Language of Play

Dear Friends,

Rapha is an organization that speaks many languages. Many of Rapha’s staff members are bilingual and speak English in addition to their native language. Our staff in Battambang, Siem Reap, and Phnom Penh, Cambodia, speak the Khmer language, while our staff in Thailand speak Thai and/or Burmese. In Haiti, most of Rapha’s staff and clients speak both Haitian Creole and French.

In addition to working across many languages and cultures, therapists at Rapha are fluent in another language–the language of play. Play is the universal language of children, and it is often the only way that children can express strong emotions or hurtful memories. Elements of Play Therapy are used across Rapha’s locations by therapists working with trauma survivors. At Rapha’s Hope and Healing Center in the US, therapist Brooke Smith has special training in a specific type of Play Therapy called Sand Tray Therapy.

Brooke Smith, MSW, LCSW | Trauma Therapist with Sand Tray Therapy

To begin a Sand Tray Therapy session, the therapist sets up a shallow container with sand and presents the child with a wide variety of miniature items (action figures, toys, animals, miniature objects, etc.). The therapist then invites the child to “build their world.” In response, children who have experienced complex trauma often create striking, even heartbreaking, representations of their lives and relationships.

Dylan* was 8 years old the first time he engaged in Sand Tray Therapy. When Dylan considered how he would create his world, he looked first for something small to represent his little sister. A theme in Dylan’s life was his need to protect his sister, Maria, from harm. He placed a small egg down in the sand, representing Maria, and a bear next to it, representing himself. He noticed a spider among the toys and felt that small chill of fear most of us feel when we see an eight-legged insect. He identified the spider as his abusive father and placed it far from himself and his sister in the sand tray world he was building. Most children would struggle to describe complex feelings of vulnerability, guilt, and fear, but, like Dylan, they can craft a world in the sand tray that explains them perfectly.

All children can speak the language of play and create a gateway for therapists to assist them in their healing process. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Will you set up a monthly gift and come alongside our therapists as they speak the language of play and of trauma–helping survivors find healing, hope, and freedom?