Opinions on "Play Therapy" for young children.?

Question

Play therapy has been recommended for my 6-yr-old step-daughter by her school. I think it is an excellent resource for younger children. The insurance company refuses to approve it and states that there is no statistical proof that play therapy is any better than other types of therapy. Anybody have an opinion, experience with play therapy, or information on play therapy?

Any ideas or info welcome.

Step-daughter shows signs of depression, anxiety, withdrawal consistently for 2 years (behavioral screenings). In addition to behavioral, social issues, she is in special education (1st grade). At home says, "i hate myself" and "i want to kill myself".

We see her 2 weekends a month and half of summer vacation, limiting our access to get her the resources she needs. Mother only now is finally looking into this after a year of pushing on our part.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, the insurance company will not accept any research showing play therapy's effectiveness unless it has been done by either their own researchers or there is tons of statistical evidence that it is effective. Since play therapy is a relatively new treatment, there isn't a lot of research available.

The good news is that most therapists who work with children utilize similar techniques to play therapy...I would suggest interviewing prospective counselors to find one who seems like they would work well with your step-daughter.