Play therapy at CFC uses the natural language of children to help kids ages 1-12 process emotions, build skills, and work through challenges.
Children ages 1-12 experiencing anxiety, fears, or worry
Kids with behavioral challenges at home or school
Children navigating trauma, grief, or major life transitions
Kids with social difficulties or trouble connecting with peers
Children with emotional dysregulation or intense reactions
Kids with ADHD, sensory differences, or neurodevelopmental differences
If your child is struggling, whether with big emotions, difficult behaviors, adjusting to challenges, or something they can’t quite put into words, you’re probably searching for answers. You wonder if your child could benefit from some support, and you want to help.
Play therapy is a science-backed, effective treatment, and is one of the cornerstones of how we work with children. We know that children will often play in ways that help them process thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and at the same time, build the kinds of skills that allow them to be more resilient in the face of life’s challenges. Because play is often children’s primary language and reflection of their experiences, it’s a powerful way to build the brain and work with children who need support.
“When they can’t say it, they can play it.”
— Dr. Tina Payne Bryson and Georgie Wisen-Vincent, The Way of Play
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 as young as 1 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, build new skills, 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 1 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 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.
Single-day targeted evaluations to identify learning disabilities and challenges in math, reading, and writing.
Parenting support at CFC helps you navigate the daily challenges of raising kids with more confidence and connection, and practical...
A five-hour therapeutic listening intervention, based on Dr. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory, that supports regulation, neuroception, and social engagement in...
A session lasts about 50 minutes and happens in a playroom designed to invite different kinds of emotional expression. Your child leads. Our therapist follows, reflects, and gently guides when it helps. The materials (sandtrays, puppets, art supplies, dramatic play) aren’t random. They’re chosen to let kids process whatever they’re working through.
Play therapy is typically most natural for kids ages 1 to 12. For older kids and teens who don’t respond as easily to play-based work, our child and teen therapy page covers the approaches we use for those developmental stages.
Yes. Research has shown that play therapy is effective for a wide range of childhood concerns, including anxiety, behavior challenges, trauma, and emotional dysregulation. Play is how kids process their world. It gives access to emotional content that talk therapy can’t easily reach at younger ages.
It depends on what your child is working on. Some families see meaningful change in a few months of weekly sessions. For children working through more complex or layered concerns, the work can continue longer. We’ll talk about what we’re seeing and what we recommend along the way.
Yes, though usually not in the playroom itself. We provide regular parent consultations to share progress, offer guidance, and help you understand what’s happening developmentally for your child. Many families find these parent sessions are what lets the work stick at home.
CFC is a self-pay practice. Play therapy session fees range from $175 to $350+ depending on the clinician. We provide superbills for families seeking out-of-network reimbursement from their insurance provider, and sliding-scale options are available for families who need them.
Click the button below. We're here to help.
Choose the path that best describes your needs.