Lighthouse Center for Therapy & Play

Why is Play Therapy beneficial?

Play therapy provides a way for children to work through defenses and handle anxiety.
It helps children verbalize feelings.

It helps children act out unconscious material and relieves tension.

Children can release feelings in a safe environment.

What is the Role of the Play Therapist?

The therapist’s responsibility is to go to the child’s level and communicate with them in a way they are comfortable. The therapist follows the child’s lead, and does not suggest play activities or themes (unless they are using a directed play activity with a therapeutic goal in mind). All of the child’s feelings and thoughts are accepted without judgment.

At Lighthouse Center for Therapy & Play, we use an integrated approach to working with clients and include individualized assessments which inform and guide the formation of treatment plans. In addition, we are committed to incorporating evidence-based as well as best practice guidelines..

Reunification Therapy

Reunification therapy refers to family therapy that aims to reunite or reestablish a relationship, usually between a parent and child. It emphasizes attachment, promotes healthy communication, and works to heal injuries in the relationship. It can aim to improve relationships within the family or treat alienation.

The primary goal of this type of therapy is to reestablish trust between the parent and child, so allowing therapy to progress at the child’s pace is essential. Reunification work can be long-term, though short-term intensive programs are also available.

What is Play?

Play is the singular central activity of childhood, occurring at all times and in all places. Children do not need to be taught how to play, nor must they be made to play. Play is spontaneous, enjoyable, voluntary and non-goal directed. It is done for its own sake.
Play therapy is based on the fact that play is a child’s natural medium of communication and expression. In the Play Therapy room, children can “play out” their experiences and feelings in a safe environment. Children can use toys to say what they can’t say with words. There are very few limits imposed on the child in the play room. They are allowed to do as they please, with the exception of hurting themselves or the therapist.

Parent Coordination

What is a Parenting Coordinator? A Parenting Coordinator (PC) is a mental health or family law professional who has had a minimum of 20 hours of PC training. They work as a neutral professional to help high-conflict families minimize conflict while shielding their child from parental conflict and loyalty binds. The state of Maryland has a Rule 9-205-2 which outlines further what the role of and definition of Parent Coordination.
Parent Coordination assists parents who remain embroiled in high conflict after implementing their parenting plans and who struggle to resolve disputes related to their children even after their divorce has been finalized. Parent Coordination combines conflict resolution, case management, mediation and parent education.
The goal of Parent Coordination is to protect children from parental conflict and to provide a framework for resolving these ongoing disputes and clarifying the Parenting Plans to reduce future conflicts.

Mediation

Mediation is a process that provides an opportunity for people to work with a trained professional outside of the court system ensuring privacy for all. Serving as neutral third party, the mediator facilitates discussion among the parties aimed to help them reach agreement on the disputed issues. This process is a transparent and respectful one and ensures that participants have input in the ultimate decisions.
The goal of this work is to assist participants in sharing concerns in respectful ways, to encourage them to consider the other’s point of view and ultimately to offer compromises to reach agreements that are mutually accepted and beneficial to all family members. When issues arise that result in locked communication, the mediator can help couples reach a compromise and solve problems constructively so they can move on.