Help Us Introduce Play Therapy
CFVC is proud to now be able to offer an enhanced children’s program that includes individual, group, and family counseling. We have hired a trained, nationally certified play therapist/counselor but we need your help in order to provide this service to our community.
Play therapy is to children what counseling is to adults. Play therapy is a widely used, research-backed technique which utilizes play, children’s natural medium of expression, to help them express their feelings more easily through toys instead of words. Play therapy is the most appropriate method of treatment for children who are having difficulties coping with life situations. Though some children lack the cognitive skills to express themselves with words, they are fluent in the language of play. Play therapy allows them to express themselves in the way in which they are most comfortable.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of our new program, we are currently soliciting donations of the following items (items with * indicate the most important items needed):
| Doll furniture (sturdy wood) | Gumby (bendable nondescript figure) | Doll bed, clothes, etc. |
| *Bendable doll family | *Dolls (of various ethnicities) | Pacifier |
| Nursing bottle (plastic) | Chalkboard, chalk | Refrigerator (wood) |
| Dishes (plastic or tin) | Pitcher | *Plastic food |
| Egg cartons | Broom, dustpan | *Crayons, pencils, paper |
| Toy watch | Paints, easel, newsprint, brushes | Lone Ranger type mask |
| Tongue depressors, popsicle sticks | *Truck, car, airplane, tractor, boat | Pounding bench and hammer |
| *Cymbals | Toy soldiers and army equipment | Sandbox, large spoon, funnel, sieve, pail |
| Rubber snake, alligator | *Multicolored chalk, eraser | Stove (wood) |
| *Pans, silverware | Dishpan | *Empty fruit and vegetable cans, etc. |
| Band-aids | Sponge, towel | Soap, brush, comb |
| Transparent tape | Building blocks (diff. shapes and sizes) | |
| Play-Doh or clay | Pipe cleaners | Toy ATV (multi-wheel vehicle such as a 4-wheeler) |
| School bus (Fisher Price type) | *Xylophone | *Drum |
| *Fireman’s hat, other hats | Zoo animals, farm animals | Bop bag (Bobo doll) |
| Handcuffs | Toy noise making gun | *Telephone (two) |
| *Construction paper (several colors) | Rags or old towels | Tinker toys |
| Tissue | Rubber Knife | Dart gun |
| Balls (large and small) | Medical kit | Blunt scissors |
| Play money and cash register | *Hand puppets (doctor, nurse, etc.) | Rope |
| *Purse and jewelry |
Multicultural Considerations: Toys provide children with symbols to express their experiences and gain insight; therefore, a variety of toys is essential to provide children the opportunity to fully express themselves in manageable ways and in accordance to each child’s unique needs. We want our play area to be reflective of the multicultural community we serve and hope you will consider including donations such as dolls or puppets of different skin colors, ethnically diverse food as well as kitchen utensils representative of different cultures, musical instruments, hats, and jewelry representative of diverse cultures.
Please contact Cecil Davison for more information about donations specific to the play therapy prorgam at (770) 479-1804 x207 or [email protected].