Play Therapy

1
Play Therapy

• Its place in the Counseling Office

2
History of Play Therapy

• Sigmund Freud first used PT in 1909
• Carl Rogers introduced person-centered theory
• Virginia Axline-created non-directive play
  therapy
• Current definition (Association of Play Therapy,
  2008)
• "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."

3
What is Child-Centered Play Therapy

• Restate what the child says (if anything)
• Reflect feeling and content
• Set limits in the playroom that prohibit the
  student from hurting self, you, or materials
• Emphasis on the child and the natural way that a
  child can work out an issue

4
Techniques Tracking

• The counselor is an observer
• The counselor restates what the child is doing
  without adding negative or positive statements
• Children are allowed to process on their own
  without counselor interpretation

5
Experiential Activity with Tracking and Reflection

• What did you notice from the clients play?
• What themes can you draw from it?
• What would you write in notes about the child?

6
Directive Play Therapy

• Directive Counselor leads or guides session
• Creative activities are used to guide counseling
  sessions in order to gauge the thoughts,
  feelings, and behaviors of the client
• Goal oriented
• Allows for specific evidence of change and growth
  in the child

7
Techniques Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy

• The emphasis is on developing new, more adaptive
  thoughts and behaviors
• The counselor uses techniques to guide student in
  using more helpful coping strategies to deal with
  problems
• Pairs concrete examples with abstract ideas and
  emotions

8
Experiential Activity Weights and Balloons

• How did the activity help explain the
  thought-feeling connection?
• For which developmental levels is this
  appropriate?
• How can this activity help the counselor/student
  with goal setting?

9
Applying play into your Counseling

• Play, art, story-telling, and music can be
  integrated with multiple theoretical approaches
• Play can be used as a medium within a counseling
  session to bring ease to any aged child
• Middle and high school students may even long for
  a modality of expression other than spoken
  language
• Direct questions do not always produce direct
  responses

10
Who is using Play Therapy

• In 2005, 105 counseling graduate programs in the
  US offered at least one course in play therapy
• In 2005, 978 school counselors from ACA and APT
  were surveyed about their theoretical background
  and 66.6 responded child-centered with cognitive
  behavioral in second at 9.2
• Of those responding to the survey, the average
  number of graduate courses taken in Play Therapy
  was 1.5

11
Who is using Play Therapy

• Elementary school counselors were survey about
  opinions of Play Therapy (381 School Counselors)
• 97 of the school counselors believed that play
  was the natural language of a child
• In a qualitative section responders indicated
  that limitations to using Play Therapy in schools
  included lack of time with students and lack of
  training (2005)

12
Efficacy of Play Therapy

• Kranz, Rameriz, Flores-Torres, Steele, Lund
  (2005) used games and art to create comfort in
  migrant children
• Baggerly and Parker (2005) used CCPT with 22
  African American males

13
Efficacy of Play Therapy

• Kot, Landreth, and Giordano(1998) experimentally
  studied a group of children who were all
  witnessing domestic violence in the home
• Post (1999) studied 168 children that were
  considered at-risk based on poverty, low
  achievement, special education label, or mobility
  in the home

14
Final Thoughts

• Play therapy allows children to process and
  proceed at their own pace
• Developmentally appropriate
• Works with culturally diverse children, labeled
  children, and those experiencing trauma
• Graduate students should be aware of and trained
  in play therapy to face the needs they will
  encounter in the school system

15
Resources

• Association of Play Therapy (n.d.). About Play
  Therapy Overview. Retrieved May 15, 2008 from
  http//www.a4pt.org/ps.playtherapy.cfm
• Baggerly, J., Parker, M. (2005). Child-centered
  group play therapy with African American boys at
  the elementary school level. Journal of
  Counseling and Development 83(4), 387-397.
• Dougherty, J. Ray, D.C. (2007). Differential
  impact of play therapy on developmental levels of
  children. International Journal of Play Therapy,
  16(1), 2-19.
• de Rios, M. D. (1997). Magical realism A
  cultural intervention for traumatized Hispanic
  children. Cultural Diversity Mental Health,
  3(3), 159-170.
• Fall, M. (1994). Physical and emotional
  expression A combination approach for working
  with children in the small areas of a school
  counselors office. School Counselor, 42(1),
  73-77.
• Fall, M., Balvanz, J., Johnson, L., Nelson, L.
  (1999). A play therapy intervention and its
  relationship to self-efficacy and learning
  behaviors. Professional School Counseling, 2(3),
  194-204.

16
Resources

• Gil, E. (1994). Play in family therapy. New York
  Guilford.
• Johnson, L., Mcleod, E.H., Fall, M. (1997).
  Play therapy with labeled children in the
  schools. Professional School Counseling, 1(1),
  31-34.
• Kottman, T. (2001). Play therapy Basics and
  beyond. Alexandria, VA American Counseling
  Association.
• Lambert, S.F., LeBlanc, M., Mullen, J.A., Ray,
  D., Baggerly, J., White, J., Kaplan, D. (2005).
  Learning more about those who play in session
  The national play therapy in counseling practices
  project. International Journal of Play Therapy,
  14(2), 7-24.
• Landreth, G. L. (1991). Play therapy The art of
  the relationship. Muncie, IN Accelerated
  Development.

17
Resources

• Post, P. (1999) Impact of child-centered play
  therapy on the self-esteem, locus of control, and
  anxiety of at-risk 4th-, 5th-, and 6th grade
  students. International Journal of Play Therapy,
  8, 1-18.
• Ray, D. C. (2006). Evidence-based play therapy.
  In Schaefer, C. E. Kaduson, H. G. (Ed),
  Contemporary play therapy Theory, research, and
  practice (pp. 136- 157). New York Guilford.
• Ray, D.C., Armstrong, S.A., Warren, E.S.,
  Balkin, R.S. (2005). Play therapy practices among
  elementary school counselors. Professional School
  Counseling, 8(4), 360-366.
• Shen, Y., Sink, C.A. (2002). Helping
  elementary-age children cope with disasters.
  School Counseling, 5(5).
• Synder, B.A. (1997) Expressive art therapy
  techniques Healing the soul through creativity.
  Journal of Humanistic Education and Development,
  32(2), 74-82.