Dallas’ Parkland Hospital offers “play therapy” to help kids learn coping skills through playtime.
At the outset, Annie’s Place, the childcare center within Parkland Hospital, appears to be merely a place for children to play with toys. However, the “daycare workers” are pediatric therapists.
Kelly McShan described her son Jackson’s experience with the program, which he was able to enroll in for free. Jackson had crippling anxiety and nightmares before the Annie’s Place program.
“I think feeling able to lay on the floor and kind of relax and sometimes play with toys — it was a time where he just opened up mentally and let himself breath for a minute,” explained McShan.
After 20 sessions, Jackson’s nightmares subsided and he was able to graduate from the program.
Although many play therapy programs are available around the Dallas area, Annie’s Place offers childcare for those whose parents are in the hospital — whether for emergency services or a checkup.
“We have the ability to kind of help kids settle in if they’re having a really hard time,” said Annie’s Place Founder, Natalie Boyle.
The on-site play therapist, Kait Christian, recognizes how difficult illness can be for families — and for children especially.
For children, the abrupt change in routine can lead to emotional distress and bouts of anxiety according to Christian. However, play therapy has proved an important tool for children to process feelings in a positive way.
Beyond offering assistance to families with medical needs, Annie’s Place is partnered with the Magdalen House, a facility that helps women battle addiction. Boyle hopes that the facility removes childcare barriers and encourages mothers to seek help.
Play therapy, first developed in the early 1900s by Sigmund Freud, uses open-ended toys to help children process trauma. Unlike traditional therapy, play therapy differs from child to child and depends upon their personalities and age.
Typically, play therapy offers open-ended toys such as trucks, blocks, art supplies, or dress-up. These toys allow children to develop their imagination and self-confidence.
In the 1930s, David Levy created immersion play therapy, which gives kids toys specifically designed to help them process their current circumstances. To this day, Annie’s Place uses immersion play therapy by designing a miniature Parkland hospital.
Boyle hopes that the miniature version removes the stigma surrounding hospitals.
“You give kids a safe space to act out things that they might be doing or going through,” Boyle said. “We also wanted to create this positive association with the hospital. Hospitals are not big, bad, scary things. Mom is going to Parkland and I’m going to mini-Parkland.”
