Play Therapy: The Root Causes Of Anxiety

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

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.

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

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.

“Dibs in search of self” is a book written by Virginia Axline that offers a case study to describe the practice of child centered play therapy. Play therapy is a type of therapy for children, where they are able to self-heal through expressing and processing their experiences in a non-directive, natural, and uninhibited way. The book is centered on the struggles of a young boy named Dibs, who enters therapy with Dr. Axline, and begins his journey to establish his own identity, confidence, and self-acceptance. Throughout the book, Dr. Axline shows how play can be a therapeutic experience for a child because it offers a safe space and secure relationship between child and adult. It is a space where children are allowed to use play to communicate

Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate intervention for children between the ages of 3 and 10 years because it utilizes the child’s natural mode of communication because children have a limited ability to verbally express their emotional needs. Therefore, play therapists use toys and play materials to help children communicate their needs in a developmentally sensitive and concrete manner.

Play therapy is a developmentally sensitive intervention where the therapist takes into account not only the chronological age of the child, but their developmental stage too. As it is common for children to regress in play to younger stages, it is important that the therapist is attuned to this through active listening and observation and supports the child in reverting back to any early experiences through the use of sensory or symbolic play. It would benefit children who have experienced abuse, neglect, have learning difficulties, suffer depression, are withdrawn or extremely anxious or fearful of present with socially unacceptable behavior to name but a few (Rye,

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.

Play therapy is an effective intervention for a broad range of children’s problems in various medical settings, across modalities, across age, and gender. The questions I would like to have answered: is play therapy more or less effective regarding gender and age? In addition, an investigate of different theoretical and technical approaches to play therapy and effect on children’s outcome related to theses factors would address the question which treatment is most effective with which clients, under what circumstances?

Children's language development is behind their cognitive development, they communicate their understanding of what is happening in their world through their play. In play therapy toys are viewed as the child's "words" and play as the child's "language". Play therapy then, is to children what counseling or psychotherapy is to adults. In play therapy the symbolic function of playing is what is important; it opens up their inner world. Experiences can be expressed more comfortably and safely through the toys provide other than using their words. The

Play Therapy eases communication, provide creative solutions, and reconnect a child to their normal life style. Play therapy plays a big part of hospitalized children’s stay. It is a phenomenal treatment tool for children. Most researchers encourage play therapy and believe that it should be utilized within hospital facility. Play therapy brings a close communicational relationship between the child and therapist. It is a healthy development for children mental development. Play helps create interpersonal skills, enhance creativity and power. Play is a body, mind and soul connection that reaches a child’s need to communicate without words. Play teaches a child how to adapt. It enables a child to master anxiety, externalized problems and conflicts, rehearse new solutions, and turn from passive to active roles in conflict resolution. (Kaminski, Pellino, Wish, 2002) The goal of play therapy is to help children with self-control to understand and cope with illness, surgery, hospitalization, treatments, and procedures. Also, the goals of play therapy meet the emotional needs of children in the hospital by getting to know your child, giving him or her a chance to express himself or herself, and allowing him or her to adjust to being in the hospital through play

When a child goes through gestalt therapy and they become aware of this layer they can become anxious. When a child uncovers anxieties during play therapy they will often want to stop. When they do this they are showing resistance. This can actually indicate progress, because the child wants to move onto new strategies. But when the child resists this gives the therapist the clue they are covering up some sort of anxiety and that it needs to be uncovered (Lichtenberg,2012; Blom, R, 2006). Although very few studies have been conducted on the effectiveness on the Gestalt therapy in not only anger and anxiety, but in its overall effectiveness, Woldt & Toman (2012) described the theoretical technique to be just a useful and effective as

"Play in therapy is the child 's mode of communication, for sharing his world, his inner thoughts and feelings, and the meanings that he makes of his experience of his world"(Cochran, Nordling, & Cochran, 2010, p. 4). Play therapy is all about the child. The counselor working with these children in play therapy have to understand how important it is to do their best to keep these sessions as child-centered as possible. This is the child 's opportunity to explore themselves and have the freedom to do so. This environment lets the children feel empowered. In play therapy, it is important they feel self-determined and have control. They also need to express their self-expression through play. Through this, they can express any emotion. Children do not always get the freedom to express themselves freely and this is the one place where they are allowed to do so. Many children from all different backgrounds attend play therapy. There are so many situations that children tend to go through and experience which leads them to going to therapy. One of these situations would be trauma.

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