Understanding Play Therapy

Play Therapy is a therapeutic technique used primarily with children to help them express their feelings, make sense of difficult experiences, and solve problems. Given that children may not always have the language or cognitive ability to express themselves through words, play becomes an effective medium for them to communicate and understand the world around them.

History and Background

Originating in the early 20th century, Play Therapy has its roots in the work of pioneering psychotherapists like Melanie Klein, Anna Freud, Virginia Axline, Garry Landreth, and many others. Recognizing the importance of play in children's development, these psychologists discovered that children communicate their thoughts and emotions through play much in the same way adults use verbal language.

Key Principles

1. Communication Through Play: Children use toys and games as a form of self-expression, but when they play in the context of therapy with a qualified Play Therapist, children may use play and art materials to represent and explore difficult experiences, past and present.

2. Safety and Boundaries: Play Therapy provides a safe and consistent environment where children can explore and express their feelings without fear of judgment.

3. Self-Discovery: Given the right conditions, such as the attuned Play Therapist listening to and caring about the child's feelings through active reflection, children have an instinctive ability to explore problems and solve them. Play Therapy fosters the child's ability to develop self-awareness and insight into the minds of others.

Different Approaches, Different Techniques

• Child-Centered Play Therapy: This approach allows the child to follow their own self-direction and pacing using free, unstructured play. Child-Centered Play Therapists are highly trained to insert skill-building opportunities in a way that puts the child at ease or helps very young children to follow their natural developmental agenda.

• Directive Play Therapy: Here, the Play Therapist may plan learning activities ahead of time and provides more structure within the therapy session. A directive format may be agreed upon when children learn best from direct teaching and pre-planned curriculum to address particular issues.

• Collaborative Play Therapy: There are many forms of Play Therapy where children, their caregivers, and the Play Therapist work together to select a fluid set of interventions to support the child's needs, that may be integrated purposefully and effectively. Children may be working either directively or non-directively at different times, and sometimes within the same session.

• Dyadic or Family Play Therapy: Various types of Dyadic (Parent-Child) or Family Play Therapy have been created to address needs occurring within a child's most significant relationships. Siblings or extended family might be included in sessions, where appropriate.

Benefits of Play Therapy

1. Emotional Expression: Helps children articulate and process emotions they might not even know they're feeling.

2. Problem-Solving Skills: By playing out different scenarios, children can find solutions to their real-world problems.

3. Social Skills: Play Therapy can help children develop better interpersonal skills and understand social dynamics.

4. Recovery from Trauma: Traumatic events can be processed and integrated, reducing symptoms and improving overall well-being.

Who Can Benefit?

While Child-Centered Play Therapy is tailor-made for children ages 3-12, even teenagers and sometimes adults can participate in other forms of play-based therapy. Especially beneficial for:

• Children needing support with behavior challenges

• Children with changes in mood, anxiety or depression

• Kids navigating the storms of stress, major changes in the family, grief and loss

• Kids going through parental separation or divorce

• Exceptional learners (children with learning, individual and developmental differences) coping with educational stress

• Other issues that are concerning to the adults in the child's life