When Democracy Meets the Playground: How Suffolk County Children Are Finding Healing Through Therapeutic Play After the 2025 Election
The aftermath of the 2024 presidential election continues to ripple through communities across Suffolk County, creating an unexpected challenge for families: helping children process political uncertainty and anxiety. Mental health providers in Massachusetts said they’ve noticed an uptick in demand for services since the election, and research shows the uncertainty related to a tumultuous political climate wreaks havoc on the psyche, a trend that extends to Long Island families as well.
The 2024 presidential election, in particular, was marked by an unprecedented confluence of stress-inducing events, including assassination attempts, candidate change, legal controversies, and extreme political polarization. According to recent data from the APA (2024), 74% of U.S. adults expressed concern that the election results could lead to violence, while 56% feared that the election could threaten democracy. When adults experience this level of distress, children inevitably absorb these emotions, often without the vocabulary or understanding to process them effectively.
Recognizing Election Stress in Children
If we adults are anxious about the upcoming election, we can be certain that our children are feeling it, too. Regardless of how a family manages election stress—whether through direct verbal confrontations or subtle, passive-aggressive glances and gestures—children are keenly aware. Even if they are not consciously observing the tension or understand what is at stake, their bodies can still respond to the emotional discord, absorbing the turmoil.
Warning signs that children may be struggling with political anxiety include withdrawal from regular activities or expressing feelings of hopelessness about the future. Children might ask repetitive questions about family safety, which can signal election-related anxiety. Kids are also highly perceptive of adult emotions: “If they see adults—especially the adults who keep them safe—panicking, they can spiral”.
The Power of Therapeutic Play
For children struggling with post-election stress, traditional talk therapy may not be sufficient. Children often do not have the language skills or words to know or to express what is troubling them. Yet they often spontaneously draw or use playthings to depict scenarios that reflect problems in their everyday life. This is where therapeutic play becomes invaluable.
Play therapy is generally targeted to children between the ages of 3 and 11 who have social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties. Play therapy has also been found helpful for children who have experienced physical or emotional abuse or witnessed atrocities. In the context of political stress, children may feel they’ve witnessed frightening scenarios through news coverage or overheard adult conversations about societal threats.
Play therapy is effective with children experiencing life stressors, such as relocation, hospitalization, chronic illness, abuse, domestic violence, and natural disasters. Political upheaval can create similar feelings of instability and fear in young minds, making therapeutic play an ideal intervention.
How Therapeutic Play Addresses Political Anxiety
In Suffolk County, mental health professionals are increasingly turning to play-based interventions to help children process their election-related fears. Because play is a child’s native language, we are able to help them better express what is holding them back, what is too painful or strange to express in words, or whatever it is they may need help with. During each therapy session, we use child-centered play therapy to help children learn to better express their feelings and communicate despite the barriers of disability, emotional distress, or trauma.
Through therapeutic play, children can:
- Act out scenarios that help them understand complex political concepts
- Express fears about safety and security in a non-threatening environment
- Develop coping strategies for managing overwhelming emotions
- Build resilience and emotional regulation skills
- Process confusing messages they’ve absorbed from media or adult conversations
Supporting Families in Suffolk County
For families in Suffolk County seeking support for children experiencing post-election stress, Child Therapy Suffolk County, NY services are available through qualified professionals who understand the unique challenges facing today’s young people. At Dynamic Counseling, we are dedicated to offering compassionate and professional psychotherapy services. Our experienced therapists are committed to supporting you on your mental health and well-being journey. We understand the challenges you face and offer personalized care to help you navigate life’s obstacles. With a focus on individualized treatment, we aim to empower our clients to achieve their personal growth and healing goals.
Located conveniently on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack, our newly refurbished offices offer a welcoming and safe environment for your journey toward personal growth and healing. Their services include individual therapy, child therapy, family therapy, grief counseling, and treatment for anxiety and depression. The center focuses on creating safe, supportive environments where clients can work towards their healing and growth through tailored treatment plans.
Practical Steps for Parents
While professional support is invaluable, parents can also take steps at home to help their children process political stress. Kids in elementary school needs a focus on reassurance. “Especially when the world feels uncertain, children need to be certain that they are cared for and loved”.
Parents should consider:
- Limiting children’s exposure to political news and social media
- Providing age-appropriate explanations when children ask questions
- Modeling healthy coping strategies and emotional regulation
- Creating consistent routines that provide stability
- Encouraging creative expression through art, music, and play
Building Resilience for the Future
“Show children how to focus on actionable responses rather than despair by saying things like, ‘While I’m disappointed, I’m going to focus on ways we can still make a difference in our community.’ Seeing trusted adults handle disappointment constructively helps build resilience and self-confidence around how to approach other challenging moments in the future”.
The goal isn’t to shield children from all knowledge of political realities, but rather to help them develop the emotional tools they need to navigate uncertainty. Play therapy works best when a parent, family member, or caretaker is actively involved in the treatment process, emphasizing the importance of family engagement in healing.
As Suffolk County families continue to navigate the post-election landscape, therapeutic play offers a pathway for children to process complex emotions, build resilience, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Through the universal language of play, young people can find their voice, express their fears, and ultimately discover that they have the inner strength to face whatever challenges lie ahead. In these uncertain times, providing children with safe spaces to play, explore, and heal becomes not just therapeutic—it becomes essential for their emotional development and future well-being.