Play therapy
One to one with a clinician, in a room set up for sensitive senses. Your child chooses what to play, and you hear what to try at home.
50 minutes
Play therapy · Wilmington, Delaware
A play room that goes at your child's pace
Brandywine Play Therapy is a practice of two clinicians for children 4 to 9 who find sounds, lights, textures or change a lot, and for the parents who are working out how to help.
Who it is for
Is Brandywine the right room for your child?
Play therapy suits many children. It is a particular fit when ordinary days feel like a lot.
- Often a fit
Sounds and crowds are hard
A hand dryer, a birthday party or a school assembly can end the day early.
- Often a fit
Textures and tags matter
Socks, food, paint or a new shirt can become the whole morning.
- Often a fit
Change comes hard
A new teacher, a different route or a plan that moves can bring big feelings.
- Often a fit
Words come slowly
Your child shows more in play than they can say, and you would like to see it.
- Not the right place
A child in immediate danger
Call 988 or 911 first. This practice is not an emergency service.
- Not the right place
A child older than 9
We are built for ages 4 to 9. We will help you find the right fit for an older child.
How we work
The child leads, and the adults stay in the loop
In play therapy, play is how a child talks. Your child chooses what to do in the room, and the clinician follows, describing what she sees and keeping the pace slow. The shelves, the light and the sound are set up for children who notice everything.
You are part of it. Parents meet the clinician before the first play session, and again regularly, to talk about what is going on at home and school and what to try next. The method is child-centered play therapy, and each clinician's training is on her page.
We do not ask a child to be ready for the room. We get the room ready for the child.
Services
Sessions for your child, and for the grown-ups
For your child
Settling-in visits
Short visits for a child who needs to meet the room before a first session: a look around, a toy, and a way out at any time.
20 minutes
For the grown-ups
Parent sessions
A parent on their own, with the clinician, to plan the week, talk through hard moments and decide what to try next.
50 minutesFamily sessions
Parents and child together, with the clinician showing a few ways to play at home that your child already likes.
50 minutes
How it works
A play session, in six steps
Every session has the same shape, so your child knows what comes next. Under each step is what we do for children who feel the room more than most.
Step 1: Arrive and settle
You and your child come in through the side door. A picture card shows the plan for the hour, and your child can keep shoes, coat and backpack on.
Sensory note: lamps, never the overhead lights
Step 2: Meet the room
Your child looks, touches or stays near the door. The clinician sits low, speaks softly and talks only as much as your child wants.
Sensory note: no scents, no ticking clocks, a quiet corner always open
Step 3: Play, led by your child
The longest part. Your child picks what to do, and the clinician follows and says what she notices: "The tower is tall."
Sensory note: toys with sound have an off switch; ear defenders sit on the shelf
Step 4: A pause, if your child wants one
Halfway through, the clinician offers a quiet break: water, a stretch or a look out the window. Your child can say no and keep playing.
Sensory note: the break is offered, never required
Step 5: A warning, then goodbye to the room
Ten minutes and five minutes before the end, your child sees a sand timer. Putting toys away is shared, or skipped.
Sensory note: a silent timer, never an alarm
Step 6: A word with you
At the same door each week, the clinician shares what your child played and one thing to try at home, quietly and out of your child's earshot.
Sensory note: the goodbye is the same every week: a wave, a high five or nothing
Where we practice
One office on Delaware Avenue, with a quiet way in
A ground-floor suite with a side entrance, so your child can skip the busy lobby.
Delaware Avenue office
Address: 412 Delaware Ave, Suite 2B Wilmington, DE 19801Phone: (302) 555-0101Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday – Sunday: ClosedSide entrance, street parking and a quiet waiting area
Get directions to Delaware Avenue officeThe clinicians
Meet Alana and Nasreen
Two licensed clinicians who share one calm approach.
Alana sees children 4 to 9 for play therapy and leads the practice. She sets up the room each morning for the first child of the day.
Nasreen Hossain
Parent counselor, LPCMH
- Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health (LPCMH) · DE Lic. # 000000
Nasreen works with parents and families, and she is the first call for parents who want to talk before their child starts.
How fees work
What parents ask before booking. Your fee is given in writing before you start.
Insurance we work with
We bill some commercial plans, listed here as plan types, for the visits your plan covers. We do not bill Medicaid or Medicare. If your child has Medicaid, we will help you look for a clinician who does.
Some commercial plans, such as PPO plans
Not Medicaid or Medicare
If you pay yourself
A session is 50 minutes. Your fee is given in writing before you start, and it depends on the kind of session: a child's, a parent's or a family's. A limited number of reduced-fee spots are open each season; ask how to request one. HSA and FSA cards are welcome. We ask for 24 hours' notice to change an appointment.
Receipts for reimbursement
Each month we give you an itemized receipt (a superbill) with the dates and kinds of session, to send to your plan, which may reimburse part of the cost. It carries a diagnosis code, and plan notices go to the person who holds the policy. Your plan decides whether it reimburses anything.
An estimate in advance
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a written Good Faith Estimate of what your care will cost before you start. We give you one before the first session. If the final bill is $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
Checking your benefits
Before the first session we check your plan's benefits for outpatient counseling and tell you what we found, in writing. You can also call the number on your card and ask what it covers.
What parents ask first
What happens in the first session?
The first visit is for the parent or guardian, without your child. We hear about your child's days, what overwhelms them and what helps, and we explain how play sessions work. Your child's first play session comes after, and it starts with a look around the room.
Do I stay in the room?
Most children 4 and 5 start with a parent in the room or just outside, and move toward coming in alone when they are ready. Older children usually come in on their own. The plan is made with you before the first play session.
How often and how long are sessions?
A play session is 50 minutes, usually once a week. Your clinician sets the pace with you and changes it as your child's needs change. We do not promise a number of sessions.
What is confidential, and what are the limits?
What your child says and plays in the room stays between your child and the clinician. Parents hear what they need to help at home, in general terms. We must share information if a child may be in danger, if a court requires it, or if you sign a release for a school or doctor.
Do you take my insurance?
We bill some commercial plans, such as PPO plans, for the visits your plan covers. We do not bill Medicaid or Medicare. Before the first session we check your benefits and tell you in writing what we found. How fees work has the details.
What is your cancellation policy?
Please give 24 hours' notice to change an appointment. Children are often unwell or overtired, and we know plans change, so just call or text and we will find another time.
Write to us
Tell us when to call, and who to call first
A parent or guardian writes first. We reply within one business day, and we call at a time that suits you.
Phone(302) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – ThursdayToday
- 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Saturday – SundayToday
- Closed