Play therapy in elementary schools

Abstract

Because the child's world is a world of action and activity, play therapy provides the psychologist in elementary-school settings with an opportunity to enter the child's world. In the play therapy relationship, toys are like the child's words and play is the child's language. Therefore, children play out their problems, experiences, concerns, and feelings in a manner that is similar to the process of talk therapy. This article provides practical information for developing a play therapy program, a discussion of the skills needed by the psychologist, how to involve parents and teachers in the treatment process, and a review of impressive effect sizes found in play therapy research studies. C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. DEVELOPMENTAL BASIS FOR USING PLAY THERAPYThe use of play therapy is based on the developmental understanding of children and the agreement among early developmental leaders regarding the importance of play in a child's life (Erikson, 1963;Piaget, 1962;Vygotsky, 1966). According to Piaget (1962), most children on the elementary-school level function at the two stages identified as preoperational (2-7 years) and concrete operational (8-11 years). These stages are approximately identified with chronological ages, but it is relatively understood that development is specific to the individual. At the preoperational stage, a child is acquiring the skill of language where symbols are used to mentally represent objects. Also, in this stage, a child's thinking is rigid and limited to how things appear at the time. This is the stage of magical thinking in which children create implausible explanations for things that they do not understand. Their play behaviors become increasingly imaginary, but will increase in complexity of make-believe play to encompass emerging cognitive patterns. Internally, the child is improving understanding and knowledge, but externally, the child still lacks the ability to communicate this enhanced way of working within the world. Play is the child's most natural way of communicating this internal awareness of self and others. Wilson and Ryan (2005) emphasized that symbolic play during this stage allows children to freely assimilate their experiences without environmental constraints. Such assimilation, although usually outside the child's awareness, leads to substantive change.In the concrete operational stage, children have the ability to reason logically and organize thoughts coherently. They are able to manipulate ideas and accept logical society rules. However, they can only think about actual physical objects and still cannot maneuver abstract reasoning. They are unable to express certain complicated emotions, such as guilt or resentment, because of the need for abstract thought to understand such emotions. For those children operating in the concrete stage, play helps to bridge the gap between concrete experience and abstract thought. Assimilation through play for the older child involves an emerging awareness of thought processes that correlate with substantive change (Wi...

School-Based Group Interventions for Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

“…Through play therapy, school mental health professionals can enter the world of elementary school students by using children's play and toys as a common language (Landreth et al 2009). The Piagetian perspective of development emphasizes the power of play as a natural form of communication for children to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences (Sweeney and Homeyer 1999).…”

Application of Standardized Observation Form in School Counselling in Taiwan: Exploratory Study with Children Exhibiting Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Concerns

“…The reflective nonverbal responses included the following: (a) leaning forward toward the child at all times and maintaining open posture; (b) appearing interested in the child throughout the play session; (c) appearing comfortable and remaining relaxed; (d) matching the level of affect displayed by child through tone and rate of speech; and (e) conveying a sense of genuineness by matching words and affect. Additionally, the reflective verbal responses involved a number of specific counselling skills: (a) utilizing short, interactive, and personalized responses; (b) tracking children's play behaviors; (c) reflecting content; (d) reflecting feeling; (e) facilitating decision-making and returning responsibility; (f) using esteem-building responses and encouragement; and (g) facilitating the relationship (Carmichael, 2006;Landreth, 2012;Landreth, Ray, & Bratton, 2009 ).…”

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“…Similar to the collateral effects, play therapy brings significant improvement in play skills of autistic children by increasing their social interactions and decreasing their inappropriate behaviours. A study conducted by Landreth et al (2009) stated that play therapy encourages children to express themselves more openly, which enhance their cognitive development. Therefore, play therapy has been recognized as a helpful modality that should be implemented in the schools for the children in their early ages.…”