A number of children around the world are commonly exposed to some form of trauma which can include physical, sexual and emotional abuse (Wethington et al., 2008). This paper will be focusing on children between the ages of four to twelve years old who had experienced trauma. For that reason, the paper will be focusing on art and play therapy as being effective in working with traumatized children. This paper will begin with the discussion of the importance of knowing and having an understanding of how trauma affects children along with being aware of approaches that can be used including art and play therapy. From there, the paper will get in detail about trauma including what it is and what kind of impact it can have on children who have …show more content…
A child, for example, may go through a traumatic experience that may consist of either exposure to verbal or physical violence between parents or physical abuse towards the child (Kozlowska & Hanney, 2001). Young children tend to be more vulnerable to the negative effects of domestic violence (Webb, 2007). For example, children who live in a home with domestic violence that includes physical assault, mental humiliation and degradation, are likely to have lower interpersonal sensitivity, empathy and also lack appropriate interpersonal problem solving skills (Thompson & Trice-Black, 2012). As a result, when children who are exposed to this, they are at a greater risk for developing violent behaviour, criminal activity, and poor parenting practices when they transition into adulthood (Thompson & Trice-Black, …show more content…
Release play therapy involves the therapist picking out toys that relate to a child’s traumatic experience as a way to help the child to play out a particular situation (Ogawa, 2004). With this process, a child can communicate their feelings and struggles in a safe environment (Ogawa, 2004). In child-centered play therapy, communication takes place through the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and child (Ogawa, 2004). As a result, this kind of therapy requires a therapist to be genuine, show unconditional positive acceptance and express empathy (Ogawa, 2004). The belief in this approach is that children have an inborn ability to adjust and grow (Ogawa, 2004). During therapy, children are the ones who decide how to deal with their own experiences and gain control (Ogawa, 2004). The children decide what kind of play they are willing to use for personal expression (Ogawa, 2004). Overall, both these approaches that consist of either a directed or non-directed approach are great with working with children who have experienced
Original Thesis Statement: Incorporating art-based activities and techniques effectively develops coping skills, self expression, open communication, and begins the healing process for children who have experienced trauma.
Norton, B. et al. (2011) "Somatic Expressions of Trauma in Experiential Play Therapy" in International Journal of Play Therapy, Vol. 20, No. 3, 138 152.
My topic of inquiry I have chosen to research for this report is; is play therapy an effective treatment for Children with Post traumatic stress disorder. I was drawn to this topic as I have had an interest in working with Children who have experienced Trauma and have a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder under the criteria of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV). I worked on a personal level with many children who have experienced traumatic events such as natural disasters and have seen the impact that these traumas have had on them and I am curious to know if play therapy is an effective way of working with children who have Post-traumatic stress disorder. I wanted to explore this more as children find it difficult to articulate their thoughts and feelings and I want to know if play therapy is an effective way of helping them to express their thoughts and feelings. I also wanted to find out why Play Therapy is not really recognised in New Zealand and why there is such a limited amount of Play Therapists in New Zealand. I became interested in this topic when I took a child to play therapy and seen the impact that these sessions had on their development and behaviour and this drew me to want to find out why this treatment is not used more widely with children as play is a natural aspect of their development.
Stories and illustrative examples of art-based interventions provided evidence-based approaches using art therapy to heal the children of trauma. There are connections between what the art revealed and how it opened up a line of communication for the child and adult. Art benefited the child by providing a medium to express and communicate the traumatic experiences. It also helped a child seek self-development, reduce physical stress, and improve methods of dealing with traumatic memories. Art therapy also benefited the teacher by providing meaningful approaches to address the child, ask questions, build a trusting relationship, and develop further healing approaches.
This model provides flexibility to a semi-structured concept to encourage creativity among counseling professionals. As a future Marriage and Family Therapist, I have a strong connection with using theories encompassing the family dynamics and culture. As a proponent of Play Therapy interventions, I enjoy teaching clients emotion regulation and relaxation techniques through creative activities in the best interest of the client. Furthermore, conjoining parent-child sessions not only provides growth of the child but unites the family and increases skill building for all individuals attending sessions. Conversely, unlike other trauma models, TF-CBT provides clients with multiple phases of cognitive coping and processing to explore and correct negative distortions through building confidence and skills. Teaching the child and parent’s relaxation breathing, effective emotion expression, and cognitive coping skills prepare the family for modules deemed difficult because sharing the traumatic experience involves painful emotions. Consequently, processing the child’s trauma nearing the end of treatment allows the counselor and family to build a strong therapeutic relationship in multiple sessions prior to the trauma narrative and processing the traumatic experience. This trauma model provides hope for traumatized individuals to take back the
& Li, 2001). With the brain developing at its fastest rate in childhood, it is especially
There are many types of trauma that people experience everyday in our world. People can do awful things to each other, including violence, abuse, and neglect. Accidents happen that leave us feeling distressed. Some threaten our sense of safety and connection. These are all experiences that take time to heal and recover from. We must find a way to reconcile the life we had before it happened and the life as we know it after a tragic event. The pain of the memories alone can be devastating. It takes time and support to find a sense of self again, to feel safe in the world again. But what if the trauma happened before life ever really began? Is there any lasting effect on a person that was merely an infant when the trauma was experienced?
