Sometimes children need extra therapeutic intervention to help them through difficult times in their lives. At Benhall we use a variety of therapies and therapists depending on the level of need and the nature of the child.

Drawing and Talking: This is a low level therapy which is provided by a few members of the Benhall team who have undertaken the training.  Drawing enables a child to express, in a visual form, worries that they might not be able to talk about.  Over time, with an empathic adult giving the child attention and talking with them in a gentle, thoughtful and supportive way, the child can create a story through the pictures that sorts things out and enables them to move on. 

Music Therapy: Music can lift our mood, calm us, motivate us and comfort us. In the hands of a music therapist, music can bring added benefits, breaking through where words can’t.  Music Therapy uses the creative potential in young people to help them through difficult times in their lives.  Child and therapist engage in live musical interaction to establish a therapeutic relationship.  Using a range of instruments, including the voice, enables children to create their own musical language with which to explore and express thoughts and feelings.

Play Therapy: Play is a child’s natural form of communication through which a child can make sense of their feelings, emotions and experiences. Children naturally mimic real life situations in their play, and again, playing out a difficult experience is easier than trying to verbalise it. Through play therapy, the child learns about their own feelings. Children have access to drawing, painting, craft, water, sand, clay, miniature objects, puppets, dressing up and music. The therapist plays alongside the child, building a trusting relationship thus enabling the healing process to begin.