healing through play
Play Therapy Based Interventions
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy allows children to communicate their thoughts and feelings through their natural language of play (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005; Urquiza, 2010).
History
Near the beginning of the 1900's, therapists recognized the importance of play within a therapeutic setting when working with young clients. It was acknowledged early on that children's therapy is distinctly different from adult therapy (Landreth, 2012). As a result, primarily within the 1900's, therapists worked indirectly with young clients observing children's patterns and behaviours. Major growth was made in the 1930's when David Levy introduced a structure play therapy approach. The client was encouraged to participate in free play while the therapist introduced materials to re-enact a traumatic event, ultimately allowing the child to play out their experience (Landreth, 2012).
Jesse Taft and Frederick Allen too began working with children and therapeutic play during the 1930s creating relationship play therapy with a focus largely around the relationship between the client and therapist (Landreth, 2012).
A shift was observed within the 1940's when Carl Rogers developed non-directive play therapy, also known as client centered or person-centered therapy. During 1955 Melanie Klein began to utilize play within therapy with children under the age of six, additionally, Anna Freud also began working therapeutically with play (Landreth, 2012). Clearly play therapy has grown significantly over the last century and continues to gain awareness and development.
Treatment Methods
Child-centered play therapy models or non-directive play, use a client centered approach which allows children to freely express their feelings and thoughts at their own pace (Bratton, Ray Edwards, & Landreth, 2009; Knot, Landreth, & Giordano, 1998). Non-directive play therapists view play as a child's guide, where children are able to work through their problems and emotions (Bratton et al., 2009). Non-directive interventions empower children to solve their own problems using play, ultimately reducing children's somatic complaints, and behavioural problems (Bratton, et al., 2009; Knot et al., 1998).
Alternatively, directive play therapy techniques uses structured activities in most therapy sessions (Jones, Casado, & Robinson, 2003). The activities lead the child's play and can encourage children to gain various skills including understanding feelings, positive coping strategies, and working through grief, trauma, and problem behaviours. The activities are chosen based on the client's interests, needs, and abilities (Jones et al., 2003).
What is best?
Various treatment methodologies and techniques have been created and are used to support clients individual needs (Bratton et al., 2005). Studies have examined play therapy treatments in hopes to discover which interventions are more effective for clients (Bratton et al., 2005; Bratton et al., 2009; Kenney-Nozska, Schaefer, & Homeyer, 2012; Knot et al., 1998; Urquiza, 2010). It is important to note, no one-size fits all approach exists within the play therapy model, and counsellors should not try to force clients to fit into one particular model. Counsellors should utilize both directive and non-directive strategies which are designed to meet the individualized needs of the client (Kenney-Noziska et al., 2012). By preparing a professional toolbox which includes both a non-directive and directive approach, counsellors can support clients according to their age, personal needs, and individual goals.
