nutch_noindex
Search Icon
    Menu Button
    Stanford Children's Health
    DonateContactMyChart LoginFind a Doctor
    • Second Opinion
    • Donate
    • Contact
    • Refer a Patient
    • En Español
    • Our Locations
    • Medical Services
    • About Us
    • Research & Innovation
    • Patients & Visitors
    • For Health Professionals
    • Second Opinion
    • Donate
    • En Español
    • MyChart Login
    • Recently Visited
      • Our Locations
      • Medical Services
      • About Us
      • Research & Innovation
      • Patients & Visitors
      • For Health Professionals
      CANCEL
      • View More Results

      Loading...

      COVID-2019 Alert

      Information about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. Read the latest >

      Información sobre el coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Aprenda más >

      /nutch_noindex

       


      Play Therapy 

      What is play therapy?

      Play therapy helps meet the emotional needs of children who have an illness or surgery and are in the hospital. Being in the hospital can be stressful for children and their families. Children may feel scared, confused, and out of control. Play therapy is used to help children understand and cope with illness, surgery, hospitalization, treatments, and procedures.

      What is the goal of play therapy?

      Play therapy centers on the family to help your child adjust to hospital care. A child life specialist can help meet the emotional needs of children in the hospital by getting to know your child. The child life specialist can give your child a chance to express himself or herself, and use play therapy to help him or her adjust to being in the hospital. Parents of infants can learn new skills to comfort their baby. They are also offered ways they can encourage their baby's continued development while their baby is recovering in the hospital.

      Child life specialists can help your child and the other children in your family with:

      • Play activities to prepare your child for medical procedures and learn about his or her surgery.

      • Relaxation and pain management skills.

      • Helping your child to express his or her feelings through normal play.

      • Brother or sister needs:

        • Children at home may be worried about their brother or sister who is in the hospital. They may be upset because mom and dad are away from them more than usual. The child life specialist can help you to answer questions you may have about dealing with the illness in relation to any brothers or sisters at home.

        • Visiting the hospital can also be stressful for brothers and sisters. The child life specialist can help prepare brothers and sisters before they visit so they can understand what they see and how they feel before and after their visit to their sibling in the hospital.

      Related Topics

      • Neurological Exam for Children
      • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
      nutch_noindex
      • About Us
      • Contact
      • MyChart Login
      • Careers
      • Blog
      • Refer a Patient
      • Download from App Store Download From Google Play
      • Notice of Nondiscrimination
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Code of Conduct

      © 2021 Stanford Children's Health

      About

      • About Us
      • Our Hospital
      • Patient Stories
      • Blog
      • News
      • Send a Greeting Card
      • New Hospital
      • Careers

      Connect

      • Donate
      • Refer a Patient
      • Contact Us
      • Pay Your Bill

      Find

      • Doctors
      • Locations
      • Services
      • Classes
      Download from App Store Download From Google Play

      Also Find Us on:

      • facebook
      • twitter
      • youtube
      • linkedin
      US News & World Report Badge
      • Stanford Medicine
      • Stanford University
      • Stanford Health Care
      • Lucile Packard Foundation
      • Notice of Nondiscrimination
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Code of Conduct
      • © 2021 Stanford Children's Health
      /nutch_noindex