Play therapy helps children facing insecurities in Western New York

TOWN OF AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Rural Outreach Center provides resources for rural families who might be facing insecurities. One of those services includes play therapy, which helps children process and learn how to cope with tough situations.

“Kids are experiencing so much that they need to have a safe place in order to process it, and a lot of our kids are also struggling with food insecurities or housing securities, so there’s multiple stressors within the family,” said Maria Knickerbocker, the lead social worker and registered play therapy supervisor at the center. “Coming here, it’s consistent, it’s predictable, and they’re heard.”

Knickerbocker says working with these children is her passion, and that it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

“We work with kids that say, maybe their parents separate or divorce, or a parent goes off to the military, or they have to move a lot. We have kids that go through different types of trauma or abuse, or maybe they witnessed domestic violence,” said Knickerbocker. “When they come to our playroom our goal for them is to feel safe and secure, and we have predictability and we use different therapies with the child depending on what their needs are.”

The type of play therapy programs can vary from group therapy settings, ‘theraplay’ for children and their parents, and other activities like therapeutic games and sand trays, which children can use to create their own story.

“It allows a child to create their world without or with very few words,” said Knickerbocker. “There are kids that will come in and say, ‘I’m really worried because my parents are getting divorced.’ Some kids do not want to talk about things.”

Knickerbocker tells us in rural areas they see families facing food insecurities, transportation barriers and housing insecurities, which can all add stress onto families.

ROC has programs for children ages 3-12, and they also provide services in East Aurora, Holland and Pioneer school districts.

This week is International Play Therapy Week. For more information on play therapy and the Rural Outreach Center, visit their website here.

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Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.

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