Children have limited means to verbally express themselves. Garry Landreth, author of Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship, describes play therapy as a vehicle for communication. Landreth (2012) says for children, play is the language and toys act as the words. For therapists in the playroom, the manner in which they facilitate conversation is crucial.
This author will investigate how individual play therapy evolved and how it is conceptualized using a child-center play therapy (CCPT) approach compared to an Adlerian play therapy (AdPT) approach.
Play Therapy
Play has roots deeply entrenched in history. Philosopher Plato is quoted as early as 429 B.C. as saying "you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of
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The Association for Play Therapy (APT) simplifies play therapy as "a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the "language" of the child - play" ("Why Play Therapy? - Association For Play Therapy", 2016). APT (2016) also differentiates play therapy from regular play by terming play therapy as a systematic and therapeutic. One of the more popular and most common approaches to play therapy is derived from Carl Roger 's person-centered therapy. This therapy is a nondirective approach referred to as child-centered play therapy …show more content…
The CCPT approach is effective across many different presenting problems, is most beneficial to children 8 years or younger, and does have some cultural implications as Lin and Bratton (2015) found.
Adlerian Play Therapy
Adlerian theory 's lifeblood is in encouragement. This theory looks at individuals with a holistic view and says individuals strive for superiority that is fueled by their inferior feelings. In Adlerian play therapy (AdPT), the therapist invests in the power of play to create a therapeutic bond based in shared experiences (Kottman, 2001). Terry Kottman developed AdPT as a way to integrate the principles of Adlerian with play concepts and skills and it is regarded as one of the top three approaches to play therapy (Meany-Walen, Kottman, Bullis & Dillman, 2015).
Adlerian as a theory is eclectic, but at its core the goal of AdPT is to celebrate the child 's uniqueness and provide focused encouragement on abilities and strengths. AdPT integrates both directive and nondirective elements to facilitate
It has been shown that play is very important to a childâ€TMs learning. Learning through play helps a child make positive contribution.
Play is pleasurable, has no extrinsic goals, is spontaneous and voluntary, involves active engagement, and has certain systematic relations as to what is not play (Thompson, Stanford, 1981). In the course of play, children are learning, growing, gaining new skills, and testing new experiences (Thompson, Stanford, 1981). My cousin played with the Child Life Specialists as part of his treatment in order to stay distracted from the pain in his limbs and especially the IV. The distractions encouraged him to use his limbs where he had earlier refused. They used the in-room television to play games while he was on the IV.
In the book Dibs in Search of Self, Virginia M,Axline brings forth that it is very important to pay attention to the psychology of children in today’s world and they should be supported emotionally and mentally by their parents. She also portrays the way in which the play therapy sessions should be conducted. The play therapy session depends both on the therapist and the child and that every moment and step during the session is essential for child. The book is an educational and heart- warming therapeutic tale of child psychology. Dr. Axline maintains her emotional distance from Dibs but understand him with patience and helps him to be confident, responsible and
Also, play helps children to develop their physical, mental, social and emotionally. If children and young people have access to good play provision then it many benefits for them, these may be: • It will help to increase the children and young people’s awareness, self-esteem and self-respect. • It will give them opportunity to mix with other children whatever their background or ability are. •
The key features of an effective play based learning environment are that children able to play uninterrupted for long periods of time and are able to choose from a range of resources and areas, letting them choose activities on their own accord. Children are able to develop a wide variety of skills by having lots of various resources to choose from. 2.5 Explain why both adult initiated and child initiated play and learning activities are important for children from birth to five years In an Early Years setting we allow children to participate in child initiated play. By allowing children to choose which resources they would like to play with let’s them explore their favourite type of activity, and have a sense of independence.
