What is Play Based Coaching versus Play Therapy?

If you know much about Play Therapy then when you hear the words, you mind probably conjures up sand trays, action figures, dolls, building blocks and all sorts of wonderful toys for children to engage with as a form of self expression. You would be 100% right! Yet there is more to it. 

So let's start with a brief history of Play Therapy which emerged way back in 1942. It was made up from elements of Child Psychotherapy with the specific theoretical foundations found in Humanistic Psychology tradition and Attachment theory.  Sounding a bit complicated? Well yes it is.

Usually a play therapist is a professional who has trained for two to four years to obtain the qualification which could lead to a Masters Degree. There are also very stringent requirements for accreditation and this has grown into a worldwide movement of therapists.

The actual provision of play therapy is concerned with supporting younger children who have been faced with trauma to "communicate" their thoughts and feelings through their play when words escape them. The aim is to build a traumatised child’s ability to work though their experiences which may be preoccupying them and causing problematic behaviours at home or in school.  Processing these experiences in a healthy and productive way that is non invasive, also aids in supporting parents to gain insight into what their younger child may be thinking or feeling. 

Yet many parents who have chosen Play Therapy for their child do this only for two reasons:

1) It is readily available and easily accessible with funding provided in certain cases. 

2) It is well known and has a good track record with ample research to back up results. 

Yet Play Therapy isn't a good fit for all children and some parents may find themselves searching for more practical, skills based solutions that are goal orientated. Often once trauma has been processed, parents may search for further answers by calling on psychologists, parenting experts or even a life coach to assist them.

This is where Play Based Coaching comes in, which I developed in 2003, in response to the problems I was seeing in children age 6 - 12 as a primary school teacher. I realised that many parents were confused, frustrated and lacking in skills to support their children. Not because they were bad parents but often because when children in my classroom were referred for play or psychotherapy, it was not in the correct context. So I wanted to be part of the solution by providing a non invasive approach similar to Play Therapy but with measurable and specific outcomes attached. 

My approach started by building a practical framework based on psychology and neuroscience that consists of 5 tools and 7 key ingredients that every child needs to flourish and maintain their wellbeing. This was in response to the massive gap in support provision for children who may have faced what is known as little T trauma's (bullying, death of a pet, loss of significant relationships etc.) who also needed an opportunity to communicate and learn about their thoughts and process their feelings through play. 

My Play Based Coaching System®, unlike Play Therapy is based on a structured 12 session programme that is underpinned by a research informed approach in the areas of Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Social Psychology, Positive Psychology and Life Coaching. Currently being used in 45 countries by trained Kids Life Studio® practitioners, my Play Based Coaching System® supports families to not only process challenges but to also build a toolkit of skills to cope with everyday stumbling blocks in real-time with resilence, hope and optimism. Our tagline is "where choices are made easy" and our main aim is to empower children to become the leaders of their own life. 

My Play based Coaching System® uses innovative ways to engage children proactively in setting small incremental and achievable goals. This scaffolding builds confidence and within a short time frame, previous limiting belief systems flourish into hopeful future dreams. The activities used in a Play Based Coaching session will vary dependent on the age of the child and their needs, but may  include: stories, science experiments, drawing, painting, playing games, guided imagery, relaxation techniques, drama, dance, movement and music. 

Play Based Coaching extends past the traditional norms of adult life coaching by offering developmentally appropriate play based methods to engage in active communication and goal setting that bring measurable results.  Unlike Play Therapy, the focus is not on resolving trauma, but on equipping and educating the child with tangible skills that they can transfer into their real-life situations. For this reason, I developed an online Lifestyle Assessment tool that measures where the child's life may be out of balance. All of our certified Kids Life Studio® Coaches are trained to use this assessment tool to tailor make a plan of action for children and to track and measure their progress graphically through quantitative data. This is a powerful way for parents to review how their child is doing and to target areas practically for optimal wellbeing such as their nutrition, sleep hygiene, exercise, friendships and screen time. 

Based largely on Choice Theory and the Science of Hope, Play Based Coaching is designed to support children by:

1) Empowering, equipping, educating and enabling them to make good CHOICES (even when adults aren't around!) The younger this process starts the better as it builds robust neural pathways for future decision making in the teen and adult years. 

2) Finding HOPE even in the hardest of struggles by having a cheerleader in the form of a kids life coach who speaks the language of childhood - "play". No judgement, no analysis paralysis, no therapy, no stigma, no labels...just looking towards a brighter future with an individualised strategy.

Now I get to the tricky part....is Play Based Coaching accredited? The answer for this is YES...whilst there are no accrediting bodies offering rigorous and applicable accreditation relating to children yet (that we know of), we are members of the ACCPH (Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists & Hypnotherapists.) 

However, the point is this...Play Therapy has been going for over 80 years!! When it first started, there was no accreditation. Only willing and able and compassionate professionals wanting to find solutions to support children. The same can be said about my organisation. Leading the way in Kids Life Coaching space since 2003, we are still in our infancy as this wonderful field of play based coaching is only now being recognised. I am feeing inspired that we are on the right track as an organisation. When I review previous research and as I design my current research around resilience, coping and wellbeing, I can see how strongly my school The Kids Life Studio® Coach Academy meets the criteria for ethical principles that safeguard children with well trained professionals who obtain measurable results. Whilst our certification is a shorter duration (dependent on previous experience of the professional) we have a strong emphasis on ongoing professional supervision and personal development so that the coaches we train walk the walk and talk the talk. They not only learn robust theory based on evidence, but we break down traditional beliefs around child development and we encourage our certified Kids Life Studio® Coaches to collaborate and connect with other professionals when needed. This makes for a healthy support system, where we don't replace therapy and vice versa. Instead, we work alongside each other for the good of the child using best practices. 

I hope this blog has helped you to understand the difference between Play Therapy and Play Based Coaching. The one doesn't outdo or overshadow the other. They are both needed, necessary and very useful dependent on a child's needs. With Play Based Coaching also being trauma informed, the only real difference is that Play Based Coaching is more universal and targets neurodiverse and neurotypical families in a more practical skills based way with measurable outcomes.

If you are interested in play based coaching for your child, why not visit The Kids Life Studio® where you can find a certified kids life coach trained in the Play Based Coaching System®. The coaching sessions these coaches provide are fun, non invasive and involve the whole family so you are guaranteed to leave with exactly what you need. Your child will love the sessions but so will you because your life will become easier as a parent with a more peaceful, calmer household. You can rest assured that your child will grow in confidence as their mindset improves and they learn to take responsibility and make good choices despite sometimes challenging circumstances in their life. The aim is for your child to learn to communicate their needs and express their feelings in a productive way. We have your back so reach out!

If you are perhaps wondering how you can get involved in coaching children, you can reach out to our certifications team and they will assist you with your questions. Alternatively if you know this is something you would like to do, you can either enrol in the Theory of Kids Life Coaching to put a foundation in place or if you are interested in a full Play based coaching certification you can choose to fill in a statement of interest so that you can speak to us about this opportunity. 

Thank you for sharing time with me and walking through why Play Based Coaching is a viable and innovative option to support children in a world that sometimes feels like it is going crazy! Our global network of Kids Life Studio® coaches are compassionate, caring and most of all competent! I am proud to walk alongside very proactive children's change makers offering world-class Kids Life Coaching and making a difference one family at a time!

Regards with Zeal,

Zelna

Founder Kids Life Studio® & Kids Life Coach Academy