Play therapy is generally done with children, but some therapist advocate "play" as a form of opening up clients who struggle communicating their feelings. Other therapists are trained in sand tray therapy--to me, it's absolutely glorious to be in the office of a therapist who uses sand tray therapy. She/he will have shelves and shelves of figures--mythical creatures, regular everyday people, babies, animals (wild and domesticated), structures, props like treasure chests, ghosts, monsters, super heros, houses, barns, money, crosses, gravestones, coffins, skeletons etc--there is no limit to the variety of things that can be used in a sand tray construction! Then the client is allowed to construct a representation of how they feel at the moment or what they feel represents their life in a small sandbox. The client is allowed to talk about the construction they have created and a picture is taken of it. In some practices, the therapist is able to "save" the construction and the client works on it over time. This technique can be used with children, teens, adults, couples and/or groups. It can be a very powerful medium.

When I'm feeling stuck in therapy, I would love to have a therapist who has a room filled with toys or a sandbox. . .. of course, I tend to be so self-conscious that I probably wouldn't be able to get up and go over to the toys and/or sandbox and engage in "playful" activities even if my therapist encouraged it. I have trouble just changing seats or getting up and moving when agitated. But some people are much more spontaneous and open to this kind of work. I really respect that ability!