Scroll through your social media feeds or browse the self-help section of any book-store and you’re bound to come across the popular phrase, “Know thyself.”
Getting to know yourself can help you reach your goals and work through negative emotions or big life changes. But that’s alot easier said than done.
Neely Haynes, Associate Licensed Counselor (ALC), opened Harbor Counseling to help adults and children get reacquainted with themselves through Synergetic PlayTherapy® (SPT), which isn’t just for kids.
SPT gives children a way to express what it feels like to be them and helps adults shift their focus inward for self-exploration.
“[SPT] doesn’t mean adults have to get in the floor and play with the toys, although they can if they want to,” Haynes said. “As adults, we learn to not pay attention to our body cues, but our emotions are linked to our body responses.”
SPT focuses on acknowledging how our body responds to emotion and allows counselors and therapists to help clients move through trauma, depression, grief, loss and issues like ADHD.
Even in sessions that are not traditional Play Therapy formats, Haynes uses SPT methods to model emotional regulation,healthy coping skills and effective communication.
These methods can assist Haynes in guiding families through the hard process of divorce and finding ways to co-parent cooperatively. It also allows her to teach children to set healthy boundaries and clients of all ages get closer to their authentic selves.
