During play therapy a safe, confidential and caring
environment is created which allows the child to engage
in imaginative play, art and craft, or movement and
dance in order to both express and process thoughts and
feelings. Play and creativity operate on impulses
from outside our awareness - the unconscious. This
allows healing to occur on many levels.
During play therapy, the therapist may reflect back to
the child observations of what has happened during the
session as a means of validation and encouragement.
Above all the child is given “Special Time.” So
often in modern life we never seem to have enough time
to slow down and discover who we are or we need from
others. For the child this type of reflection is
accomplished through play. When greater coping
skills are needed, the child is given strategies to cope
with difficulties they face in life and which they
themselves cannot change. As the child's
resiliency increases, he or she will develop a more
positive view of the future thereby decreasing emotional
distress.
Typical therapist sessions may last from 30 to 45
minutes. A variety of techniques - 'the Play
Therapy Toolkit' are used according to the child’s
needs. These may include:
Therapeutic play, (including play
therapy) , is a well established discipline based upon a
number of psychological theories. The first recorded use
of therapeutic play goes back to 1919. Probably the most
important contributions to modern practice are the work
of Virginia Axline and Violet Oaklander. Two major
approaches are 'Non-directive play therapy' and
'Directive play therapy'. Research, both
qualitative and quantitative shows that play therapy is
a highly effective means of helping children with
approximately 71% of the children referred to play
therapy showing a positive change. For more
information visit
http://www.a4pt.org/ps.index.cfm?ID=1653.