Play therapy at CFC uses the natural language of children to help kids ages 3-12 process emotions, build resilience, and work through challenges. Our Registered Play Therapists create a safe, consistent relationship where children can express their inner world and grow.
A safe, relationship-centered space where your child feels heard and understood
Therapists trained specifically in play therapy (RPT credential) who speak your child's language
Support for a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns
Regular parent involvement so that growth transfers to home life
Brain-informed approaches that meet children where they actually are developmentally
If your child is struggling, whether with big emotions, difficult behaviors, social challenges, or something they can’t quite put into words, you’re probably searching for answers. You’ve noticed something is off, and you want to help. Play therapy may be exactly what your child needs.
At the Center for Connection, play therapy is one of the cornerstones of how we work with children. It is not a lesser form of therapy. It is simply the language children speak most fluently.
In play, children communicate naturally. The way a child arranges figures in a sandbox, the story they give a puppet, the painting they make with careful intention, these are not just activities. They are expressions of inner experience. Our play therapists are trained to understand this language and respond to it with skill and care.
As the research on brain development shows, our brains develop from the bottom-up. The brain regions responsible for emotional experience, sensory processing, and implicit memory develop before the regions that manage language and complex reasoning. Play therapy meets children in those lower brain regions, where so much of their emotional life actually lives.
Key Insight
Children ages 3 to 12 don’t have the neurological development or the vocabulary to process their inner world the way adults do. Asking a six-year-old to sit across from a therapist and talk about their feelings rarely yields meaningful access to what’s actually going on inside. Play changes that.
Each of our Registered Play Therapists (RPT) has completed intensive training and supervised clinical hours above and beyond their mental health licensure. The RPT credential requires a deep commitment to this specialized practice, and it shows in how our therapists work.
Our playrooms are thoughtfully designed environments where children can feel safe, curious, and free to express themselves. The toys and materials available aren’t accidental. They’re selected to invite different kinds of emotional expression, from nurturing play and dramatic storytelling to physical movement and creative art.
Guided by the framework of interpersonal neurobiology, our play therapists build a strong, consistent relationship with your child first. That relationship is the therapeutic container. Within it, children can share and process their life stories, work through confusion or fear, build confidence in areas that have felt hard, and rewire neural connections in ways that feel natural and, often, fun.
We see behavior as communication. The child who is acting out, withdrawing, or clinging isn’t being difficult. They are telling us something. Our job is to understand what, and to help your child find more adaptive ways to meet their needs and express their experience.
How It Works
Sessions are typically 50 minutes and are held individually with your child. Parent involvement is an important part of the process. We provide regular updates and guidance, and many families find that parent consultations alongside their child’s sessions make a meaningful difference in how changes transfer to everyday life at home.
In the playroom, your child leads. The therapist follows, reflects, and gently guides when needed. Over time, themes emerge, shifts happen, and children develop greater capacity to regulate their emotions, connect with others, and feel good about who they are.
Play therapy does not require your child to be verbal or to have insight into what they’re feeling. That’s part of what makes it so powerful. The process works through the play itself, not around it.
Play therapy is appropriate for children ages 3 to 12 and can be helpful for a wide range of concerns:
Anxiety, fears, or worry that interferes with daily activities or sleep
Behavioral challenges at home or school
Social difficulties, including trouble making or keeping friends
Processing trauma, grief, or significant life transitions (divorce, a new sibling, a move)
Emotional dysregulation and intense emotional reactions
ADHD, sensory processing differences, or neurodevelopmental differences
Selective mutism or communication difficulties in social settings
For older children or teens who may not respond as naturally to play-based approaches, our child and teen therapy page describes the approaches we use for those developmental stages.
We offer play therapy at our Pasadena, Duarte, and Santa Barbara locations. Each of our playrooms is set up to give children the freedom and safety they need to do this work. If you’re looking for a play therapist near you in the San Gabriel Valley or Santa Barbara area, we’d love to connect.
Telehealth consultations are available for families throughout California, including for parent guidance sessions and check-ins, though play therapy itself is most effective in person.
Our intake process begins with a short form, and from there we’ll work to match your child with the right therapist and answer any questions you have.
We know this step takes courage. We’re honored that you’re considering us, and we look forward to meeting your child.
The scientific lens that informs our work is interpersonal neurobiology, an exciting field of research about the neuroscience of change and of healthy, connected relationships.
We know that connected relationships matter and play a role in how our brains and lives change, so that's where we start.
Grounded in interpersonal neurobiology, our approach reflects the latest research on how relationships shape the developing brain.
Clients are matched to a therapist based on areas of specialty, relational fit, and availability, unless otherwise requested.
Learn more about this service at the Center for Connection.
Learn more about this service at the Center for Connection.
Learn more about this service at the Center for Connection.
Fill out our brief intake form and we'll be in touch within 24 hours to help match you with the right clinician.
We know this step takes courage. We're honored that you're considering us.
Choose the path that best describes your needs.