Play Therapy for Anxiety in Children
Hermanus & the Overberg
Is Your Child Overwhelmed by Worry?
Anxiety is one of the most common emotional challenges facing children today — and it can be heartbreaking to watch your child struggle with fear, worry, or nervousness that feels beyond their control.
Children often cannot name or understand their anxiety. They simply feel overwhelmed, and that feeling expresses itself in the body and in behaviour — through clinginess, physical symptoms, meltdowns, or school avoidance. Because children lack the words to explain what is happening inside them, talking about the anxiety directly often doesn’t help.
This is exactly where play therapy shines.
Signs Your Child May Be Struggling with Anxiety
- Refuses to go to school or has frequent school mornings filled with tears or complaints of stomach aches and headaches
- Clings to parents or caregivers and finds separations very difficult
- Has frequent meltdowns or emotional outbursts that seem disproportionate to the situation
- Worries excessively about things that other children their age don’t seem concerned about
- Avoids new situations, people, or environments
- Has difficulty sleeping — bedtime resistance, nightmares, or frequent night waking
- Seeks constant reassurance from parents and caregivers
- Complains of physical symptoms (headaches, tummy aches, nausea) with no medical cause
How Play Therapy Helps Anxious Children
In the safety of the play therapy room, anxious children are given the space to externalise and explore their fears — through sandplay, storytelling, puppets, art, and creative play — without being required to confront them head-on before they are ready.
Over time, and at the child’s own pace, play therapy helps children to:
- Identify and understand their own emotions
- Recognise the physical signs of anxiety in their body
- Develop their own toolkit of calming and coping strategies
- Build confidence and a sense of control over their inner world
- Approach previously feared situations with greater resilience
Sulene’s approach is deeply patient and child-led. She never pushes a child faster than they are ready to go — and this patient, trust-based approach is often what anxious children need most.
What Parents Can Expect
Alongside your child’s sessions, Sulene works closely with you as a parent or caregiver. You will receive regular feedback on your child’s progress and practical, evidence-based guidance on how to support their growing confidence and emotional regulation at home. Anxiety is best addressed in partnership — and Sulene sees parents as an essential part of the therapeutic process.