Creating Happier Endings

At age four, “Finn” began therapy after being referred for aggression and a history of witnessing domestic violence while in foster care. In less than a year, he experienced three different foster home placements, creating significant uncertainty and disruption in his young life.

Through play therapy, he began expressing his anger and experiences through his play. At times, his play involved hurting the therapist. Rather than stopping the play, the therapist gently guided him toward a focus on healing, safety, and repair.

Today, “Finn” continues to act out scary and difficult situations in his play—but now, his stories have a different ending. He includes healing, identifies safe people, and practices ways that characters can receive help and feel protected. Most importantly, he is beginning to recognize the same safe people and supports in his own real world. His play has become a place where he can process what happened, explore safety, and discover that scary experiences do not have to be the end of the story.