The Strengths And Weaknesses Of School Based Therapy Essay

1. Francke, J., & Geist, E. A. (2004). The Effects of Teaching Play Strategies on Social

In order for a child to develop productive social skills, it is important to choose toys to enhance active, imaginative play, and discourage time at the computer or television. A game in which a child is encouraged to think for themselves rather than sit motionless staring at an electronic screen, is better for the development of the child’s social skills (Moore, 2). Time spent with other children, rather the child’s own age or older, will help develop necessary social skills that will stick with the child through adulthood (Roode, 1). From the day they are born, infants and children begin to form relationships, these relationships eventually deepen and enable them to handle future relationships with others outside their initial circle (Roode, 1). The ability for a person to build and further relationships, make moral judgments, etc. can be enhanced with games played with a group of children, stuffed animals, puppets or instruments (Roode, 1).

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.

Asperger syndrome is one of many subtypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Of the subtypes, this syndrome is one of the higher functioning conditions. Thus, these individuals have a hard time socializing, present restricted interests, repeat behaviors constantly, and do not understand non-verbal communication. Also, the individuals with this condition can present a delay in motor development, which can lead to clumsiness or uncoordinated movements (Autism Speaks, 2013). Furthermore, this condition can be very difficult for the person as well as others, such as family and friends.

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.

She gained little information about the toy itself, but gained a lot of information on the impact of the toy. Prior to watching the video film, the researcher had very little knowledge on what LEGOS could do for people mentally besides just to have fun by playing with a toy. The researcher learned that LEGOS can help people become less stressed, less anxious, and also can help a child with autism become more social. The researcher also learned that this toy is popular worldwide, and not just in the United States. This documentary helped the researcher understand that LEGOS can be more than just a toy to play with; the toy can be a stress-reliever and a therapeutic session.

In discussing the difficulty in organizing his book, Golden (2002) explains, “It would be nice if I could pigeonholed each case as illustrative of a single counseling method, but real-life cases just don’t work that way” (p. x). MacGill (2017) agrees with this assessment by Golden (2002), which she demonstrates in her self-described “eclectic approach to play therapy.”

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.

What applied clinical problem would you most like to focus on in your PsyD studies and in the PsyD Clinical Psychology dissertation/doctoral project? Tell us something about your knowledge of the relevant theory and concepts, research, and the application of that scholarship to clinical practice.

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.

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

Person-Centered Theory stands out amongst the multitude of theories developed to help improve the lives of individuals. Carl Rogers was the pioneer of Person-Centered Theory, which was the basis for Virginia Axline’s development of Child-Centered Play Therapy. Immediately, I felt a connection as I began learning about the principles of Person-Centered Theory. The introduction to this theory led me to discover the work of Virginia Axline. My interest in counseling children was reinforced by the fundamental elements of play therapy. Further, the story of Dibs engendered hope and enthusiasm for the possibility that this could be the theory from which I work.

The setting in which my personal theory of therapy will take place is within an education school setting. Current research has claimed that utilizing APT is helpful in decreasing concerning behaviour within elementary students (Kottman and Ashby, 2015). In developing my personalized therapeutic orientation, an IPT approach was established, focusing on both non-directive and directive play therapy to support the complex needs of clients (Gil, Konrath, Shaw, Goldin, & McTaggart Bryan, 2015). This is helpful to meet the needs of a varying population of clients with differing needs and abilities within a school setting. This is highlighted as helpful for this population by Gil, Konrath, Shaw, Goldin, & McTaggart Bryan (2015) indicating that child-centered