Childhood Depression and How Play Therapy Can Help

When we hear the word “depression,” we often picture an adult who feels sad, hopeless, or withdrawn. But depression isn’t limited to grown-ups—children can experience it too, though it often looks very different. For a child, depression may show up as irritability, frequent tears, loss of interest in play, changes in eating or sleeping, trouble focusing in school, or even repeated complaints of headaches and stomachaches. Because children don’t usually have the words to describe what they’re going through, it can leave parents feeling confused or even helpless.

Why Play Matters

This is where the work of child therapy pioneers like Dr. Gary Landreth and Dr. Daniel Sweeney offers tremendous insight. Both remind us of an essential truth: play is the natural language of children, and toys are their words. Just as adults talk through their struggles, children play through them.

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), developed and championed by Landreth and expanded upon by Sweeney, creates a safe and supportive space where children can express themselves in the way they know best—through play. In this kind of therapy, the child leads the play, while the therapist follows with empathy, acceptance, and understanding. The therapist doesn’t “fix” or “direct” the child but instead creates a relationship where the child feels free to show, in symbolic ways, what is happening inside.

How Play Therapy Helps Children with Depression

When children are depressed, they may not even realize what they’re feeling. They just know something feels “wrong.” Play therapy gives them a way to work it out. For example, a child who feels powerless may act out powerful roles in play, such as a superhero or a fierce animal. Another child may use art, sand, or storytelling in play therapy to express sadness, loss, or fear.

Sweeney emphasized that play therapy allows children to externalize their pain—to get it outside of themselves where it can be seen, understood, and eventually healed. Landreth described the play therapy relationship as a place where children discover that their feelings, no matter how big or heavy, are understood and accepted.

What Parents Can Expect

If your child is struggling with depression, play therapy is not about teaching them to “behave better” or pressuring them to “cheer up.” Instead, it’s about creating space for your child to feel safe, understood, and supported. Over time, this process helps children:

• Express difficult emotions they can’t put into words

• Build confidence and resilience

• Strengthen problem-solving skills

• Develop healthier ways of relating to themselves and others

As Landreth wrote, “In the play therapy experience, the child finds a safe relationship in which feelings can be expressed, explored, and accepted without judgment.” For many children, that sense of safety and acceptance is the beginning of healing.

A Final Word for Parents

If you suspect your child may be depressed, you’re not alone—and your child doesn’t have to go through it alone either. Seeking support through play therapy is not a sign that something is “wrong” with your child. Rather, it’s a way of honoring how children naturally communicate and giving them the tools to process life’s challenges.

By meeting your child in their own language—play—you give them the chance to heal, grow, and rediscover the joy that depression has dimmed.

References

Landreth, G. L. (2012). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Sweeney, D. S. (1997). Counseling children through the world of play. NavPress.