Helping Children and the People Who Love Them Grow Closer

Who Benefits From Theraplay

When a Child Needs More Than Words

Many of the families who come to us are walking through something that has shaken a child's sense of safety. That includes children who have experienced developmental trauma, children in foster care, children whose family is going through a divorce, and children who have struggled to form a secure attachment with the people closest to them.

It can also help children on the autism spectrum, where building that close connection can feel especially hard for a parent and child to reach on their own. If your child is carrying more than they have words for, this kind of care can reach them where words cannot.

There is one thing that matters most for this work. Theraplay is for parents and caregivers who want to be part of the healing, not apart from it. The connection between you and your child is the heart of the process, so your presence and participation are what make it work.

What to Expect

A Process Built Around Your Family

Every family begins with an assessment, so the plan is built around your child as they are, their strengths, their struggles, and their pace, rather than a fixed routine. Together we look at four areas that build a secure relationship:

From there, we identify where your child is already strong and where there is room to grow, and we build the plan from what we find.

In adult-led play therapy, your clinician guides the activities at first, then gradually hands that role to you, so the warmth and structure built in session become something you carry home. A parent or caregiver takes part throughout the healing journey. For families who prefer it, child-led play therapy is also available, where your child leads the play and the focus stays on them.

This kind of care reaches children from roughly age two through twelve, and it can extend to teens as old as fifteen by gently revisiting the early experiences of comfort and security a child may have missed.

Wondering whether play therapy through Theraplay is the right fit for your child? We would be happy to talk it through with you.

Faith-Based Play Therapy in Santa Ana, CA

Faith Has a Place Here

Abundant Life Affordable Counseling is rooted in Christian values, and faith-based care is at the heart of this practice.

For families who welcome it, faith can become part of the play itself. Something as simple as turning on a light to begin a session can mark an invitation for the light of Jesus to be present while a child heals.

How much faith enters your child's care is always your decision. Before treatment begins, your clinician will ask whether you would like prayer, scripture, and spiritual reflection to be part of your child's sessions, or whether you would rather keep faith out of the room. Either choice is met with the same respect.

Families of every faith, background, and walk of life are welcome here.

Our Care Model

Specialized Care, Personally Supervised

Theraplay is provided by clinicians working under the direct, individualized supervision of Kathleen Shanahan, an Intermediate Level Theraplay® Practitioner and CAMFT Certified Clinical Supervisor. Because she oversees each clinician personally, the same care and approach she was trained in carry through to your child's play therapy sessions.

This is also what keeps specialized care like this within reach. As clinicians build their hours toward full licensure under her guidance, families gain access to skilled, attentive support at a fraction of what it would typically cost.

Families can see us at our Santa Ana office or from home anywhere in California. Virtual care begins with a short telehealth assessment to make sure online sessions are the right and safest choice for your child, since this work needs a calm, private setting. If virtual is not the best fit, we will talk through meeting in person, and if virtual therapy is what your family truly needs, we will do what we can to put the right pieces in place to make it work.

Learn About Our Mission

Why Choose Abundant Life

A Rare Kind of Care, Close to Home

Kathleen is one of only three Theraplay practitioners in California, and she brings that rare, attachment-based training to the families she supervises. Many therapists can do play activities with a child, but far fewer are trained in this specific, structured model.

What sets this work apart is the same thing you will feel everywhere in this practice. Your child is never just another appointment, and your family is never just another fee walking in the door. From the snacks we keep on hand to the thought behind every session, the whole practice was built to help your family feel comfortable, seen, and cared for from the moment you arrive.