Play Therapy

In Schools 2013 CCPA Annual Conference Presenter: Don Chafe [email protected]

Play Therapy

• Why Play ?

• Why Therapy ?

• Why work with children ?

Why

Play?

• Most children readily engage in play .

• Play is believed to be the natural language of childhood.

• Children (and often adults) may lack the verbal ability to describe inner experience. • Play taps “magical thinking” ability.

Why

Therapy

?

• Therapy experience.

• Therapy is a corrective is about change.

Why work with children ?

• Children context: – Children are embedded in a social – Children in families in schools – Children in communities • Some schools of play therapy deal with these various levels.

Why work with children ?

• Children have internal psychological processes.

• These processes can be explored and altered in the therapeutic relationship. • This workshop will focus on therapeutic relationships with children .

Some “schools” of play therapy ➲ ➲ ➲ ➲ ➲ ➲ ➲ ➲ ➲ Non-directive Psychoanalytic Sand play Filial Therapy Jungian Cognitive-Behavioral Adlerian Theraplay Ecosystemic Prescriptive Family Group Object relations Phenomenological Fair Play Time Limited Dynamic  >>>>>>>>>>>>

Non-directive play therapy    ➲ Belief system: Child driven Child is having difficulties because he /she does not feel accepted / respected Cure is unconditional positive regard

Non-directive play therapy     ➲ ➲ Therapist behavior and therapeutic techniques: If you are using a technique you are not doing non-directive therapy Therapist concentrates on active listening: Tracking Reflection of feeling VERY limited questioning

Tracking  What do we reflect?

    Play sequences Child-toy interaction Project child into play Child's behavior

Tracking   How do we reflect?

 Intensity of the therapist's involvement can be varied from light to intense NOTE:  Reflection of feeling can be similarly varied.

Practice Practice non-directive techniques

Non-directive practice    Reflect Set limits THE END

Setting limits    What limits do we set?

How do we let the child know the limits?

How do we enforce the limits?

Gestalt play therapy   Based on the adult work of Frederick Perls Gestalt is an “experiential” therapy

Gestalt Play Therapy     Violet Oaklander (1978). Windows to

Our Children

Felicia Carroll (student of Oaklander) Gestalt Theory can be taught  Heady / esoteric ideas Gestalt Therapy must be experienced  Ideas meaningless without experience

Gestalt Play Therapy     ➲  Belief system: Therapist driven I / thou relationship Therapist encouraged the child to experience all aspects of the self while being totally present in the session Children experience problems because they lack contact with some aspect of the self or the environment Cure comes from having child establish contact

Gestalt Play Therapy        ➲ Therapist behavior and therapeutic techniques: Experiencing Sharing Changing perspective Identifying with elements Amplifying Using non-verbals Owning emotions

Practice Practice gestalt techniques

More info

Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy (CACPT) www.cacpt.com Play Therapy International www.playtherapy.org