At The Heart Leaf Center, our mission is to improve access to high-quality mental health play therapy for children and families through low-cost services and professional education.

Since opening our doors, we’ve provided therapy and support to over 500 families across Northern Virginia.

65% are low-income families.

60% are minority children and families.

136 are military children and families.

In a region where few providers accept Medicaid or Tricare, we are proud to fill this critical gap — ensuring that care is available to families who often face the steepest barriers to mental health support.

Through play therapy — a child’s natural language — children learn to process trauma, manage anxiety, and rebuild trust. A sandbox becomes a safe space to explore fears. A puppet gives voice to feelings that are hard to say out loud. Each session helps a child take real steps toward healing and confidence.

We’re also building the future of children’s mental health care. To grow the workforce of trained play therapists, we partner with George Mason University, VCU, Marymount University, and George Washington University, providing graduate internships and supervision. We’ve graduated 22 students and currently have 4 clinical interns in training — expanding access and ensuring more families can find qualified providers.

Your support makes all of this possible.

When you give on Giving Tuesday, your donation directly funds affordable play therapy for underserved children and families in our community.

If you know someone who shares our passion for children’s mental health, we’d love to connect. Every partnership helps us reach more families and strengthen our community.

THLC 2025 Giving Tuesday

By The Heart Leaf Center

THLC 2025 Giving Tuesday