Axline's principles

Play therapy is a form of therapy where children can’t act out their fantasies and express their feelings or experiences and are simply encouraged to do so through play, abetted by a therapist's interpretations.

This essay will explore the nature of the therapeutic process; using my fifty minute long real play session with one of my colleagues. Also, I will explore my experience of the therapeutic relationship and how it influences therapeutic change and increase the affectivity of the therapy.

Although play therapy is developmentally appropriate for children ages 3–11 years (Kottman, 2011); an examination of individual development is necessary to determine how the child is functioning (Ray, 2011).Apart from the mental or physical functioning of the children, the readiness to change and growth is also an essential part to be assessed by the therapist throughout the entire therapeutic process. In Rogers’ (1961, as cited in Wilkins, 2010) research on the readiness of clients in the therapy process, Rogers conceptualized a continuum. Concerning children in play therapy, they are usually referred by others; mostly the parents are the one who seek help voluntarily. Most involuntary children and preadolescents usually are not self-referred,

In addition, children’s play holds significant therapeutic value in providing a safe, protective environment in a space where children can recreate themselves and self-cure” (Campbell et al., 2010). The strongest therapeutic tool used in this process is the child’s innate drive to self-actualize.

The paper topic is focused on how play therapy can help children develop their behavioral and emotional structures. The primary research question for the paper is Can Play Therapy help children with emotional and behavioral issues get better? The primary hypotheses for this paper are: If play therapy can help a child overcome his self-esteem issues, then it can help the child grow emotionally and if play therapy can help a child overcome his self-esteem issues, then it can help the child grow a strong behavioral structure. The paper is divided into an introduction which gives a brief background of the topic, literature review which focuses on the results of 10 recent studies with familiar topics, the methods section, and the results sections which provides the primary results of the study and the discussions section which illustrates the lessons learnt from conducting this study as well as the differences and limitations of the study alongside the new directions that similar researches in the future could look to explore.

explaining child treatment and seeking his consent on the side of parent’s consent, interesting in child feedback- getting child involved

Virginia Axline’s work in Child-Centered Play Therapy stemmed from the Person-Centered theoretical orientation of Carl Rogers. She shared the perspective in which the value of the therapeutic nature is derived from the recognition by the individual as a capable being and the realization of responsibility. A desired goal of therapy is understanding, which

10). According to Landreth (2012), “Play therapy… facilitates the development of a safe relationship for the child… to fully express and explore self (feelings, thoughts, experiences, and behaviors) through play, the child’s natural medium of communication, for optimal growth and development”

Children often face various mental health issues when they are growing up. These issues include anxiety, trauma, depression and now even autistic children. Treating young children of these conditions has been a great challenge over time. Therapy can help give children the opportunity to express their feelings through play. According to the Association for Play Therapy (2002), play therapy is a "systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process in which trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development." Although various studies have been conducted in regards to play research, there is no link that has been given between play therapy and the success of an individual later in life.

Play is a way for children to learn about their environment and how interaction occurs within. It is through trial and error that children are able to create options; follow their own interests and show “independence in thought and actions” using their knowledge and understanding (Moyles, 2005, p.3). Children develop resilience though play. However for a number of children can experience stressful occurrences during their lives and play can often be restricted. Therefore the play worker’s role in supporting children’s play is a crucial measure towards children's development. For those that work with children require the dexterity to prompt and contribute to children’s play, which can be seen as a principle aspect of therapeutic alliance.

In the selected case study, The mode of therapeutic intervention will take the Gestalt Play Therapy focus. The interaction between Jacob and I will be an open dialogue with straightforward caring, warmth, acceptance, and self-responsibility that specifically focuses on inclusion, with me fully present in the experience of Jacob, where I will not judge, analyze, or interpret what is observed. My presence refers to expressing observations, preferences, feelings, personal experience, and thoughts to Jacob. Commitment to dialogue will present the opportunity to encourage a sense of connection between Jacob and me. Our dialogue will be active and nonverbal or verbal. It can be any modality that expresses and moves

Intervention must strive for 1) focus and concentration, 2) engagement with the human world, and 3) two-way intentional communication (Jacobson & Foxx, 2015). The child must have opportunities to experience a visceral sense of pleasure and learn in the realms visual, auditory, tactile, and vestibular stimuli. Activities could include big balls, trampolines, and suspended equipment that provide intense proprioceptive, vestibular, and tactile experiences (Jacobson & Foxx,

Child- centered play therapy sees development as flowing, fluid, and maturing process of becoming. Within child-centered play therapy, personality structure is centered on three ideas: the person, the phenomenal field, and the self. The person of a child is everything that they are; behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and their physical beings. Simply stated that as a child goes through life they make organized changes, as one part is changed based on an experience other parts are also altered. Making a continuous dynamic intrapersonal interaction system within each child. A child’s phenomenal field is everything a child experiences; at the conscious or unconscious level. How a child perceives their own reality is what must be known in order to know and understand their behaviors. It is important to appreciate a child’s behaviors via viewing it through their own eye’s. It is important for a therapist to not be judgmental or to evaluate a child’s simple behaviors. The last construct of personality structure with this theory is the self. The self is a child’s total experiences or a child recognizing themselves while interacting with their world. Being able to recognize themselves is an important part of developing their own concepts of self, their environment and about their own self in affiliation to their environment (O’Connor & Braverman, 2009).

The primary aim of the gestalt play therapist is to help children become aware of their unique process. The focus is on the experience of the process, what children do and how they do it, which they are, what they feel and what they want. Acceptance of this leads to the realization that they can personally make choices and experiment with new behavior. Gestalt play therapy focuses on children’s direct experience in the here and now. The therapist’s goal is to facilitate the client’s awareness of their process. (Corey, 2000)

Ray, Bratton, Rhine, and Jones. (2001). The Effectiveness of Play Therapy: Resopnding to the Critics. International Journal of Play Therapy, 10(1), 85-108.