Frequently Asked Questions
Play Therapy & Parent Coaching
Seeking support for your child or family can bring up many questions, uncertainties, and emotions. Whether you are exploring Play Therapy, Nature-Based Play Therapy, Filial Play Therapy, Online Play Therapy, or Parent Coaching, this page is designed to help you better understand the process and what working together may look like.
If you do not see your question here, you are always welcome to schedule a complimentary discovery call.
Getting Started
How do I know whether Play Therapy or Parent Coaching is right for us?
If your primary concern relates to your child's emotional wellbeing, anxiety, emotional regulation, behaviour, or ability to express themselves, Play Therapy is often the best starting point. If you are feeling overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, stuck in repeated parenting patterns, or unsure how to respond to your child, Parent Coaching may feel more supportive. Many families benefit from both approaches, either alongside one another or at different stages of the process. If you are unsure where to begin, we can explore this together during a complimentary discovery call.
What happens during a complimentary discovery call?
The discovery call is a gentle, low-pressure 15-minute conversation where we discuss what is bringing you here, explore what type of support may feel most helpful, clarify possible next steps, and see whether working together feels like the right fit.
This call is not therapy or coaching. It is simply a space to connect, ask questions, and understand the process.
What happens after the discovery call?
If we decide to move forward, the next step is usually an initial consultation session (75 minutes) where we explore your concerns in greater depth and discuss goals, history, and recommendations. From there, we may begin ongoing Play Therapy sessions, Parent Coaching sessions, Filial Play Therapy, or another form of support that feels most aligned with your family's needs.
The process is collaborative, thoughtful, and paced carefully.
How do I get started?
You can begin by scheduling a complimentary discovery call. You do not need to have everything figured out beforehand. We will take the process one step at a time together.
Play Therapy
What is Play Therapy?
Play Therapy is a developmentally appropriate form of psychotherapy designed specifically for children and teens. Children do not always have the words to explain complex emotions, stress, grief, fear, or overwhelm. Instead, they often express themselves more naturally through play, creativity, movement, storytelling, and symbolic expression.
Through a safe and emotionally attuned therapeutic relationship, Play Therapy supports children in processing difficult experiences, building emotional regulation skills, expressing emotions safely, developing resilience and self-awareness, and feeling more secure within themselves and their relationships.
What is Synergetic Play Therapy?
Synergetic Play Therapy is the specific approach I practise. It is a research-informed model that integrates nervous system regulation, attachment theory, mindfulness, and interpersonal neurobiology. Rather than simply observing a child's play, the therapist stays actively present - supporting co-regulation, relational safety, and emotional integration throughout each session.
This means therapy works with the child's nervous system and relationship patterns, not just their behaviour or surface-level expressions.
Will my child just be playing?
Play is the primary language children use to communicate and process experiences. While sessions may appear playful from the outside, therapeutic play is intentional, relational, and clinically informed. Children often communicate emotions, internal conflicts, fears, and stress symbolically through play long before they are able to verbalise these experiences directly.
Play Therapy is not “just playing.” It is a developmentally appropriate therapeutic process that supports emotional regulation, nervous system integration, and emotional healing.
What age groups do you work with?
I work with children and teens aged 3–17 through Play Therapy. Parent Coaching is available for caregivers at all stages, including expecting parents, parents of young children, and parents of tweens and teens.
What kinds of challenges can Play Therapy help with?
Play Therapy can support children experiencing anxiety and emotional overwhelm, emotional outbursts or aggression, grief, separation, or family transitions, behavioural or regulation challenges, bullying or relational stress, school-related stress or withdrawal, difficulty expressing emotions verbally, and trauma and nervous system overwhelm. Children do not need to be in crisis to benefit from support.
Does my child need a diagnosis to begin therapy?
No. Children do not need a diagnosis or formal assessment to benefit from Play Therapy. Many families seek support because something feels emotionally difficult, overwhelming, or stuck, even if they are not entirely sure why.
Do you work with neurodivergent children?
Yes. My practice is neurodiversity-affirming and grounded in respect for each child's unique nervous system, sensory profile, communication style, emotional experience, and developmental needs. Therapy is always adapted to the child rather than expecting the child to conform to rigid behavioural expectations.
What if my child does not want to come to therapy?
Many children feel uncertain at first, especially if therapy is unfamiliar or if trusting new adults feels difficult. I move slowly and respectfully, without pressure or forced participation. Building emotional safety and trust is considered part of the therapeutic process itself. Once children realise they are not being judged, corrected, or pressured to talk before they are ready, resistance often softens naturally over time.
Do parents attend Play Therapy sessions with their child?
