Play Therapy
If your child is struggling in school or with peers, your child’s teacher or coach may suggest Play Therapy. But what is Play Therapy and how can it benefit children? Keep reading for detailed information on how it may be helpful for your child and your family.
History of Play Therapy
Play Therapy specifically emerges from the foundations of Psychoanalysis, Humanistic Psychology and Attachment Theory. In the early 20th century, pioneers in Child Psychotherapy Anna Freud, Margaret Lowenfeld, and Melanie Klein presented the theoretical premise for the use of play in therapy. The first documented case of the use of play in therapy is by Anna Freud, daughter of Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, in 1909.
By the 1930s, others further developed Freud’s process of building relationships with children before moving on to interpret their unconscious motivations, and Relationship Play Therapy and Release Therapy were created with a structured approach. A major development arrived in the 1940s when Carl Rogers established a new model of psychotherapy—person-centered therapy.
Virginia Axline, today considered the “mother” of Play Therapy, was a student of Carl Rogers and largely influenced by his approach, which she applied to construct what is known-today as Child Centered Play therapy (CCPT. ) Her 8 principles of the therapeutic relationship informs the foundation from which many play therapists work.
Following Axline, Garry Landreth’s prolific writings, research, trainings, advocacy and dissemination have been instrumental in the exponential growth of the field over the past 25 years. Landreth argues the Play Therapy relationship must be different from anything else the child has experienced. Because of this difference in the relationship a child can explore new ways of being and potentially unblock innate potentials. His book, Play Therapy: Art of the Relationship, is known as the “Bible of Play Therapy” and is the foundation from which Play Therapy has stemmed.
Since the 1980s, Charles Schaefer, Kevin O’Connor and Terry Kottman have advanced Play Therapy beyond initial child-centered perspectives, teaching about variations and creative applications. systemic issues when working with families, and adaptations within school contexts. Eliana Gil and Athena Drewes, among others, have expanded Play Therapy initiatives that consider multicultural and diversity domains, thus propelling use worldwide.
One thing that all professionals agree is this—children use play as their primary medium of communication. It is their format for transmitting emotions, thoughts, values and perceptions, and how they understand the world.
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy is a therapeutic intervention specifically created to help children understand the world around them. According to the Association for Play Therapy, play therapy is defined as “the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained Play Therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."
Children use play to understand their world and a Play Therapist is able to work with this natural ability to help a child explore and resolve problems through play. This is accomplished in a therapeutic space known as a playroom, where toys that have been specifically chosen to encourage the safe expression of feelings and streamline the learning of healthy behaviors. Play therapy is the most appropriate method of treatment for children who are experiencing difficulties. According to The Association for Play Therapy, “Play therapy builds on the natural way a child learns about themselves and their relationships in the world. Through play therapy, children learn to communicate with others, express feelings, modify behavior, develop problem-solving skills, and learn new ways of relating.”
Play Therapy can help to improve a child’s socialization, coping, and problem-solving skills. Therapy can reduce a child’s frustration and anger, or clarify feelings of confusion. One of the benefits of therapy is often to help in developing a more positive self-esteem for children. Improvement, change, and progress are the goals of child psychotherapy. Through play therapy children can find solutions, develop self-assertion and overall acceptance.
What Happens During Play Therapy?
Children are made comfortable in the playroom first by engaging in open-ended play and granted complete freedom to play in the way he or she prefers, as long as this play causes no harm to the self or others. The therapist will observe the child, and as time goes on, begin to take a more active role, becoming more directive and encouraging the child to play with specific items or participate in certain activities that the therapist believes will be particularly effective in addressing the child’s problems.
Children generally lack the ability to immediately talk through difficult experiences and emotions (as an adult would through counseling). Instead, they must start at the base level of simply making sense of them. Only by doing so can these experiences by assimilated into conscious awareness, into what the child already knows of the world. This is called “processing” and will most likely result in the healthy expression of thoughts and feelings as the child comes to a new understanding of the experience. Behavior subsequently changes for the better, as the feelings are being expressed using a different channel.
Stages of Play Therapy
There are typical stages of Play Therapy, outlined by Kevin O’Connor, co-founder of the Association for Play Therapy. During the first meeting, a parent-only intake session, your child’s therapist will ask questions about your child’s birth experience and early development, family background, family dynamics, and current functioning and presenting concerns. Once this process is complete, your child will begin treatment. The first few sessions are referred to as the Introduction phase when your child will be getting used to the play therapist, the playroom, and the play therapy process.
After one or several sessions, your child will enter into the Tentative Acceptance when your child will probably look forward to the play therapy sessions and be eager to enter the playroom. For you as a parent, this is usually one of the easiest treatment phases.
As the play therapy begins to work, your child will begin to make some changes. While these changes are necessary, they may not be easy and some children then pass through a Negative Reaction phase, a period where their problems actually get worse and they may actively resist going to the play therapy sessions.
Once these phases pass, your child will enter the Growing phase. This is the most important and, usually the longest, part of the play therapy process. During this phase your child will come to better understand his or her difficulties and how to best resolve those difficulties. But even during this phase, children will make significant advances and then may slide right back into previous behaviors. These regressions can frustrate both children and parents.
The last phase of play therapy is called the Termination phase. It begins when your child’s behavioral and emotional functioning have stabilized to the point that you, your child and the play therapist are all confident in your child’s ability to maintain those gains without regular play therapy sessions.
Information on the phases of Play Therapy provided by Kevin O'Connor, PhD, ABPP, RPT-S, co-founder of the Association for Play Therapy.
How Long Does Play Therapy Take?
Similar to adults, it is difficult to predict a specific time period or number of sessions required. A number of dynamics factor into how each child and family responds and Play Therapy is an individual process, and progress occurs at each child’s individual pace. Rest assured knowing that Play Therapy is an evidenced-based intervention and with consistent services and commitment to your child, your family will be pleased with the results of Play Therapy and your child will have a solid foundation for managing challenges in the future.
Who Does Play Therapy?
Play Therapy should only be provided by mental health professionals who have met the required education, licensure, and additional specialized training and supervision specific to Play Therapy. There are therapists who called themselves Play Therapists, or say they do Play Therapy, but they should only do this if they have received the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) credential, or are currently doing their training. Ask a potential therapist what their training is prior to committing your child to Play Therapy.