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Types of Therapy

There’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to finding the type of therapy that best suits your child and his or her individual needs. Fortunately, there are many options available – each with their own benefits depending on your child’s interests, abilities, and skill sets to focus on.

Here are four different types of therapies available, as well as some local organizations that specialize in that particular therapy:

Art Therapy

Art therapy goes beyond creating pretty pictures. It’s a guided process where a trained therapist uses art materials as tools for exploration, expression, and communication. Through art making, children with special needs can:

  • Develop motor skills: Using crayons, clay, and other materials helps build fine and gross motor skills.
  • Improve communication: Art provides a safe space to express emotions and experiences that might be difficult to verbalize.
  • Boost self-esteem: Creating something beautiful fosters a sense of accomplishment and pride.
  • Manage stress and anxiety: Art therapy offers a calming and creative outlet for emotional release.
  • Enhance social interaction: Working collaboratively on art projects can build social skills and teamwork.

Art therapy is a versatile tool that can be adapted to address a wide range of needs, from autism and learning disabilities to physical limitations and social challenges. By nurturing creativity and self-expression, art therapy empowers children with special needs to thrive.

Angela Valanzuela, a certified art therapist at Keep on Zenning in Tucson, has extensive experience working with children of all abilities. Her passion lies in helping them unlock their potential and thrive.

To learn more about how art therapy can benefit your child, visit keeponzenning.com

Music Therapy

Music Therapy is an evidence-based practice where we music is used to address non-musical goals. This can be done in an in-patient or out-patient setting, and a variety of patients from the smallest infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to pediatric patients with medical conditions, or children with developmental disabilities, can benefit from it.

Sarra Ebb, a music therapist at Banner Children’s at Desert, has been working with patients in the children’s hospital for two years and says she loves being a source of comfort to the kids she sees.

“I enjoy helping children who are in an uncomfortable setting becoming more comfortable in their environment through music,” said Ebb.

Whether she’s playing the guitar to comfort a patient while they undergo chemotherapy treatment, singing to an infant as a way to improve their developmental sensory input, or helping a child suffering from a traumatic brain injury to regain speech skills, music therapy can be a healing form of therapy for many kids.

Banner Children’s at Desert offers a dedicated music therapy space within the hospital called Sophie’s Place, which is designed to feel comforting, calm, and cozy, instead of like a clinical setting. There, patients have access to a variety of instruments including guitars, keyboards and pianos, drums, ukuleles, and more – many of which can also be brought to a patient’s bedside.

Through music, therapists like Ebb are able to provide impactful interventions helping the children they serve with cognitive support, therapeutic instrument introductions, song or lyric analysis, and are even able to offer bereavement support for families where they can record a patient’s heartbeat as a memorable keepsake.

“My favorite thing about music therapy is there are not a lot of cons to it,” said Ebb. “It’s a fun avenue. We’re working on goals but it feels like we’re just playing on instruments and having fun, and that’s all they need to know.”

Pet Therapy

Pet therapy is a guided interaction between a person and a trained animal, and can help someone cope with health, mental, or emotional struggles.

Pet Partners is a national non-profit organization connecting therapy dogs and other animals to visit those in medical facilities, schools, occupational clinics, and more.

Pet Partners of Southern Arizona has been serving the greater Tucson area bringing joy and comfort to others in places where pets traditionally are not allowed.

Diane Alexander manages the local group, and also volunteers her time bringing her trained therapy dog on visits throughout the community.

Therapy animals have visited many children throughout the Tucson area including Tucson Medical Center’s pediatric unit, Gabriel’s Angels, the Children’s Clinic for Rehabilitative Services, in local schools, libraries, and more.

“A lot of what we do at Pet Partners is evidence and science based,” said Alexander. “When you pet a dog there are physical relaxation responses. I have seen kids who were depressed and felt better after being with a dog, and behavior issues that were decreased. The kids are just happy and it’s a great way to model good behavior.”

For more information on Pet Partners of Southern Arizona visit petpartnerssoaz.org

Play Therapy

This form of therapy capitalizes on a child’s natural desire to learn through play while teaching them valuable skills or working on a particular concept.

Full Spectrum Learn & Play in Tempe is a place that does just that, offering child enrichment and autism therapy for children of all ages and abilities.

Founder, Dr. Rebecca Pawlowski, a speech therapist, wanted to immerse herself in the world of Applied Behavior Analysis. Recognizing the importance of social interaction for children, she wanted to create an inclusive haven where children of all abilities could come together to learn and grow side by side.

Full Spectrum does just that by offering a variety of structured learning classes which provide gentle exploration and sensory-rich experiences as a means to help children develop basic motor skills and early socialization.

“We strive to be play-based and relationship based,” said Dr. Pawlowski. “If we can build that relationship and have fun with them, they want to come back. We focus a lot on developing skills without the kids even know they’re learning because they are simply playing.”

For more information on Full Spectrum visit fslearnplay.com

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