If your child is struggling and can’t put it into words, that’s not a barrier; it’s just how children work. Play is how kids make sense of their world. Play therapy meets them there, in the language they already speak, and helps them work through what’s too big to say.
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What Play therapy helps with
Children don’t always have the words for what they’re feeling, so it often comes out in their behaviour instead. You might recognize your child in a few of these, or in something that isn’t here at all.
Big feelings that come
out sideways
The meltdowns, the outbursts, the tears that seem to come from nowhere. When a child can't name what they're feeling, it tends to spill out as behaviour. Play gives them another way to let it out and understand it.
A change that's been
hard on them
A move, a new sibling, a divorce, a loss, a new school. Children feel transitions deeply, even when they can't explain why they're struggling. Play therapy helps them process the change at their own level.
Worry, fear, or anxiety
Clinginess, trouble sleeping, tummy aches with no medical cause, and a reluctance to try new things. Anxiety in children often shows up in the body and in behaviour, and play offers a gentle way to work with it.
Trouble with friendships
or at school
Struggles with sharing, cooperating, managing frustration, or connecting with other kids. The playroom is a safe place to build the social and emotional skills that don't always come easily.
After something difficult
or frightening
Following a scary or overwhelming experience, children often need to process it in a way that words can't reach. Play therapy provides a safe, contained way for them to make sense of what happened.
Something feels off, but
you can't pinpoint it
You know your child, and you can tell something isn't right, even if you can't name it. You don't need a diagnosis or a crisis to seek support. Trusting your instinct is enough.
Why Play therapy is different
Adults talk through their problems. Children play through them. For a child, play isn’t just fun; it’s how they explore their world, express what they’re feeling, and make sense of experiences they don’t yet have words for. A child who can’t tell you they’re frightened might act it out with toys. A child carrying something heavy might show it in how they play long before they could ever explain it.
Play therapy is built on this understanding. In a safe, welcoming playroom, a trained therapist follows your child’s lead, using toys, art, stories, and games as the medium for the work. Through play, children process difficult feelings, build emotional skills, and work through what’s troubling them, all in a way that feels natural and safe to them. It’s a recognized, well-established approach that meets your child exactly where they are.
How Play therapy works
Your therapist guides the work at a pace that feels safe and manageable for your child, which is why so many families find play therapy a gentle place to start.
Book a free 15-minute discovery call
Book with the therapist of your choice. Not sure who’s the right fit? Book with our clinical director, Shianne, and she’ll match your child with a therapist who aligns with your child’s needs at our Calgary office.
Meet for your consultation
We start by talking with you, the parent, to understand your child, your concerns, and what you’re hoping for.
Your child's first session
Your child meets their therapist in the playroom, where the work begins gently and at their own pace, with your involvement along the way.
Life during Play therapy
One of the first things many parents notice is how readily their child takes to the playroom. Because the work happens through play rather than questioning, it doesn’t feel like therapy to them. It feels safe, and often fun, which lets them open up in a way direct conversation rarely allows.
In the early weeks, the therapist follows your child’s lead and builds trust, while keeping you informed about what they’re noticing and how you can support things at home. You stay involved throughout. This isn’t work that happens behind a closed door with no window into it.
The bigger changes tend to show up at home over time. The meltdowns may become less frequent or less intense. Your child may start finding words for feelings they couldn’t express before or handling frustration and worry with a little more ease. The skills built in the playroom slowly become part of how they move through their days.
Life after Play therapy
Big feelings become more manageable
Your child develops better ways to recognize and handle strong emotions, so the feelings that used to overwhelm them and spill out as behaviour become something they can work with.
They build skills that last
The emotional and social skills practiced in the playroom- naming feelings, managing frustration, connecting with others- carry forward into school, friendships, and home life.
Your family finds more ease
As your child settles, the whole household often feels it. With support and guidance for you, too, the hard moments get easier to navigate, and the connection within your family has room to grow.
Your child has a lot to say. Play therapy helps them say it.
The team
Therapists with specific training in play therapy, who know how to follow a child’s lead and create a space where kids feel safe enough to open up. Not sure who’s the right fit? Your free call will match your family.
Alysha Dosanjh
Founder
Helena Morris
Our space
Dorchester Square · 1333 8 Street SW, Calgary
Our services & fees
Direct billing is available to 9 insurers, so most clients pay little or nothing out of pocket.
Individual Therapy
30 minutes
$125
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Relationship Therapy
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Family Therapy
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
If your instinct is telling you they could use some support, that’s enough. A free 15-minute call is the easiest first step. We’ll listen first, then help you find the right fit for your child.
What Play therapy helps with
Play therapy supports children through a range of experiences. These pages may also be helpful.
Trauma
When the past keeps showing up in the present, uninvited.
Anxiety
When worry won't switch off, even when you want it to.
Grief
When you're learning to carry something you never wanted to.
Child and Adolescent Therapy
Broader support for kids and teens as they grow.
Art Therapy
Another creative, expressive way for children to be heard.
Identity and Life Transitions
When a big change has shaken your child's world.
Works alongside Play therapy
Good to know
For children, play is how they communicate and process their world. A trained play therapist uses play purposefully, following your child's lead and using toys, art, and stories as the medium to help them express and work through difficult feelings. It looks like play, and that's exactly why it works. Children open up through it in ways they can't through direct conversation.
Play therapy is generally well suited to children roughly between the ages of three and twelve, though the approach is always tailored to your individual child. For older children and teens, we can discuss whether play therapy or another approach is the better fit. Your discovery call is a good place to sort this out.
Yes. You stay involved throughout. Your child's therapist keeps you informed about what they're noticing and offers guidance on how to support your child at home. While the playroom is your child's private space to build trust, you are very much part of the process.
No. You don't need a diagnosis or a crisis. If your instinct is telling you your child is struggling or could use some support, that's reason enough. Many parents come in simply because something feels off, and that's a perfectly good place to start.
Play therapy works best in person, in our dedicated Calgary playroom, where your child has access to the materials and space the approach relies on. This is one of the areas where being in the room really matters.
Our sessions are covered by most extended health plans. Coverage depends on your specific plan, so it's worth checking what your provider includes for your therapist's designation. We also offer direct billing to 9 major insurers.
It's a free, no-pressure conversation where we learn a little about what you're going through and help you find the right therapist for it. There's no commitment and nothing to prepare. Just a chance to ask questions and see if it feels like a fit.
In a crisis, please call 911, or call or text 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline), available 24/7. Inspire Wellness Therapy does not provide emergency services.
Begin when you're ready
Book a free 15-minute discovery call and we’ll help you find the right play therapist to meet your child where they are.
In person at our Calgary playroom · Direct billing is available to 9+ insurers
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Inspire Wellness Therapy respectfully acknowledges that what we call Alberta is the traditional and ancestral territory of many peoples, presently subject to Treaties 6, 7, and 8. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations.
We are all-inclusive, striving to create safe, affirming, and anti-oppressive spaces to welcome and provide equal care for all members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
