The Role Of Play Therapy On Trauma Victims

Although play therapy is developmentally appropriate for children ages 3–11 years (Kottman, 2011); an examination of individual development is necessary to determine how the child is functioning (Ray, 2011).Apart from the mental or physical functioning of the children, the readiness to change and growth is also an essential part to be assessed by the therapist throughout the entire therapeutic process. In Rogers’ (1961, as cited in Wilkins, 2010) research on the readiness of clients in the therapy process, Rogers conceptualized a continuum. Concerning children in play therapy, they are usually referred by others; mostly the parents are the one who seek help voluntarily. Most involuntary children and preadolescents usually are not self-referred,

Haslam, D., Harris, S. (2011). Integrating Play and Family Therapy Methods: A Survey of Play

When a child has experienced a crisis or trauma, the play therapist should consider intensive play therapy in which the child is scheduled for play therapy sessions two or three times a week for the first two weeks in order to speed up the therapeutic process (Landreth, 2012).

play therapy experiences for children to help reduce anxiety and fear. Additionally, they can help

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.

The effectiveness of play therapy comes from the integration of play based skills into the day-to-day family life interactions.

Play is a way for children to learn about their environment and how interaction occurs within. It is through trial and error that children are able to create options; follow their own interests and show “independence in thought and actions” using their knowledge and understanding (Moyles, 2005, p.3). Children develop resilience though play. However for a number of children can experience stressful occurrences during their lives and play can often be restricted. Therefore the play worker’s role in supporting children’s play is a crucial measure towards children's development. For those that work with children require the dexterity to prompt and contribute to children’s play, which can be seen as a principle aspect of therapeutic alliance.

“Dibs in search of self” is a book written by Virginia Axline that offers a case study to describe the practice of child centered play therapy. Play therapy is a type of therapy for children, where they are able to self-heal through expressing and processing their experiences in a non-directive, natural, and uninhibited way. The book is centered on the struggles of a young boy named Dibs, who enters therapy with Dr. Axline, and begins his journey to establish his own identity, confidence, and self-acceptance. Throughout the book, Dr. Axline shows how play can be a therapeutic experience for a child because it offers a safe space and secure relationship between child and adult. It is a space where children are allowed to use play to communicate

In discussing the difficulty in organizing his book, Golden (2002) explains, “It would be nice if I could pigeonhole each case as illustrative of a single counseling method, but real-life cases just don’t work that way” (p. x). MacGill (2017) agrees with this assessment by Golden (2002), which she demonstrates in her self-described “eclectic approach to play therapy.”

In the selected case study, The mode of therapeutic intervention will take the Gestalt Play Therapy focus. The interaction between Jacob and I will be an open dialogue with straightforward caring, warmth, acceptance, and self-responsibility that specifically focuses on inclusion, with me fully present in the experience of Jacob, where I will not judge, analyze, or interpret what is observed. My presence refers to expressing observations, preferences, feelings, personal experience, and thoughts to Jacob. Commitment to dialogue will present the opportunity to encourage a sense of connection between Jacob and me. Our dialogue will be active and nonverbal or verbal. It can be any modality that expresses and moves

Taken together, these studies suggest that child centered play therapy is an effective intervention to decrease the clients presenting concerns. Continued CCPT may reduce the client’s acting out behaviors including yelling and hitting his peers (Paone & Douma, 2009), reduce the number and frequency of his anger outbursts (Bratton, et al., 2005; Bratton, et al., 2013; Ritzi, et al.,

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.

It was conducted in order to gauge the effectiveness of play therapy. To analyze the data, hierarchical linear modeling was used. It was believed by the conductors of this study that all of the usable and available studies on the effectiveness of play therapy were generalized using an amalgamated meta-analysis. This meta-analysis was conducted on studies that focused on play therapy’s effect on children. Certain facts were discovered. When comparing play therapy outcomes to non-play therapy outcomes, the results for the difference in effectiveness between the two therapies were not significantly different. A variable that was considered was the number of sessions that each child had. It was discovered that the amount of therapy sessions had a curvilinear relationship on the effectiveness of the therapy session. This relationship was evident up to 30 therapy sessions and then from there it showed no difference in effect. The most effective number of play therapy sessions was 20. Having fewer sessions, such as 10, would result in negative outcome due to the child’s inability to resolve their unexpressed feelings. Other variables that are often considered by researchers and therapist as having effect but actually have no effect include age of the child, sex of the child, the training of the therapist, and the presenting of the

Ray, Bratton, Rhine, and Jones. (2001). The Effectiveness of Play Therapy: Resopnding to the Critics. International Journal of Play Therapy, 10(1), 85-108.

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.