Play therapy is a powerful therapeutic tool designed to help children express their feelings, process difficult emotions, and resolve issues through play. From a child-centered lens, this type of therapy is based on the belief that children naturally communicate and process their emotions through play, as they may not have the words or maturity to express themselves verbally. The play therapist creates a safe, supportive environment where children can explore, experiment, and work through their emotions at their own pace.

At Moonstone Wellness, we offer a fully equipped playroom filled with various toys, art materials, and activities to help children express themselves freely and without judgment. Our trained play therapists are skilled in guiding children through the healing process, using play as a medium to foster understanding, build coping skills, and facilitate emotional growth.

What Play Therapy Can Help With:

Anxiety and Stress: Helping children manage worries and fears in a non-threatening environment.

Trauma and Abuse: Processing and healing from past traumatic experiences, including physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.

Grief and Loss: Navigating feelings of sadness or loss from the death of a loved one, pet, or major life changes.

Behavioral Issues: Addressing disruptive behaviors, aggression, or difficulties in school and at home.

Social Skills and Peer Relationships: Enhancing communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution with peers and adults.

Depression and Mood Disorders: Helping children express and process feelings of sadness, frustration, or hopelessness.

Self-Esteem and Confidence: Building self-worth and teaching children how to feel good about themselves.

Family Changes: Supporting children through significant family changes such as divorce, moving, or the birth of a sibling.

Coping with Bullying: Teaching children how to cope with and respond to bullying or social exclusion.

Play therapy provides a safe, comforting space where children can heal, grow, and develop healthier emotional regulation and coping strategies. If your child is facing challenges, our play therapists are here and ready to help guide them through whatever they are going through.

Sand tray therapy is a unique and effective therapeutic tool that allows teens and adolescents to express themselves through the use of miniature figures, toys, and other symbolic objects placed in a sandbox. This hands-on technique offers a safe, non-verbal way for young people to explore and process complex emotions, experiences, and conflicts that may be difficult to articulate with words. It encourages self-expression, creativity, and insight into personal issues in a way that is engaging and deeply meaningful.

At Moonstone Wellness, we integrate sand tray therapy with a range of therapeutic techniques, including person-centered talk therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness practices to address the unique needs of teens and adolescents. Our trained therapists guide young people in using the sand tray to uncover and work through their challenges, promoting emotional growth and healing.

What Sand Tray Therapy Can Help With:

Emotional Regulation: Teaching teens how to identify and manage intense emotions, such as anger, sadness, and frustration.

Trauma and PTSD: Helping adolescents process traumatic events and work through feelings of fear, shame, or helplessness.

Anxiety and Stress: Providing an outlet to express anxieties and stressors in a non-verbal way, while developing coping skills.

Depression and Low Self-Esteem: Supporting teens in understanding their feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and low self-worth, and rebuilding their sense of confidence.

Identity and Self-Exploration: Assisting adolescents in exploring their sense of self, sexuality, and values during this formative stage of development.

Family Dynamics and Communication: Addressing struggles related to family relationships, such as conflict with parents or siblings, and improving communication.

Coping with Life Transitions: Assisting with major life changes, such as moving, changes in social circles, or the loss of a loved one.

Behavioral Issues and Self-Destructive Tendencies: Identifying and addressing patterns of behavior that are harmful or disruptive, including self-harm or substance use.

Social Skills and Peer Relationships: Improving interactions with peers, building empathy, and navigating complex social dynamics in a safe space.

Integrated Approaches for Maximum Benefit:

Person-Centered Talk Therapy: Focusing on the teen’s unique perspective and providing a non-judgmental space to express feelings.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helping teens recognize and reframe negative thought patterns that contribute to emotional distress.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Teaching emotional regulation, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

Mindfulness Practices: Helping teens develop awareness of their emotions and stay present in the moment, reducing impulsivity and promoting calm.

By integrating sand tray therapy with these evidence-based approaches, teens and adolescents can explore their emotions and challenges in a creative and safe environment, developing healthier coping strategies and a greater understanding of themselves. If your teen is facing challenges, our therapists are ready to help them through this transformative process.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based approach designed specifically to help children, adolescents, and families process and heal from traumatic experiences. TF-CBT combines the benefits of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with trauma-sensitive techniques to help young people understand and cope with the emotional, behavioral, and psychological effects of trauma. Through this therapeutic method, children and teens learn how to process their trauma, challenge negative thoughts, and build healthy coping strategies, all within a safe and supportive environment.

At Moonstone Wellness, we offer TF-CBT for children and adolescents ages 3-18, helping them to work through their trauma in a developmentally appropriate way. TF-CBT has been shown to be effective in treating a wide range of trauma-related issues, including abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, and other life-altering traumatic events.

Our owner, Lindsay N. Stoffers, MS, LPC, TF-CBT, is nationally certified in TF-CBT and supervises our team of clinicians to ensure that children and families receive the highest quality of care. Lindsay brings extensive expertise in this specialized area, ensuring that our practice is trauma-informed and focused on the unique needs of each child or adolescent.

What TF-CBT Can Help With:

Childhood Trauma and Abuse: Helping children who have experienced physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to process and heal.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Addressing symptoms of PTSD such as flashbacks, nightmares, or emotional numbness.

Witnessing Violence: Supporting children and adolescents who have witnessed violence in their homes, schools, or communities.

Grief and Loss: Helping children cope with the death of a loved one or significant life change.

Separation or Divorce: Assisting children through the emotional challenges of parental separation or divorce.

Anxiety and Depression Post-Trauma: Reducing feelings of anxiety, fear, sadness, or helplessness that arise after trauma.

Behavioral Problems and Aggression: Addressing behavioral issues related to unresolved trauma, including anger, aggression, or withdrawal.

Sleep Issues and Nightmares: Helping children overcome sleep disturbances linked to trauma, such as insomnia or nightmares.

Self-Esteem and Identity: Supporting the development of positive self-esteem and a sense of security after traumatic events.

How TF-CBT Works:

Cognitive Processing: Helping children and teens identify and reframe negative thoughts related to the trauma.

Trauma Narratives: Encouraging children to talk about their traumatic experiences at their own pace to reduce fear and distress.

Coping Skills: Teaching emotional regulation, relaxation techniques, and strategies to manage distressing thoughts and feelings.

Parent and Caregiver Involvement: Including parents or caregivers in the healing process to ensure the child feels supported at home and in their community.

Gradual Exposure: Helping children face reminders of the trauma in a safe and controlled way to reduce avoidance and fear.