 following child-centered play therapy in clinical settings (Stulmaker & Ray, 2015) and unstructured play sessions during hospitalizations (Al- Yateem & Rossiter, 2017).


Recent research with Jungian sandplay therapy holds potential for play therapy with children who are struggling with anxiety. Foo, Freedle, Sani, and Fonda (2020) conducted 18 sessions of Jungian sandplay therapy with a young adult woman and saw improvements in her symptoms of anxiety in self-report measures as well as when measuring metabolite levels in her thalamus. The thalamus is particularly relevant to anxiety as it contributes to both processing sensory input and regulating levels of alertness. Increased metabolite levels in the thalamus are correlated with increased levels of anxiety, particularly somatic symptoms such as increases in heart rate and breathing. In this case study, the researchers saw metabolite levels drop to normal or expected ranges after the sandplay sessions. The combination of self-report and brain-level changes suggest that sandplay therapy impacts symptoms of anxiety at both physical and emotional levels.


Symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder are often pervasive when experienced in a child’s life, and impact the entire family system. These symptoms can have a lasting impact on a person’s lifelong development if not treated early. In general, a safe and supportive environment in which children can explore and express their feelings and worries through verbal or nonverbal play is key to providing treatment for generalized anxiety in children. A variety of holistic play therapy treatment options exist in which the child and family can be supported through the process of reducing worries and the subsequent impact on a child’s functioning. Play therapists should ally themselves with caregivers and include them in the treatment process to achieve maximum improvement and maintain lasting gains.


References Al-Yateem, N., & Rossiter, R. C. (2017). Unstructured play for anxiety in pediatric inpatient care. J 22(1). doi:10.1111/jspn.12166


American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi. books.9780890425596


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). Data and statistics on children’s mental health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ childrensmentalhealth/data.html on June 25, 2022.


Chiu, A., Falk, A., & Walkup, J. T. (2016). Anxiety disorders among children and adolescents.        1, focus.20150029


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Clark, S. L., & Garland, E. J. (2018). Integrating play and cognitive- behavioral interventions to treat childhood worries and generalized anxiety disorder: Taming worry dragons. In A. A. Drewes & C. E.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Julie Nash, PhD, RPT-S, is a psychologist from Connecticut. She has a private practice for individual therapy and continuing education trainings. She is a part-time faculty at Western Connecticut State University and past president of New England Association for Play Therapy. drjulienash@hotmail.com


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