20/05/2026
Children we support at PTB explore their personal loss and bereavement in their own way though the childs natural language of play.
Children experiencing loss and bereavement often do not process grief in the same way adults do. Their feelings may appear through behaviour, play, anger, withdrawal, clinginess, physical complaints or changes in school presentation rather than words alone.
Play therapy offers children a developmentally appropriate way to explore overwhelming emotions safely. Children naturally communicate through play long before they can fully explain complex feelings verbally. Through symbolic play, creativity, sensory experiences and the therapeutic relationship, children can begin to process confusion, sadness, fear and changes in their world.
Play therapy works because it meets children where they are developmentally, allowing them to express feelings at their own pace without pressure to “talk about it” before they are ready. A safe, attuned therapeutic relationship can help children feel understood, regulated and less alone in their grief.
For many children, healing begins not with finding the right words, but with feeling safe enough to play.
