Begin Within Play Therapy & Parenting Support

02/01/2026

Happy start of International Play Therapy Week!

I am honored to serve as President of the New England Association for Play Therapy and celebrate International Play Therapy Week with you all! I truly love supporting the growth of our play therapy community and helping professionals feel connected, inspired, and empowered in their work. And if I’m being honest… I also love that it’s a very legitimate excuse to collect toys! Happy International Play Therapy week everyone! -Dana

01/31/2026

Parents—this one is powerful.
🗣️ Name it to tame it.

“It looks like you’re feeling frustrated right now.”

When we name emotions, we help kids feel understood—and that’s when calm becomes possible.

01/25/2026

Therapy isn’t only for moments when things feel “out of control.” It can be incredibly helpful when you start noticing behavioral changes, shifts in mood, increased irritability, withdrawal, anxiety, sleep changes, or big emotions that feel harder for your child to manage.

It’s also okay to seek support when there are changes in the family dynamic—a new sibling, separation or divorce, blending families, a move, illness, or even positive changes that still require adjustment. Kids often feel these shifts deeply, even when they can’t fully explain what’s going on.

Early support can help children build emotional awareness, coping skills, and language for their feelings before stress turns into a crisis. It sends the message: your feelings matter, and you don’t have to handle them alone.

Therapy can be preventative, supportive, and empowering—for children and for families. Reaching out early isn’t overreacting. It’s being attentive, proactive, and caring.

12/09/2025

Big news from Begin Within!

Our Southbury play therapy practice is growing — and that means more opportunities to support your child and your family.

We’re opening up additional weeknight spots and Friday sessions in our beautiful Southbury office… complete with a fully stocked play therapy playroom that kids instantly feel at home in.

Led by a Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor, Begin Within is expanding with additional seasoned therapists who bring deep experience with early childhood and compassionate parenting support.

If your child needs a safe space to process big feelings…

If your family could use guidance, connection, or a hopeful next step…

We’re here. And we would love to support you.

With playful connection—let’s Begin Within.

www.beginwithinct.com

11/29/2025

The faces of my many office mates at 😍

11/27/2025

Parenting is easier when your nervous system isn’t in survival mode. When you feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, or constantly “on alert,” it’s harder to stay present with your child, no matter how much you love them.

EMDR can help reset your system by processing the stress, triggers, and past experiences that keep your body stuck in fight-or-flight. As your nervous system settles, you create more room for patience, connection, attunement, and joy in your daily parenting moments.

A regulated parent creates a more regulated home. You deserve that calm, too.

09/24/2025

🎨 Making Meaning Through Symbols
Young children begin using objects to represent something else—a block becomes a phone, a stick becomes a magic wand.

This symbolic play shows that their imagination is blossoming and their thinking is moving beyond the here-and-now.

Try this: Go along with their idea! If a banana is a phone, pretend to take a call. You’re supporting creativity and flexible thinking.

09/22/2025

Destructive Play (Yes, it’s important!)
Ever notice your little one knocking over towers, tearing paper, or gleefully dumping blocks out of a bin? This is called destructive play, and it’s completely normal.

Children under five are figuring out cause and effect, building motor skills, and testing boundaries. What feels like “making a mess” is actually how they learn about their world.

Try this: Instead of stopping the destruction, offer safe opportunities—blocks to knock down, cardboard to tear, or bubbles to pop.

09/21/2025

“When you play with your child, you enter their world—and that’s where connection and healing begin.”

Play is how children share their feelings, ideas, and stories. When you join them and follow their lead, you show them that what matters to them matters to you. Those small moments of play build safety, trust, and lasting connection.

09/20/2025

Play is the language of young children.
Before they have the words to tell us what they feel, think, or imagine, children communicate through play.

This week, I’ll be sharing a few different types of play you might see in children under five—from building to breaking, pretending to storytelling. Each kind of play has meaning and supports development in its own way.

Stay tuned daily to learn more about how to recognize and support the play your child engages in!

09/13/2025

Special Play Time (SPT): Connecting Through Play 🌟

Special Play Time is a simple way to build a stronger bond with your child while giving them space to express themselves. Rooted in Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), it’s about creating a safe, consistent time where your child leads the play and you follow their lead.

✨ How it works:
• Set aside 20–30 minutes once a week just for you and your child.
• Use simple, open-ended toys (blocks, dolls, art supplies, cars—not electronics).
• Let your child be in charge of the play.
• Show up with attention, acceptance, and curiosity.

✨ Your role:
• Watch and describe what your child is doing (“You’re stacking the blocks so carefully”).
• Reflect their feelings (“You seem really proud of your tower”).
• Be present—no teaching, no correcting, just connecting.

✨ Why it matters:
• Builds trust and closeness.
• Helps your child feel understood and valued.
• Gives them a healthy outlet for big feelings.

Think of it as your child’s special time with you. A gift of presence, not perfection.

09/12/2025

Snacks and sips can be powerful tools for regulation. When a child crunches on something crunchy, like carrots, pretzels, or apples, it gives the jaw and body deep input that can calm the nervous system. Pairing this with steady sips of water supports hydration and adds another rhythm that helps the body reset. Something as simple as crunching and drinking can bring comfort, focus, and a sense of calm to a child who’s feeling dysregulated. 🥤🥨🥕