Even if you’re not involved in their play it offers a sense of reassurance to children. You can also support a play based approach to learning by encouraging children to play with things they may not have played with before e.g playing with the resource yourself alongside the child. If a child sees what you can do with the resource then they are more likely to eventually participate along side you, copying what you are doing. 4.3 Evaluate different materials and equipment to support play based learning opportunities for children in their early years
Introduction Developmental psychology makes an attempt to comprehend the types and sources of advancement in children’s cognitive, social, and language acquisition skills. The child development theories put forward by both Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson have had substantial impacts on contemporary play therapy. In this essay, I aim to highlight the contribution of these two theorists in their study of various developmental stages, the differences and similarities in their theories, and their contributions to the theory and practice of play therapy. Jean Piaget
As a therapist it is important to know the different types of therapy and choose the ones that fit best with you. Adlerian Therapy is also known as Individual Psychology. This form of therapy is named after Alfred Adler. Adler believed that as humans we all strive for perfection and we push forward trying to make
Children are able to develop and practise motor skills and bodily movements through physical plays. During some cognitive games, such as board games and educational toys, children can improve their mental fitness and brain function. Play also provides opportunities for children to make friends, to negotiate with others, and to develop their communication skills. It helps extend language and improve children’s social ability. I believed that play is essential to children’s education that cannot be minimized and separated from learning.
In general, playing is the mutual popular activity among children because playing is fun and flexible, it can be personal, with the presence of others or with the social presence of others (De Kort & Ijsselsteijn, 2008). The researchers and experts believe that the power of play has an important psychological role in children’s development, as reinforced by Sutton-Smith (1993, p. 279) using “play as progress” and “play ethos” by Peter Smith (1988, p. 166) both cited in Pellegrini (1995). Goldstein (2012) stated that pretend play is one of the common types of interactive social play among 2- to 6-years-old children. He also mentioned that as children grow, the nature and function of pretend play will also change from simple imitation to more
It is important that children are able to receive holistic care while in a play environment, both inside and outside. Some of the principles which would apply to both indoor and outdoor play include a child centred practice, ensuring the child 's welfare and safety, promoting a child 's rights, and enabling a child to reach their full potential. It is important that we provide a child centred practice, as it promotes a child 's learning and development through play. By having a child centred approach, we should support the children giving them guidance, but to allow the opportunities for them to learn independently, instead of taking over an activity and showing them. It encourages us as practitioners, to encourage children to explore and to make their own
Play therapy refers to a method of psychotherapy with children in which a therapist uses a child's fantasies and the symbolic meanings of his or her play as a medium for understanding and communication with the child. The aim of play therapy is to decrease those behavioural and emotional difficulties that interfere significantly with a child's normal functioning. Inherent in this aim is improved communication and understanding between the child and his parents. Less obvious
The Industrial Revolution did highlight the poor treatment of children and bring to the forefront the morality of allowing children to work such long hours and subsequently depriving them of an education. This essay will focus on the work of Jean Piaget and Sigmund Freud outlining the contributions of both theorists to the child development debate and to the field of Play Therapy. Both theorists have contributed to the field of play therapy. Freud used play therapy to help a child with a horse phobia. He believed that the child could play out their subconscious feeling and desires and
The basic theme outlined by Dr. Axline is how play therapy can help a child psychologist to help the child who has been in isolation lead to his self-discovery. The book holds that through self-knowledge one gains valuable life experience and grows as a complete new human being. The book is important because of its contribution to play therapy. Although, it also tells the story of how Dibs goes from being thought “retarded and hostilely rejecting” to being a “brilliant boy”. Dibs in Search of Self is an inspirational
Introduction Developmental psychology makes an attempt to comprehend the types and sources of advancement in children’s cognitive, social, and language acquisition skills. The pioneering work done by early child development theorists has had a significant influence on the field of psychology as we know it today. The child development theories put forward by both Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson have had substantial impacts on contemporary child psychology, early childhood education, and play therapy. In this essay, I aim to highlight the contribution of these two theorists in their study of various developmental stages, the differences and similarities in their theories, and their contributions to the theory and practice of play therapy.