What is play therapy?
Play Therapy is a form of therapy used primarily for children. That’s because, for adults seeking counseling, talk therapy is one of the most effective forms of treatment. However, children don’t benefit from talk therapy and wish for their types of engagement through play. Children often have difficulty expressing and understanding their feelings, and playing provides a safe and comfortable way for children to express themselves. Even very verbally expressive children express themselves more with playing.
While it may look like an ordinary playtime, play therapy can be much more than that. A trained therapist can use playtime to observe and gain insights into a child’s problems. The therapist can then help the child explore emotions and deal with unresolved trauma. Through play, children can learn new coping mechanisms and how to redirect inappropriate behaviors.
Who practices play therapy?
Play therapy is practiced by a variety of licensed mental health professionals such as psychologists, licensed behavioral therapists, licensed professional counselors and licensed social workers.
When is play therapy used?
Although people of all ages can benefit from play therapy, it’s typically used with children between the ages of 3 and 12. Play therapy may be helpful in a variety of circumstances, such as:
- Facing medical procedures, chronic illness, or palliative care
- Developmental delay or learning disabilities
- Problem behaviors in school
- Aggressive or angry behavior
- Family issues, like divorce, separation, or death of a close family member
- Natural disasters or traumatic events
- Domestic violence, abuse, or neglect
- Anxiety, depression, grief
- Eating disorders
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Benefits of Play Therapy
According to the professional organization Play Therapy International, up to 71 percent of children referred to play therapy may experience positive change.
While some children might start with some hesitation, trust in the therapist tends to grow as they become more comfortable and their bond strengthens, the child may become more creative or more verbal in their play.
Some of the potential benefits of play therapy are:
- Taking more responsibility for certain behaviors
- Developing coping strategies and creative problem-solving skills
- Self-respect
- Empathy and respect for others.
- Alleviation of anxiety
- Learning to fully experience and express feelings
- Stronger social skills
- Stronger family relationships
- Play Therapy can also encourage the use of language or improve fine and gross motor skills.
If your child has a diagnosed mental or physical illness, play therapy doesn’t replace medications or any other necessary treatments. “The play therapy” can be used alone or alongside other therapies.
How does play therapy work?
There’s a bit of a communication gap between children and adults. Depending on age and stage of development, children simply don’t have the language skills of adults. They may feel something, but in many cases, they either can’t express it to an adult or don’t have a trusted adult to express it to. On the other end, adults can misinterpret or completely miss the child’s verbal and nonverbal cues.
Children learn to understand the world and their place in it through play. It’s where they’re free to act out their inner feelings and deepest emotions. Toys can act as symbols and take on greater meaning — if you know what to look for. Since the child can’t adequately express themselves in the adult world, the therapist joins the child in their world, on their level.
As they play, the child may become less guarded and more apt to share their feelings. But they aren’t pressured. They’re allowed to do so in their own time and with their method of communication.
Play therapy will differ depending on the therapist and the particular needs of the child. To begin, the therapist may want to observe the child at play. They may also want to conduct separate interviews with the child, parents, or teachers.
After a thorough assessment, the therapist will set some therapeutic goals, decide on what limits may be necessary, and formulate a plan for how to proceed.
Play therapists pay close attention to how a child handles being separated from the parent, how they play alone, and how they react when the parent returns.
Much can be revealed in how a child interacts with different types of toys and how their behavior changes from session to session. They may use play to act out fears and anxieties, as a soothing mechanism, or to heal and problem-solve.
Play therapists use these observations as a guide to the next steps. Each child is different, so therapy will be tailored to their individual needs. As therapy progresses, behaviors and goals can be reassessed.
How can my family participate in play therapy?
Families play an important role in children’s healing processes. The interaction between children’s problems and their families are always complex. Sometimes children develop problems as a way of indicating that there is something wrong with the family, such as divorce, or problems between parents (read more about couples therapy). Other times the whole family gets upset because the child’s problems are so annoying. In all cases, children and families recover faster when they work together.
The play therapist will make some decisions about how and when to involve some or all members of the family in the play therapy. At a minimum, the therapist will want to communicate regularly with the child’s caretakers to develop a plan for resolving problems as they are identified and to monitor the progress of the treatment.
Whatever, the level of involvement of the family members, they typically play an important role in the child’s healing.
Play Therapy Techniques
Sessions typically last 30 minutes to an hour and are held once a week or so. How many sessions are needed depends on the child and how well they respond to this type of therapy. Therapy can take place individually or in groups.
Play Therapy can be directive or nondirective. In the directive approach, the therapist will take the lead by specifying the toys or games that’ll be used in the session. The therapist will guide the play with a specific goal in mind.
