The Association for Play Therapy (APT) www.a4pt.org is a national professional organization established in 1982. It has grown every year since and has expanded to credential mental health professionals around the world.  

A Play Therapist uses the principles of Play Therapy to establish a therapeutic relationship with a child or adolescent whereby they can understand their feelings and/or problems. The goal is to provide support so they cope and problem solve, thereby gaining resilience, confidence, and positive growth. 

APT defines play therapy as “the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.” 

Well, we play! This is the natural language of children. However, we also use research-based solutions to tailor our interventions that help us reach specific individual therapeutic goals 

When you meet with a therapist in their office it is called a “session.” A typical session is 50 minutes. Sometimes it can be shorter, depending on what we’re working on that day.  

Therapy itself can be short term, taking three, six months, nine, or 12 months, depending on the issue you are working on. Or it can be long term. Sometimes a child will take a break and then resume at a later developmental stage to work on something else, which is sometimes related to the previous issue (and sometimes not). It depends on the child, their family, and the circumstances. Therapy looks different for everyone.   

At Kids at Heart – Metrowest, we view therapy as positive, supportive, and confidence, resilience building endeavor for you. You are here to grow and become your best self! 

Children have a wide range of issues including but not limited to: anxiety, trauma, adjustment, behavioral concerns, sleep difficulties, Inability to regulate their emotions, family conflicts, grief, school issues, and parenting stress. 

Yes. The younger the child, the more involved you will be in your child’s therapy. We like to work with you as a team. We like to meet often at first to get your feedback about how your child is responding to their sessions. We also like to invite you into your child’s session so they can teach you skills they are learning . This enables them to practice certain activities between sessions with practice so you can support and encourage your child. 

Excellent question! What we talk about in therapy is mostly private. You should feel comfortable knowing that your therapist is not going to repeat what you say in a therapy session. 

However, safety comes first! The only time I have to tell someone else is if someone is hurting you, you are hurting someone else, or  you are hurting yourself. My job is to help you feel safe! I will discuss with you how we can do this so you feel supported in this process. 

You have the right to confidentiality. If you do not wish to involve anyone in you or your child’s treatment, we can discuss this in session. You have the right to refuse consent. Also, should you decide to give consent, you can do that as well. 

It depends on your situation. You are the decision maker and the one in control. Often a child will experience issues in two or three settings, but will only show symptoms in one setting. Therefore, it might make sense to talk to a trusted individual in a non-symptomatic setting to get a picture of the child’s functioning. For example, it might be helpful to talk with the teacher of a child that “holds it together all day and then lets it all out as soon as they get home.” Along with the child’s play therapy and learning coping skills, they could also become aware of some supports the school has available for coping with learning difficulties, etc. In other words, the more support the child has in their world, the greater they will  respond to treatment. 

At Kids at Heart – Metrowest, our Pre-Licensed clinicians are therapists who have completed their Master’s program and have a graduate degree in either social work or mental health counseling. Both the social work board, and the mental health counseling board in MA require master’s level clinicians to earn a specific amount of clinical hours prior to applying for their independent licensure. These clinicians are under the supervision of one of our independently licensed providers. Our supervisors are experienced clinicians and credentialed with in-network insurance panels. They meet with our Pre-Licensed clinicians weekly to review cases. Pre-Licensed clinicians are selected based on their passion for and years of experience working with children and their specialized training working with a wide range of childhood concerns.  

Kids at Heart – Metrowest does not prescribe medication. There are times, however, when a person presents with specific symptoms that interfere with their ability to fully engage in the therapeutic process. It may be necessary to take medication to get through an immediate crisis, or to use medication long term to effectively cope with enduring mental health issues. If this issue arises we will discuss it, and if it is decided medication may be helpful we will provide you with a referral to a prescriber.

We accept all Insurances except MassHealth. Please note that some policies allow for out of network benefits while others do not. It is important that you contact your insurance carrier regarding your specific policy. If you prefer not to use insurance, we accept self-pay (Cash, Check, Visa, Master Card, American Express, Venmo). All rates are available in the Rates & Fees Section.