In most situations, Play Therapy sessions are child-only. This helps create a safe and emotionally contained space where children can express themselves freely. Parents remain actively involved through initial consultations, parent support sessions, regular reflections and updates, and collaborative conversations around emotional regulation and support at home. In some situations, Filial Play Therapy may also be recommended when strengthening the parent-child relationship is a central focus.
Will my child be forced to talk about their feelings?
No. Children are never pressured to speak before they feel ready. Many children communicate more comfortably through symbolic play, movement, creativity, storytelling, sensory exploration, and metaphor. Therapy always respects the child's pace and natural forms of expression.
How long does Play Therapy usually take?
Play Therapy is not a quick-fix approach. Meaningful emotional growth and relational safety often develop gradually through consistency and trust. Weekly sessions are typically recommended, with a minimum of 12 sessions to support therapeutic momentum and emotional safety. The overall length depends on your child's emotional needs, the nature of the challenges, consistency of sessions, and parent involvement.
What happens in the first session?
The first session after the initial consultation is a chance for your child to begin getting to know the therapeutic space and the therapist. There is no pressure to speak, perform, or engage in any particular way. I follow your child's lead - allowing them to explore at their own pace while I focus on building safety and trust. For many children, the early sessions are simply about feeling the space out. That process is itself therapeutic.
How do I know if therapy is working?
Progress in Play Therapy is often gradual and may not always look like immediate improvement in behaviour. In fact, things sometimes feel slightly more expressive or intense before they settle. Signs that therapy is supporting your child may include greater emotional vocabulary, more flexibility in how they handle difficult situations, improved regulation at home, a stronger sense of confidence or security, or simply a child who seems more like themselves. I share regular reflections with parents throughout the process to keep you informed and connected to your child's therapeutic journey.
What if you feel Play Therapy is not the right fit for my child?
If I believe another form of support would better meet your child's needs, I will share this openly and thoughtfully. Where appropriate, I may also guide you toward another professional or service that feels more aligned. Your child's wellbeing always comes first.
Do you provide assessments, diagnoses, or psychological reports?
My work focuses on therapeutic and relational support rather than formal psychological assessment or diagnosis. If I believe additional evaluation or multidisciplinary support may be helpful, I may recommend consulting with other appropriate professionals.
Online Play Therapy
Is online Play Therapy effective?
Yes. Online Play Therapy can be deeply meaningful and effective when adapted thoughtfully to the child's developmental and emotional needs. Many children engage as openly - and sometimes more openly - from the familiarity and comfort of their own home. The therapeutic relationship remains central, whether sessions happen in person or through a screen.
What age is suitable for online Play Therapy?
Online Play Therapy may be appropriate for children and teens approximately aged 3–17, depending on developmental level, attention span, emotional needs, and the availability of a supportive home environment. Suitability is explored collaboratively during the consultation process.
What does my child need for online sessions?
Very little. Sessions work well with paper and drawing materials, a few toys or objects your child naturally reaches for, a reasonably quiet and private space, and a stable internet connection. No special purchases or elaborate setups are needed.
Do I need to sit with my child during online sessions?
This depends on your child's age and developmental stage. Younger children sometimes benefit from a parent nearby for session transitions, especially at the start. Older children and teens often engage fully independently. We discuss what feels most supportive during the consultation.
What if my child struggles to engage online?
Not every child connects most naturally through virtual work - and that is okay. Sessions are adapted creatively, but if I feel online therapy is genuinely not the right fit for your child, I will discuss this openly and collaboratively. Engagement is always the child's pace, never forced.
Can you work with families outside India?
Yes. I work with families internationally through online sessions, including expat families, relocating families, and families seeking continuity of care across transitions. Sessions are scheduled thoughtfully across time zones where possible.
Nature-Based Play Therapy
What is Nature-Based Play Therapy?
Nature-Based Play Therapy is a therapeutic approach that integrates Play Therapy with carefully chosen outdoor environments, sensory exploration, movement, creativity, and connection with the natural world. For some children, outdoor spaces support emotional regulation, nervous system calming, emotional expression, and relational safety in ways that feel more accessible than traditional indoor settings. The therapeutic relationship, clinical structure, and emotional safety remain central throughout.
Which children may benefit from Nature-Based Play Therapy?
Nature-Based Play Therapy may be especially supportive for children who feel more regulated, expressive, or emotionally open outdoors children who need movement to regulate, who feel overwhelmed or confined indoors, who connect deeply with sensory experiences, or who have not responded as fully to indoor therapeutic environments. Suitability is always assessed individually.
What does a nature-based session look like in practice?
Sessions are child-led and shaped by the child's interests, emotional state, and therapeutic goals. A child might build a shelter, collect and arrange natural materials, engage in movement, draw in the earth, use water, or simply explore and play. Natural materials often invite symbolic and imaginative play - a fallen branch becomes a bridge or a boundary; a pile of stones becomes a family or a story. I stay attuned throughout, supporting regulation, reflection, and therapeutic exploration within the outdoor environment.
