Begin Within Play Therapy & Parenting Support

Begin Within Play Therapy & Parenting Support Begin Within in Southbury, CT offers Play Therapy and parenting support to help families build meaningful connections through playful engagement.

🎨 Making Meaning Through SymbolsYoung children begin using objects to represent something else—a block becomes a phone, ...
09/24/2025

🎨 Making Meaning Through Symbols
Young children begin using objects to represent something else—a block becomes a phone, a stick becomes a magic wand.

This symbolic play shows that their imagination is blossoming and their thinking is moving beyond the here-and-now.

Try this: Go along with their idea! If a banana is a phone, pretend to take a call. You’re supporting creativity and flexible thinking.

Destructive Play (Yes, it’s important!)Ever notice your little one knocking over towers, tearing paper, or gleefully dum...
09/22/2025

Destructive Play (Yes, it’s important!)
Ever notice your little one knocking over towers, tearing paper, or gleefully dumping blocks out of a bin? This is called destructive play, and it’s completely normal.

Children under five are figuring out cause and effect, building motor skills, and testing boundaries. What feels like “making a mess” is actually how they learn about their world.

Try this: Instead of stopping the destruction, offer safe opportunities—blocks to knock down, cardboard to tear, or bubbles to pop.

“When you play with your child, you enter their world—and that’s where connection and healing begin.”Play is how childre...
09/21/2025

“When you play with your child, you enter their world—and that’s where connection and healing begin.”

Play is how children share their feelings, ideas, and stories. When you join them and follow their lead, you show them that what matters to them matters to you. Those small moments of play build safety, trust, and lasting connection.

Play is the language of young children.Before they have the words to tell us what they feel, think, or imagine, children...
09/20/2025

Play is the language of young children.
Before they have the words to tell us what they feel, think, or imagine, children communicate through play.

This week, I’ll be sharing a few different types of play you might see in children under five—from building to breaking, pretending to storytelling. Each kind of play has meaning and supports development in its own way.

Stay tuned daily to learn more about how to recognize and support the play your child engages in!

Special Play Time (SPT): Connecting Through Play 🌟Special Play Time is a simple way to build a stronger bond with your c...
09/13/2025

Special Play Time (SPT): Connecting Through Play 🌟

Special Play Time is a simple way to build a stronger bond with your child while giving them space to express themselves. Rooted in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), it’s about creating a safe, consistent time where your child leads the play and you follow their lead.

✨ How it works:
• Set aside 20–30 minutes once a week just for you and your child.
• Use simple, open-ended toys (blocks, dolls, art supplies, cars—not electronics).
• Let your child be in charge of the play.
• Show up with attention, acceptance, and curiosity.

✨ Your role:
• Watch and describe what your child is doing (“You’re stacking the blocks so carefully”).
• Reflect their feelings (“You seem really proud of your tower”).
• Be present—no teaching, no correcting, just connecting.

✨ Why it matters:
• Builds trust and closeness.
• Helps your child feel understood and valued.
• Gives them a healthy outlet for big feelings.

Think of it as your child’s special time with you. A gift of presence, not perfection.

Snacks and sips can be powerful tools for regulation. When a child crunches on something crunchy, like carrots, pretzels...
09/12/2025

Snacks and sips can be powerful tools for regulation. When a child crunches on something crunchy, like carrots, pretzels, or apples, it gives the jaw and body deep input that can calm the nervous system. Pairing this with steady sips of water supports hydration and adds another rhythm that helps the body reset. Something as simple as crunching and drinking can bring comfort, focus, and a sense of calm to a child who’s feeling dysregulated. 🥤🥨🥕

In play therapy, our presence and responsiveness tell the child, “I see you, I understand you, and you’re not alone.” Th...
08/28/2025

In play therapy, our presence and responsiveness tell the child, “I see you, I understand you, and you’re not alone.” This creates safety and connection, which is what draws them back, not just for the play, but for the relationship. Each return reinforces that sense of safety, gradually reshaping the child’s nervous system from fight, flight, or freeze toward regulation, trust, and connection. Over time, they carry this new way of relating into their lives and relationships.

08/28/2025

More than 3.6 million children born in 2020 amid the COVID-19 global pandemic are walking into elementary schools across the country this fall.

Begin Within offers EMDR to children and parents virtually across Connecticut!EMDR therapy is a powerful and transformat...
08/18/2025

Begin Within offers EMDR to children and parents virtually across Connecticut!
EMDR therapy is a powerful and transformative approach to healing that helps individuals process and release the emotional pain tied to traumatic or distressing experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR works by engaging the brain’s natural healing processes through bilateral stimulation—such as eye movements or tapping—to unlock and reprocess stuck memories. This allows the nervous system to shift out of survival mode and bring emotional relief, often more quickly and deeply than expected. EMDR empowers clients to move forward with greater clarity, resilience, and a renewed sense of self.

✨ Welcome to our new Play Therapy Room! ✨Every corner of this space has been thoughtfully designed with children in mind...
07/26/2025

✨ Welcome to our new Play Therapy Room! ✨

Every corner of this space has been thoughtfully designed with children in mind. The toys you’ll find here aren’t just for fun, they’ve been carefully selected to encourage creativity, imagination, and emotional expression.

In play therapy, play is a child’s language where they can process big feelings, explore new ideas, and tell their stories in a way that feels safe and natural.

I’m so excited to welcome little ones into this nurturing environment where healing, connection, and growth begin with a simple invitation to play.

A parent’s cry echoes through us all—it carries the weight of love, loss, and the deepest human connection. As heartbrea...
07/07/2025

A parent’s cry echoes through us all—it carries the weight of love, loss, and the deepest human connection. As heartbreaking images and videos of the Texas flooding continue to surface, you may feel an almost magnetic pull to keep watching. During times of tragedy, it’s important to protect your emotional well-being by setting boundaries around news and social media. Constant exposure to distressing images and stories can be overwhelming and retraumatizing. Taking breaks, limiting screen time, and choosing trusted sources can help you stay informed without becoming emotionally flooded. It’s okay to step back—caring for yourself is a necessary part of being able to care for others.

After over 15 years in children’s behavioral health—and many years providing clinical consultation—I realized how much I...
06/27/2025

After over 15 years in children’s behavioral health—and many years providing clinical consultation—I realized how much I missed being in the playroom, face-to-face with kids. So I opened my private practice.

There’s nothing like connecting with a child, meeting them on their level, and offering the unconditional positive regard every kid deserves. I believe deeply in their power to heal, grow, and thrive—especially when we follow their lead. That’s where the magic happens. 💛

If you’re looking for support or want to learn more, feel free to reach out: beginwithinct@gmail.com.

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800 Main Street S
Southbury, CT
06488

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