Chronic Pain/Illness Focused Children’s Therapy

For Children ages 4-12

What Is Children’s Therapy at Chronic Hope?

At Chronic Hope we take the mental health of your children very seriously. Chronic pain, illness and disability affects children emotionally, physically, cognitively, and socially. Their medical treatment often occurs in healthcare settings where their mental health is ignored and overlooked. A child living with chronic conditions can often feel lonely, different, and experience trauma from the pain and the medical professionals who work with them. They can see doctor after doctor addressing their physical pain, but way too often their mental pain is over looked.

We recognize that sitting down and doing traditional “talk therapy” with your children is not the most effective way to get children to open up, start processing and healing. Playing as therapy for children is the equivalent of talk therapy for adults! Children’s language is play, which is a beautiful thing. That’s why we have a HUGE playroom packed with all sorts of toys, arts supplies, dress up corner and something for everything kid to have a enjoy. While your child is playing with our fun and highly trained child’s therapist Kathy, they are also working on their mental health, but don’t tell them that!

Play therapy for children is a strongly researched modality for helping children experience chronic pain/illness with their mental health. Below is a list of research findings about play therapy for children with pain and illness:

  1. According to Jones and Landreth (2002), children with lifelong chronic illness such as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus “must live with a condition they did not have the freedom to choose. In play therapy children are allowed to choose their activities and direction of play, allowing them to feel more in control of their lives”

  2. Play, which includes expressive arts as therapeutic activities, allows children with chronic pain to safely express concerns and experiences of their pain without the pressure of verbalizing emotions and reasons they might not fully understand

  3. Chari, Hirisave, and Appaji (2013) found that play “facilitated better adjustment to illness related stressors, enhanced mental well-being, and promoted normalization

  4. Li and Lopez (2008) found children who participated in play therapy interventions in pre- and post-operative procedures reported lower levels of anxiety than those who only received information about the procedure

  5. Play and expressive arts activities can be used to assist with relaxation, to minimize fear associated with the chronic pain condition and medical procedures, and to ease the symptoms of depression associated with loss of ability to function and interact with others normally (Bradt, 2010; Dell’Api et al., 2007; Eccleston et al., 2006; Palermo, 2000; Palermo et al., 2009; Wikström, 2005)

What Makes Our Playroom Unique?

Our playroom is unlike any other. In addition to the typical toys and art supplies our room is specifically tailored to help children with chronic pain, chronic illness and disability process their conditions, pain, medical trauma and everything that comes along it. We have a play doctor’s office set up, nurse’s trolly, countless different doctor or chronic pain/illness common items such as play blood pressure cuffs, pain scale chart, play shots, play band aids, play surgical tray with surgical instruments ect.

Diabetes Specific Toys

We are proud and excited to have 3D printed insulin pumps and other type 1 diabetes supplies, play blood checker kit and other play diabetes supplies. We know that many children get diagnosed with diabetes young and that is a life changing and scary diagnoses. We are here and prepared to help your child and your family begin to process this overwhelming diagnosis.

Sand Tray Therapy

Sand tray therapy is a fun and effective technique to help children process their lives and emotions in a creative and fun way. Sand tray therapy is a combination of play therapy and art therapy, the client creates scenes with miniature toys in a tray filled with sand. The toys include anything from farm animals and dinosaurs to people and cars. Trees, fences, gates, doors, and buildings are common, too (Sweeny). Chronic Hope made sure to collect every miniature we could find relating to people with disabilities, doctors, nurses, hospitals and mobility devices to help your child process their specialized emotions, traumas and life events related to their chronic conditions.

During sand tray therapy clients create worlds that represent their internal struggles and conflicts. After sandplay, the therapist and client typically discuss what was observed—the toys that were chosen, how they were arranged, and any symbolic or metaphorical meanings (Albuquerque). Work with miniatures in the sand tray allows them to safely reveal the content of their world, externalizing the experience with chronic pain and treatment onto the miniatures (Rebekah).

Who is Play Therapy Appropriate For?

We offer play therapy for any child with chronic pain, illness or disability ages 4 through 12. Kathy Caputo is our child’s therapist and is excited to get started playing and processing with your child. You can read Kathy’s bio here.

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