Trauma has a long last disturbing effect on the child’s psyche.  Children may not speak up about their horrific experiences even to parents and may internalise their feelings and fears. This is where play therapy can be therapeutic. Children are naturally attracted to play since they find it less toxic and hostile and thus it can become a gateway to counter the traumatic experience and also discover coping mechanisms. Play therapy empowers the children to kinesthetically, symbolically and creatively represent their feeling, especially when they cannot verbally express their feelings, ideas and experiences. It has been typically employed in 2 -12 year age group, although it can be tailored for the very young ones also.

The aim of play therapy is to facilitate the child to repossess the sense of safety and security. Play therapy environment should essentially have a safe area, play materials and a therapist. Depending on circumstantial environment which ever technique is employed, parental association is of paramount importance. Therapy may involve directive methods that require designing play activities addressing emotional, cognitive, and behavioral perspectives, or nondirective techniques where an active therapeutic relationship is established between the child and therapist to work through trauma symptoms.