behavior and social skills through peer interactions.