Does My Child Really Need Weekly Play Therapy Sessions?
Starting therapy for your child is a big step. And when your therapist recommends weekly sessions, it can feel like a lot to take in.
You might be wondering:
Do we really need to meet weekly?
How long will this take?
What if we miss a session?
When will we see progress?
These are all very normal questions, and you’re not alone in asking them. At Bud to Bloom Play Therapy, we believe parents and kiddos deserve to understand the why behind our recommendations and choices, not just be told to trust the process.
Let’s explore why play therapy works best with weekly sessions, why it takes time, and how consistency helps your child get the most out of therapy.
Therapy Is Different From Other Medical Appointments
Play therapy isn’t like a doctor’s visit — where you come in, get a diagnosis, and leave with a prescription. It's even different from a dentist appointment, where you may come in twice a year for a cleaning, check up, and maintenance.
Play therapy is relational, developmental, and process-based. It works through creating and deepening:
Safety
Trust
Emotional expression
Meaning-making through play
Play therapy (and therapy in general) isn’t something that happens to your child, it’s something that happens with them, over time.
Most play-based modalities show meaningful progress on the shorter end around 20–25 sessions (which can be around 6 months), depending on:
Their history
The challenges they’re facing
Their nervous system and neurobiology
What’s happening in their world outside the therapy room
Many families work with us from several months to a year or more, with some needing shorter or longer support. There’s no one-size-fits-all timeline — and that’s okay! We’re in it with you for whatever time it takes, and we are happy to let you know when we see progress and your child is ready for discharge.
Why Weekly Sessions Matter So Much
Both research and our experience consistently shows that weekly (or sometimes twice-weekly) sessions lead to the best outcomes in play therapy.
Here’s why.
1. Weekly Sessions Build Trust and Safety
Before we can help a child heal, regulate, or grow, we have to do something even more important:
We have to understand them!
Like adults, most children don’t walk into therapy ready to share their inner world. They invite us in slowly, through play (their natural language), through repetition, through relationships.
Weekly sessions allow:
Stronger rapport
Emotional safety to build
A consistent rhythm your child can rely on
When sessions are spaced too far apart early on, children often have to “start over” emotionally each time, which can slow things down.
2. Momentum Is Key in Play Therapy
Play therapy, as with most therapies, works through momentum.
Weekly sessions help us:
Stay connected to your child’s emotional themes
Keep the nervous system engaged in the work
Go deeper, rather than re-orienting every session
When there are frequent gaps or missed weeks, children often need time just to re-settle before meaningful work can happen again.
This doesn’t mean life won’t happen, we know it will! Vacations come up, kids get sick….A LOT! But when possible, rescheduling missed sessions helps maintain therapeutic flow and helps keep treatment on track.
3. Consistency Helps Children Feel Secure
Many children come to therapy because something in their world feels overwhelming, unpredictable, or unsafe.
Weekly therapy offers a predictable space, a consistent relationship, and a reliable time where they are the full focus.
This consistency alone can be deeply regulating and healing, especially for children with big feelings, anxiety, life transitions, and trauma or attachment challenges.
Why Less Frequent Sessions Can Actually Slow Progress
It might seem logical to think:
“If we come less often, therapy will just take longer, but still work.”
In reality, inconsistent or infrequent sessions can make therapy less efficient, more frustrating for families, and slower to show progress.
We often see families feel discouraged when they’re investing time and energy but not seeing changes and the frequency of sessions plays a big role in that.
Honestly?
We would much rather support a child with weekly sessions for a shorter period of time than stretch therapy out over a long span with sporadic visits.
There are no overnight fixes in therapy (and if you find one, let us know!). But consistent sessions help ensure that the time and energy you’re investing truly count.
Why We Start With Weekly Sessions at Bud to Bloom
At Bud to Bloom Play Therapy, we pride ourselves on providing effective, evidence-based care.
That’s why we always recommend starting with weekly sessions.
This allows your child’s therapist to:
Build trust
Fully understand your child’s inner world
Observe patterns over time
Tailor interventions thoughtfully and intentionally
Before we can treat a child, we must deeply know them and that takes time and consistency.
You may be wondering if we ever do biweekly sessions, the answer is…it depends.
There are situations when a child is making progress and biweekly may better fit their needs, but this is a conversation your therapist will have with you if it is appropriate.
But it’s rare for us to start children with biweekly therapy, because it often slows the early stages of the work.
Therapy Is a Long Game With Lasting Results
We won’t pretend therapy is a small commitment, it’s not.
It takes:
Time
Emotional energy
Financial investment
Consistency
But the changes that come from play therapy are not surface-level fixes. They are deep, lasting shifts in how a child:
Understands themselves
Regulates emotions
Builds relationships
Navigates stress and challenges
And we are committed to walking alongside your family for that journey.
The more consistently you show up, the more your therapist can show up fully, thoughtfully, and effectively for your child.
Why Parent Sessions Are Part of the Process
You might notice your therapist recommending parent sessions from time to time — this is very intentional.
Parent sessions allow us to:
Gather important background information
Share observations and themes we’re seeing in therapy
Help you better understand your child’s behavior
Teach strategies you can use at home
Strengthen the work happening in the playroom
When parents are actively involved in their child’s therapy, the therapy becomes more robust and more effective. Children do best when the adults in their world feel informed, empowered, and supported, too.
We’re In This With You
We know this process can feel overwhelming at times. We know it’s a commitment. And we also know how powerful and meaningful this work can be.
Therapy isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about real change.
And at Bud to Bloom, we’re honored to walk alongside you and your child, step by step, as that growth unfolds.
If you ever have questions about frequency, progress, or what to expect next, we encourage you to talk openly with your therapist. This is a partnership and your understanding and needs matter.