Where do outdoor sessions take place in Bangalore?
Sessions take place in carefully selected parks, gardens, and green spaces across Bangalore, chosen based on the child's therapeutic needs, sensory considerations, privacy, accessibility, and safety. Locations are always discussed during the consultation process.
Is Nature-Based Play Therapy the same as outdoor play?
No. Nature-Based Play Therapy is a clinically informed therapeutic process conducted by a trained Play Therapist. While outdoor exploration and play occur, the focus remains emotional processing, nervous system regulation, attachment, and psychological wellbeing. Nature is not used as entertainment or recreation - it is integrated intentionally as part of the therapeutic process.
Are outdoor sessions safe and confidential?
Yes. Safety planning, risk assessment, and informed consent are central to how outdoor work is approached. Locations are selected with privacy and therapeutic suitability in mind. Confidentiality is discussed transparently, including the specific realities of working within semi-public outdoor spaces. Not all children are suitable candidates for outdoor therapeutic work - this is assessed collaboratively.
What if my child prefers indoor therapy?
Nature-Based Play Therapy is never forced. Some children feel safer and more comfortable indoors, and that preference is always respected. Recommendations are made based on what feels most emotionally safe and developmentally appropriate for each individual child.
Filial Play Therapy
What is Filial Play Therapy?
Filial Play Therapy is a structured parent-child therapeutic approach where caregivers are gently guided in using therapeutic play skills directly with their child. Rather than the therapist working only with the child, the parent becomes more actively involved in the healing process - receiving guidance, support, and feedback throughout. The focus is on strengthening emotional safety, attachment and trust, parent-child connection, and emotional attunement and regulation.
How is Filial Play Therapy different from traditional Play Therapy?
In traditional Play Therapy, the therapist works directly with the child within the therapeutic relationship. In Filial Play Therapy, the parent becomes the primary therapeutic agent - guided to develop relational play skills so that healing and connection can continue within the family, not just within the therapy room.
How is Filial Play Therapy different from Parent Coaching?
Parent Coaching supports parents through reflection, emotional awareness, and practical relational shifts. Filial Play Therapy adds a direct experiential dimension - parents practise guided therapeutic play with their child, with live observation and feedback throughout. Filial work focuses specifically on the parent-child relationship as it unfolds in play; Parent Coaching focuses more broadly on the parent's emotional experience and relational patterns.
What age group is Filial Play Therapy best suited for?
Filial Play Therapy is often especially supportive for children aged 3–10, though suitability depends on the child's developmental needs, emotional challenges, and family dynamics. This is explored collaboratively during the consultation process.
What skills will I learn as a parent?
Through Filial Play Therapy, parents develop skills in reflective listening, following the child's lead in play, emotional attunement, empathic limit-setting, and co-regulation. These are not complex techniques to memorise - they are ways of being present with your child that gradually become more natural through practice and support.
Do both parents need to participate?
Not necessarily. In some families, one caregiver participates primarily. In others, both parents are involved. What matters most is having at least one emotionally available caregiver who is open to reflection, consistency, and relational engagement.
Is Filial Play Therapy only for families in crisis?
No. Families often seek Filial Play Therapy because they want to strengthen connection, reduce conflict, better understand their child's emotional world, or feel more confident and emotionally attuned. Children do not need to be in crisis to benefit from relational support.
Is Filial Play Therapy available online?
Filial Play Therapy is currently offered primarily in person in Bangalore. In some situations, parent-only support sessions may be incorporated online depending on the family's needs. This is discussed during the consultation process.
Parent Coaching
What is Parent Coaching?
Parent Coaching is a collaborative, strengths-based process that supports parents in navigating challenges with greater clarity, confidence, and emotional awareness. Rather than focusing only on behaviour management, Parent Coaching helps parents better understand emotional regulation, nervous system responses, relational patterns within the family, parenting stress and overwhelm, and communication and connection. The process is reflective, non-judgemental, and tailored to your family's unique needs and values.
How is Parent Coaching different from therapy?
Parent Coaching is not psychotherapy or mental health treatment. It is a reflective, goal-oriented process focused on present-day parenting challenges, relational growth, and building confidence and clarity. While therapy often focuses on healing past wounds or treating mental health concerns, Parent Coaching focuses on practical and emotional shifts in family life right now. If deeper therapeutic support feels needed - for you or your child - I will always be honest about that.
What makes PCI® Parent Coaching different?
PCI® Parent Coaching is grounded in over 20 years of research through the Parent Coaching Institute. Rather than relying on rigid parenting strategies or quick behavioural fixes, this approach supports parents in building self-trust, emotional regulation, confidence in decision-making, and stronger relational connection with their child. The work is collaborative and strengths-based rather than prescriptive or shame-driven.
