Providing Healing Benefits of Therapy for Children
Meet Blanca
Blanca is a bilingual licensed professional counselor, and she provides pediatric care for children in her community. Supporting the mental wellbeing of families in Blanca’s community is core to her work and mission as a bilingual licensed professional counselor.
Blanca works at the Forest Home clinic for Children’s Wisconsin in the Southside of Milwaukee, a primarily Hispanic community. She shares why her work in therapy is meaningful to her:
“Being Mexican and growing up in a Hispanic household had a huge influence on my decision to become a mental health provider. In our culture, mental health is not spoken about regularly. There is a lot of stigma surrounding mental health needs and when looking for terminology in Spanish it is difficult to find the accurate translation because it doesn’t always exist. I chose this field to help teach Spanish speaking children, adolescents and families about psychoeducation including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options and ways of healing with mental health concerns while serving as a representation to help reduce the stigma in our culture.”
The Healing Power of Play
When kids enter the medical setting for treatment at Forest Home clinic, they are taken out of their everyday environment and may feel afraid. Children and their families may also feel uncomfortable sharing their feelings and mental state with healthcare professionals who they have never met before.
In these moments, Blanca uses Starlight Toy Deliveries to teach families that therapy can be healing, fun and informative, some of the few benefits of therapy.
Children often get to choose a toy, giving a child a sense of control in a situation where they don’t have a lot of choices and their family a positive experience of the healthcare setting. “When considering first impressions most families and kids always chose to come back!” says Blanca.
The Benefits of Therapy and Play
1. Builds a safe environment
Blanca also incorporates Starlight Toy Deliveries to build a safe environment during her therapy sessions. She elaborates:
“Playing board games helps build rapport, trust and comfort in an intimate setting when discussing mental health concerns. Board games help take away the pressure from needing to talk an entire session where we can both play and engage in conversation ... ‘Stuffed toys’ also serve as amazing cuddlers when patients need to hug something when talking about difficult times.”
2. Motivates and empowers kids
Blanca also finds that Starlight Toy Deliveries are great motivators for kids to adhere to treatment plans and empower them to believe that they can improve.
"I have often created a reward chart where patients are encouraged to improve desired behaviors for weeks at a time to gain motivation and a reward [Starlight Toys]. I make sure to reward consistent behavior change which then teaches patients their capacity to improve behaviors for long-term results.” - Blanca
3. Supports kids' cognitive development
Not only does playing with toys during therapy benefit childrens’ treatment, but also kids’ overall cognitive development. Blanca shares how she’s seen Lego sets support her patients:
“For patients who struggle with distress tolerance and impulse control we use modeled behavior including appropriate social skills, taking turns, listening to directions, following rules, and cleaning up after self ... LEGO sets help children who struggle to focus on one task at a time. LEGO’s encourage mental stimulation including problem solving skills, spatial awareness, and fine motor skills. They also promote creativity and the ability to mess up and start over!”
That's Why Starlight Exists
With Starlight Toy Deliveries implemented into Blanca’s therapy sessions, kids don’t just cope – they thrive.
That’s why Starlight exists. When kids and their families experience Starlight programs, they find comfort and build trust with their healthcare providers. Children are motivated to comply with treatment plans and find inner strength to endure hospitalization.
Starlight provides programs free of cost to more than 700 hospitals, medical facilities that cater to medically underserved and vulnerable populations, hospice centers and clinics across the U.S. Starlight also provides resources directly to families, bridging the gap between in-hospital and at-home care.
When you help fund Starlight programs, you ensure pediatric care providers like Blanca have the resources they need to create safe and healing environments for kids.
Donate to Starlight today.