The non-directive approach is less structured. The child can choose toys and games as they see fit. They’re free to play in their way with few instructions or interruptions. The therapist will observe closely and participate as appropriate.
Sessions must take place in an environment where the child feels safe and where there are few limitations. The therapist may use techniques that involve:
- Sand tray
- Miniature human figures/dolls
- Creative visualization
- Storytelling
- Role-Playing
- Toy phones
- Puppets, stuffed animals, and masks
- Arts and crafts
- Blocks and construction toys
- Dance and creative movement
- Musical play.
Play Therapy Sessions
Children aged from 3 years old can receive play therapy may be weekly sessions in a special playroom. Parents and caregivers are among the people whose roles are important during the therapy process, thus, regular meetings are scheduled to make sure that they are updated with the child’s progress. Some other situations advised the parent to also receive play therapy but they should be provided in a separate process where they both share the playroom with the child to strengthen their relationship.
What happens in the playroom is that the child is given a wide selection of toys to choose from which are provided by the play therapist. Usually, they are arts and crafts materials, dressing up props, sand and water, clay, small figures like animals, musical instruments, books, and puppets. Through these materials, the therapist will encourage the child to express him or herself where talking can be difficult. The child’s engagement with these toys is essential as they serve as symbolic words. This helps the therapist to learn about the thoughts and emotions of the child that they may have found difficult to express verbally.
Play therapy facilitates child development
Parents and caregivers often worry if they notice some problem with the child that makes them sad, disruptive, rebellious, and unable to cope or be attentive. They tend to be concerned about their development, unstable sleeping and eating patterns, their ability to get along with family, friends, and even with their peers at school. Although every child is unique, they can encounter problems with their feelings and behaviors that can affect their lives and those around them. In this matter, parents and children should seek help to address this significant difficulty to help the child.
Play is important to the child’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development. It helps the children learn easily and to be engaging with other young children and also with young adults. Play therapy helps the kids in different ways such as allowing them to receive emotional support and they will be able to understand their feelings and thoughts. Children are encouraged to explore their life events that may affect their present situation and difficulties. During this process, children can act out or re-enact their traumatic experiences to be able to face their past and be more coping in the future. They will also be given the chance to manage their relationships with their parents, siblings, and friends in a more appropriate approach.
Importance Of Play
When children are having personal issues they tend to act out or engage in inappropriate behavior. As parents, they are determined to find a solution but may also find it impossible to provide effective help if the child is not willing to be helped or not at ease to discuss the problem. Play therapy is the best known beneficial means of helping children who are having these emotional or behavioral issues.
Play is known to be a way for an individual, especially children, to relax but scientific research proves that play is not just about fun but has a huge role in healthy child development. It has been discovered that newborn babies have billions of brain cells but are not fully functioning human brains. It was revealed by the neuroscience study that the brain grows and matures within the first 5 years of a child’s life and play is a contributing factor for the brain to fully develop due to the interconnecting neurons. These links play a significant role in the child’s life such as children learning about their social, emotional, and memory development.
Guidelines For Effective Play Therapy
Play therapy is proven to be an effective form of therapy for people of all ages, particularly for children. Therapists use some set of guidelines and practices to assist the person in their care and to make the most out of the benefits of play therapy.
It is recommended that if the child is receiving play therapy, the important person in the child’s life should also receive adjunctive therapy. The therapist may explain or discuss the treatment plans to the child and his or her guardian and should express emphasis on promoting the mental health and psychosocial development of the child throughout the process. Therapists can also work with doctors or other physicians to ensure that the welfare of the child is the main focus of the treatment.
Conclusion
The play has been proven to be especially important for the healthy development of children especially those who have past events like trauma or stressful experiences. These children are unlikely to open up with other people and will have a lesser capacity to communicate or process adverse challenges. So play therapy may help the children to move on from traumatic memories through physical and role-playing activities the therapy is associated with. So the outcome of the playing therapy can be generalized to a reduction in anxiety and to raise self-esteem and the most specific which is to change behavior and improve relations with family and friends.
You must choose a qualified play therapist for your child, a professional who completed specialized training in play therapy from an accredited BAPT institution. The therapeutic relations created from the sessions between the child and the therapist are crucial. This way during the child’s therapy, they will feel comfortable, safe, and acknowledged. A safe environment with trust will make it easier for the child to express thoughts and feelings. It will also facilitate them to develop skills that will allow them to manage their behaviors.
Kazmo Brain Center is a counseling center in Frisco Texas specializing in Play Therapy and will work with your kid toward a happier and more satisfying position.
If you or your kids are facing problems and you think that you need aid in fixing them, then Play therapy at Kazmo Brain Center can do excellent help
Recourse: healthline.com