Will you tell me exactly what to do as a parent?
Not primarily. While practical tools and suggestions may naturally emerge within the process, Parent Coaching is not advice-giving or discipline training. Instead, I support parents in reflecting on patterns, understanding emotional dynamics, reconnecting with their intuition, and clarifying what feels aligned for their family. The goal is not dependency on instructions, but a deeper sense of self-trust and groundedness.
Can Parent Coaching support emotional regulation?
Yes. Emotional regulation is often a central part of our work together. Many parents arrive feeling overwhelmed, reactive, emotionally exhausted, or stuck in repeated relational patterns. As parents become more supported, aware, and regulated themselves, family interactions often begin to feel calmer, safer, and more connected over time.
What does a typical Parent Coaching session look like?
Sessions are conversational, reflective, and tailored to your goals. We might explore a specific parenting challenge that came up during the week, examine a recurring pattern or emotional trigger, discuss how you responded to a situation and what you might want to do differently, or simply take space to reflect on how parenting is feeling for you right now. Sessions are not prescriptive - they follow what feels most alive and relevant for you.
What if I am feeling overwhelmed as a parent too?
Parenting through stress, burnout, uncertainty, or relational difficulty can feel deeply isolating. Parent Coaching offers a space where caregivers themselves receive support, reflection, and emotional grounding - not just strategies for managing behaviour. Parents deserve support too.
Is Parent Coaching suitable for expecting parents?
Yes. I work with expecting parents and families navigating the transition into early parenthood. Support may include emotional preparation for parenthood, identity shifts and emotional adjustment, communication and connection within the partnership, managing anxiety and stress, and building realistic expectations for this chapter.
Do both parents need to attend Parent Coaching?
Not necessarily. In some families, one caregiver attends individually. In others, both parents participate together. We can discuss what feels most supportive and realistic for your family during the initial conversation.
Is Parent Coaching available online?
Yes. Parent Coaching is available both online and in person in Bangalore. Many parents find online sessions especially effective and convenient, particularly for busy schedules, continuity of care, or international families.
Practical & Administrative
What are your fees?
Session fees are structured as follows -
Initial Consultation
₹2,500 (75 minutes)
The initial consultation is a one-time session to explore your child's history, current challenges, and goals, and to discuss recommendations for next steps.
Play Therapy Sessions
₹2,500 per session (40 minutes)
Play Therapy sessions are offered in packages:
6 sessions - ₹15,000
12 sessions - ₹27,000 (includes a 10% discount)
Sessions are not offered individually outside of packages, as consistency and regularity are central to the therapeutic process.
Parent Follow-Up Sessions
60 minutes - ₹2,500
30 minutes - ₹1,250
These are parent-only sessions held alongside your child's ongoing Play Therapy to share reflections, discuss progress, and support emotional regulation at home.
Parent Coaching Sessions
₹3,000 per session (60 minutes)
Parent Coaching sessions are offered in packages:
5 sessions - ₹15,000
10 sessions - ₹27,000 (includes a 10% discount)
Nature-Based Play Therapy Sessions
₹2,500 per session (50–60 minutes)
Nature-Based Play Therapy sessions are offered in packages:
6 sessions - ₹15,000
12 sessions - ₹27,000 (includes a 10% discount)
Filial Play Therapy Sessions
₹3,000 per session Filial Play Therapy sessions are billed individually.
Session structure and frequency are discussed during the consultation process, as these are tailored to each family's needs and goals.
How do I pay?
Payment details are shared on this scheduling page. All fees are payable in advance of sessions.
What is your cancellation policy?
Please refer to the Cancellation Policy page for full details. → https://www.playtherapywithanya.com/cancellation-policy.
Where are sessions offered?
In-person sessions are offered at Barton Centre on Church Street in Bangalore. Online sessions are available for families across India and internationally. Filial Play Therapy is currently offered primarily in person in Bangalore.
What platform do you use for online sessions?
Online sessions are conducted via a secure, confidential video platform. Details are shared upon booking.
Is your work trauma-informed and inclusive?
Yes. My practice is trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and culturally sensitive, grounded in relational and nervous system-informed care. Every child and family is met with respect, curiosity, and care for their unique lived experience.
Is what I share kept confidential?
Yes. Sessions are held with care, professionalism, and respect for privacy. When working with children, I thoughtfully balance parent involvement with the child's emotional safety and trust within the therapeutic relationship. Confidentiality and collaboration are approached carefully throughout the process.
Still Unsure Where to Begin?
You do not need to have everything figured out before reaching out.
A complimentary discovery call can help us explore what kind of support may feel most aligned for your child, yourself, or your family.