Play Therapy Papers

play therapy experiences for children to help reduce anxiety and fear. Additionally, they can help

If play is a child's language, then toys can be taken as the words. With play therapy the child can resolve their difficulties and concerns utilizing the toys that they pick, exposing their inner thoughts and discussions. With play the child has the ability to check out numerous circumstances and habits in a supportive environment. Genuine favorable regard and approval urges the child to feel safe adequate to be able to discover

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”

Haslam, D., Harris, S. (2011). Integrating Play and Family Therapy Methods: A Survey of Play

According to a leading expert in Play Therapy, Landreth (2014) believes firmly that the focus of therapy needs to be on the child not on the client, and children are the best teachers for the

Using the historically noted context of the importance of play, many therapists have refined and structured this “natural language” and have been able to facilitate desirable change for a variety of issues. The rest of this paper aims at providing the reader with a proficient overview of play therapy. The benefits, history, credentials, inner workings, and role of the family will be examined. Classical cases, as well as individual case studies, and larger scale findings will be examined, and the role and credentials of the therapist outlined.

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

The integrated model provides many advantages for children. Play-based activities encourage children to work through their thoughts and feelings. Children are more likely to participate in the process when given toys rather than sitting on the couch. Another advantage is that it “offers the child a powerful way of mastering his or her world and is crucial to cognitive development, personality formation, and social adaptation” (Wehrman & Field 2013). Play itself is important in child development. With the addition of play in therapy, children will be able to lean and develop even more. Counselors can apply there skills while interacting with children.

Case studies have proven that therapist who counsel children and adolescents using play therapy experience counter-transference at alarming rates when compared to those who use psychotherapy to treat adults (Gil & Rubin, 2005). During therapy sessions with children and adolescents, the therapist may not be aware of his or her personal biases and unresolved emotional needs, which may result in inappropriate responses or behaviors by the therapist.

Release play therapy involves the therapist picking out toys that relate to a child’s traumatic experience as a way to help the child to play out a particular situation (Ogawa, 2004). With this process, a child can communicate their feelings and struggles in a safe environment (Ogawa, 2004). In child-centered play therapy, communication takes place through the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and child (Ogawa, 2004). As a result, this kind of therapy requires a therapist to be genuine, show unconditional positive acceptance and express empathy (Ogawa, 2004). The belief in this approach is that children have an inborn ability to adjust and grow (Ogawa, 2004). During therapy, children are the ones who decide how to deal with their own experiences and gain control (Ogawa, 2004). The children decide what kind of play they are willing to use for personal expression (Ogawa, 2004). Overall, both these approaches that consist of either a directed or non-directed approach are great with working with children who have experienced

Play therapy involves working on rules and boundaries, such as coming up with tasks that enables the client to establish trust; therefore, building interpersonal skills. Since Spike expresses himself through animation, I used humor in treatment by simply following through with his imaginations. I was sensitive to Spike’s values and beliefs by being cognizant of the stigma associated with Spike’s view of his presenting problem and treatment

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

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)