“When children engage in therapy, they discover powerful ways to soothe, speak up, solve problems, and trust their own valuable, unique voice.”
Virtual play therapy uses connection, creativity, and developmentally-appropriate activities to help children calm their nervous systems, process big feelings, express themselves and foster a kind and confident inner voice—without the barrier of leaving leaving home.
virtual child therapy
What does virtual therapy look like for kids?
Sessions last approximately 55 minutes, no more than 60 minutes, and are divided like this:
5-10 minute check-in that will include caregiver(s) and their child. This is a time for quick updates and any new information we want to addresss during the session.
20-30 minutes of engaging and meaningful exercises and activities for the child. Parents can be present throughout the session or allow the child to engage with therapist 1-on-1.
5-15 minute show-and-tell with parents at the end of each session. This is an opportunity for children to get the exercises to “stick” and for their parent(s) to see and learn the skills so that they can continue between sessions.
Typically, 3-6 sessions total. Sometimes, a family may want to continue working together for longer than this range and that’s OK! But, we hope that children and their families will learn tangible and helpful skills quickly that will translate to every day life. Of course, we always welcome touch up sessions when skills need to be refreshed or adjusted as children move through new experiences and developmental phases.
These sessions, like all of our work, is considered out of network with insurance providers, but we are always happy to send a superbill to families for them to submit to their insurance providers for reimbursement.
Who is a good candidate for virtual play therapy?
In a perfect world, virtual sessions would come after parents have had a session or two and the child has also had a few in-person sessions. Sometimes, families can make scheduling work for in-person sessions, but for a limited time. In those cases, virtual sessions can be an excellent way to continue growth without the time commitment of in-person sessions. However, sometimes we can’t make any in-person sessions work and virtual becomes the best choice. We can absolutely engage in meaningful work together with mostly or entirely virtual sessions.
These sessions are great for children who may already understand their challenges to a certain degree and are interested in their own growth and learning. In other words, virtual sessions are most effective when the treatment goals are quite clear.
Virtual sessions are best for children who are 6-12 years old.
Virtual sessions are best for children who would benefit from working on:
perfectionistic behavior
self-esteem
frustration tolerance
emotional regulation and coping skills
anxiety and fears
social skill development and friendships
executive functioning skills
grief and loss
life transitions or a troubling experience
mood support
identity exploration
understanding a diagnosis
problem-solving and personal exploration
A comprehensive parent session is always step 1 in the process and will help determine if virtual play therapy is a good fit for a specific child.
how do interventions with children work virtually?
Virtual therapy with children is active, engaging, and thoughtfully designed to help children build real skills—not just talk about them.
In sessions, we use carefully selected games, books, drawing activities, and hands-on tools and experiences to help children practice important developmental skills such as frustration tolerance, emotional awareness, flexible thinking, and resilience. These tools allow children to experience emotions in real time, while learning how to understand and regulate them with support.
Both virtual and in-person therapy can be highly effective for children. The most important factor is not the format, but the strength of the relationship, the child’s comfort and trust, and the thoughtful use of developmentally appropriate tools and support.