Play Therapy Axline

A major factor in this book was Axline’s use of play therapy with Dibs. Axline is known for her concept of play therapy and there are eight principles of play therapy. Throughout the book, I could see the different principles were incorporated into the appointments that Dibs attended. The first principle is that the therapist needs to form a warm and friendly relationship with the child. I thought Axline accomplished this principle pretty quickly. It did not take a long time for Dibs to feel comfortable with her and he started talking to her and becoming more verbally and

My experiences working with children aged birth to five has contributed to my interest in working in the field of infant mental health. I’ve co-facilitated a bereavement group working with children age three and a half to seven and I have also had the opportunity to volunteer in a children’s hospital setting. In addition to these experiences working with young children, I have taken a course on play therapy.

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.

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.

Often, elementary school counselors are reluctant to suggest play therapy and have perceived barriers to its efficacy. This study surveyed 259 members of the American School Counselor Association about those barriers to implementing play therapy, and the potential solutions that could be used to overcome any reluctance. The typical barriers are logical: training, administration, time, resources, and space. It is not that the counselors as a whole do not believe in play therapy, it is that they cannot always find appropriate resources to implement the tool. The study raises the awareness that in the contemporary school in which budgets and resources are extremely tight, more training, educating faculty and administrators, and even using alternative or personal funds to purchase play therapy materials are often necessary to help students.

The field of child counseling has been enriched through the integration of play therapy within different therapeutic approaches, as this method allows children to express thoughts and feelings that they might not be able to convey any other way due to their limited vocabulary (Henderson & Thompson, 2016). Over the past eight years, MacGill (2017) has built both her private practice, as well as functioned as a school counselor for students with special needs, MacGill demonstrates each day the many ways that play therapy can be integrated with several different therapeutic approaches as a method of building rapport and gaining a better understanding of each child’s mental health needs. MacGill is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor,

A field that has seen rapid growth in the last few decades is child therapy. Unlike adult therapy which can be as simple as a conversation between peers, child therapy presents a variety of new barriers. One barrier faced by child therapists is understanding behaviors that come from individuals on a different developmental level than themselves. Techniques and conversations that can be readily applied to adults by therapists are lost on children. Additionally with disorders that effect communication and connection, all attempts previously used would be null and void. Unfortunately, the individuals who would benefit from therapy the most are the ones who present these barriers. In an effort to make up for these deficits, play therapy was introduced as a way to transcend language barriers and aid the child in becoming self-aware on their own.

In their sessions together, Dr Axline integrates the principles of non-directive play therapy. Her psychological approach to children was based on most of the humanistic concepts of

In the article of engaging families in therapeutic play, it had so many stories but one story talked about a young girl who was molested by her father, however the mother and social worker was hesitant about allowing the father to move back in the home. In this short story, the counselor was able to use play therapy to detect if the father was ready to reunite with his family. During family therapy, the counselors are required to put the children in front position of therapy. This is important because it helps children to express themselves, and it enhances the interactions between children and

When I think about the word “play therapy”, I think of it as a tool or a way to help out another individual or child express their anxieties and conflicts through play in a therapeutic setting. In class, the introductory handout on “Playful Thoughts” was a useful way to capture moments from childhood that would emphasize either happy or unhappy play memories. From one of the questions in the handout, a moment I would never forget would be when I accidentally stapled my hand at the age of four, when I was trying to staple a couple of pages back to a coloring book. A couple of students in class discussed their experience; and their experiences were mixed, as in some described happier moments, while others discussed sadder moments. In class we

The success of play therapy achieved in the end was uplifting. Throughout the story, my emotions were on a roller coaster. I was engrossed in the techniques of Axline’s approach and the gradual development of Dibs’ personality. His improvement was evident and I felt joyous each time he demonstrated strength and hope. In the beginning, Dibs was resistant to leaving the Child Guidance Center because he feared going home to an emotionally absent environment. Soon, he began accepting the fact that when the hour ended he had to leave. An endearing moment happened when Dibs told Axline that he would return the following Thursday to “fill up again with happiness” (Axline, 1964, p. 133). The playroom was a special place where Dibs could express himself without limitation, and his liberation was refreshing.

One thing that really surprised me in Landreth was the fact that you are not suppose to to ask children questions during the play session. I thought that as a therapist you were suppose to ask questions when necessarily to invoke feeling or to clarify, but here it said that asking a question could lead to a feeling of not being understood. One thing in dibs that I did not fully understand was the point in which the play therapist came in to observe him in the classroom. Typically dibs did not do well listening and interacting with people, he would make his own agenda and do his own thing. When it became time to go outside originally dibs said no, but when the play therapist said she would like to go outside, dibs immediately changed his mind. He was willing to try and almost please her, while in the past was described to have a meltdown when someone tried to include him in something he did not want. Lastly, one thing that I liked in the book was the play therapists dedication to actually helping dibs learn to cope, not just coddling him. She refused money to come to his home playroom to be with him and kept her limits when he was having a temper tantrum. She knew it was in his best interest not to emotionally confused him anymore, but to teach him how to cope with the world. I thought this was amazing, because I would not have the self control to not scoop that child in my arms and give them all the

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

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)