Since beginning the Early Childhood Trauma project little has not surprised me. When we first discussed the project and learned that the men volunteered to participate in this study due to personal desire I was shocked. Maybe it is due to my personal biases, but I would never expect these men, who have mainly negative experiences with institutions to participate in an institutionally based intervention project. The men volunteering for this project indicated that I should attempt to limit guiding my process by preconceived notions and instead be as partial as possible. My lack of understanding, misconceptions and absence of personal experience that relates to these topics no doubt is partially why I find the majority of the information surprising. However, the experience of our first meeting, which I am examining here, was surprising for a different set of reasons. There were several moments during our meeting with DeAndre, Luis, Angle, Junito and Ron I would classify as 'disorienting', and I will reflect and synthesize them in the following paper. They apply to atmosphere, unforeseen commonalities and knowledge,
ACEs and the Brain: Decreased Brain Volumes With Higher ACES and the Role of Sex
This article is recent, published within a peer-reviewed journal. The author-conducted research is empirical, qualitative and phenomenologically designed, uniquely enabling children to describe their play therapy experiences and identify factors that influence these experiences.
Signs of repetition include nightmares and flashbacks. The authors then discuss trauma resolution. They make the important point that children’s trauma must be discussed by direct disclosure in order for them to resolve their issues. Simple play therapy, these authors believe, is not adequate to do this.
Child therapy differs greatly from adult therapy in a way where in adult therapy, a person is expected to talk about their feelings while the therapist sits there to listen and take notes. With child therapy, there is no way to do that without the child getting bored about sitting still and talking about their feelings. According to child therapist Douglas Green, child therapy should be done in the language of play. Children are more expressive about their feelings and they grow a lot more when they are playing games, with toys, engaging in activities, through drawing, and some other forms of art (Green, 2012). In other words, the child will recover and grow more from the divorce of their parents or the death of their dog or family issues in general if they link up with a therapist and be able to express themselves by engaging in any type of play, than talking about their feelings. By doing this, a therapist will get more feedback from the child instead of forcing them to just sit still and ask them questions. Play therapy, along with other methods specifically designed for child therapy, focuses on the child’s emotional well-being, it serves as a healthy way to express their concerns and feelings, and it helps improve their relationship with those around them especially their families.
“American Psychiatric Association defines trauma as an event that represents a threat to life or personal integrity. Trauma can also be experienced when children are faced with a caregiver who acts erratically, emotional and /or physical neglect, and exploitation” (Maltby, L., & Hall, T. 2012. p. 304). Trauma comes in many different forms including: war, rape, kidnapping, abuse, sudden injury, and
Exposure to domestic violence can impact the behavioral, social-emotional, and cognitive development of children. Children who are exposed to domestic violence tend to exhibit more aggressive behaviors with their peers, show signs of depression, and have a difficult time forming relationships (Brown & Bzostek, 2003). Cognitively, studies have shown that children exposed to domestic violence may have difficulties learning and concentrating in school, have difficulties with conflict resolution skills, and may believe in male privilege, (Brown & Bzostek, 2003). Concentration is difficult for children exposed to domestic violence because of how unsafe they may feel in their surroundings. They may be preoccupied with the violence that is
The news consists of new and repeating stories everyday whether it involves something life changing or something just to lighten up someone’s day such as a baby laughing gone viral. There is one topic that consistently makes its way into the spotlight; domestic violence. Domestic violence is defined as: violent or aggressive behavior within the home; typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or a partner. As this definition is being analyzed, many situations may graze our minds, especially recently. The question is, does domestic violence have an effect on children. Although many people seem to believe that they are not influenced easily, it is proven that a person retains and remembers the most as an infant growing into a child and those whom have experienced domestic violence second handily grow into experiencing it first handily.