Play therapy is a way to help children with problems cope with their problems. This method is used as a tool to communicate between the child and the therapist.
The focus of the game on play therapy
There are general principles that govern all types of game interventions and do not depend on the point of view or specific method in this field. He calls it play in the presence of another person. The child who enters the play therapy program actively plays and responds to the complex issues of the self-environment, expanding them into self-directed currents. When the game is divided into non-judgmental play therapy, the negative effects of anger, pressure, sadness, embarrassment, and humiliation can be healed with the help of play and the resulting communication.
The game world and the world of reality
Children who are called to play therapy choose the game in their own way. They play the baton with toys, objects or other devices in the environment. The connection between the game world and the real world at such a time is not very clear.
Different methods of play therapy
There are many different ways to play therapy. The choice of these methods depends on the context in which the intervention takes place, as well as the professional and theoretical perspectives of the therapist and the child's needs. In this section, three models of play therapy interventions are examined. There are also psychoanalytic perspectives on play therapy, but because these methods are more commonly used by psychoanalysts, they are not considered in this section. However, some aspects of these theories are discussed in While teaching play therapy, they are necessarily examined or used in the case studies and interventions section, but they cannot be considered as part of the training courses in play therapy. Carroll believes that play therapy is a continuum of the free model. The guidance begins and leads to specific techniques along with specific predetermined processes. Free play therapy emphasizes the child's ability to choose toys and items that best reflect his emotions and feelings. The child uses these tools to discover internal and external experiences and solve problems based on his abilities and time. According to Carol, most therapists need to master the principles and methods of child-centered play therapy, as this method allows children to make their own choices and thus perform the suggested exercises in the manger. Many therapists use methods and techniques. They suggest a more focused and controllable approach, such as pre-determined intervention to enhance the general ability to express emotions in children with specific treatment goals, such as support for parental loss and understanding the meaning of loss. it is suggested .
Cognitive-behavioral play therapy
The play defines cognitive-behavioral play therapy as the coordination of behavioral and cognitive interventions in the play therapy paradigm. This process creates a theoretical framework based on the principles of cognitive behavior within a developmental model. Theoretical knowledge is based on the cognitive model of emotional disorders.
Unguided play therapy
Unguided play therapy is based on Rogers' therapeutic model that Axline used as an unguided play therapy model. According to Rogers, the role of the therapist is to create the right conditions for self-fulfillment. The therapist must be genuinely creative, that is, openly preventing the client from becoming defensive. The therapist should be intimate but should not be emotionally involved in the client's individual problems, showing empathy helps the client to believe that their problems are understood.
In any case, unguided and free play therapy does not emphasize the child's environment and the child is not considered as part of society, family, caregivers, school and the wider environment. In this method, the emphasis is on the child's ability to find a specific and appropriate solution, himself. It may be difficult for some children to communicate with an adult solely at the request of an adult. Such a one-sided approach may impede complete and appropriate communication and impede children's sense of freedom and play.
Targeted play therapy
All models of play therapy are partly goal-oriented, the goal is for the child and the therapist to play the game in order to solve the problems that have caused the child problems. Items such as the therapist's choice of toys, age, and personality of the therapist are all components that indicate whether play therapy is unguided and free, purposeful, or participatory. In all models of play therapy, the therapist may offer suggestions such as a topic for drawing, or a game that could be the goal of a session.
Cognitive behavioral play therapy
This model is based on the interaction of cognition, emotions, behavior and physiology. Disordered behavior is considered as a kind of irrational thinking and treatment is based on cognitive changes. When using this model for children, the emphasis is on helping the child formulate thoughts that help him adjust to living conditions, the goal is not to make children think like adults. In this method, there is a lot of emphasis on the involvement of the child in the treatment process compared to other behavioral therapies for young children
Six features associated with cognitive-behavioral play therapy are:
1- Cognitive behavioral play therapy engages the child through play with therapy. The child is active and issues such as resistance and disobedience can be addressed.
2- Cognitive-behavioral play therapy emphasizes on the thoughts, feelings, fantasies and environment of the child. In this way, various topics such as childhood phobias, lack of stool control, etc. can be emphasized and the child's feelings about the problem can also be considered.
3- Cognitive-behavioral play therapy can create strategies or strategies to create behaviors and adaptive thoughts and teach new strategies to the child to deal with emotions and situations.
4- Cognitive-behavioral play therapy has a goal-oriented construction and is not completely open and unlimited. The therapist works with the child and family to set goals and guide the child toward those goals.
5- Cognitive-behavioral play therapy uses experimental techniques. For example, it can be said that patterning is done through hand puppets and therapist development.
6-Cognitive-behavioral play therapy provides the possibility of experimental testing of the treatment process and the technique used can be evaluated and it is determined which treatment by which person will be more effective for a particular child and under what circumstances his special problem will be solved.
Structured group play therapy (guidance)
O'Connor has introduced a method called structured group play ecosystem therapy that includes the social, physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of a child's problems. The primary function of this group is to improve the child's social interaction with peers, a situation in which group members meet in a room with three sections. A section like the living room where quiet activities and snacking are done. In this part, the child is expected to have a verbal communication with the rest of the group and to follow simple and basic principles. In the other part, a table and a number of chairs are placed for the group, and this part is used for round table games and artistic activities, and the main emphasis is on participation, cooperation, and production-oriented orientation through artistic activities. A large part of the space is also used for activities related to large movements and games, in which cooperation between people is desired.
The role of the therapist in the group is to shape the group and select the activities that should be done in the group. It is also up to him to determine the group's goals and treatment plans during the sessions.
Branch play therapy
This intervention is a short-term method and is a combination of play therapy and family therapy. The therapist educates and supervises the family, and parents hold child-centered play therapy sessions with their children. Most of these sessions are performed at home without the direct supervision of a therapist. The therapist and parents will hold periodic discussion sessions to address potential family problems, which will help improve the skills acquired and extend them to everyday life. This method is explained by Van Fleet for families with chronic diseases.
Collaborative play therapy
One of the methods of intervention is the model of cooperation between the child and the therapist, in this method, everything that happens in the playroom is made with the help of the child and the therapist. This method is based on the theory of social structure and treatment through dialogue. In this method, how to grow is discussed based on the stories that the therapist and the child tell each other or the stories that other people tell to the child and the therapist. Collaborative play therapy also emphasizes the important fact that the child is not just a single, isolated element but part of an ecological system. Discovering a child's identity is done using the developmental game paradigm.
Game room
Because children are noisy, the playroom should be located in a part of the institution, school or office that has the least possible disturbance or distraction for other clients and staff. If a parent or other child hears the sound of the playroom, the child may feel that his or her privacy is being violated and that his or her therapeutic relationship is being damaged.
Dimensions of the game room
Rooms that are too small or too large are not suitable for this purpose. In larger rooms, the therapist may have to chase the child in the room in order to stay close, which deprives the child of the opportunity to approach the therapist and direct play therapy.
Game room features
This room should be secluded and out of sight of others and the interior walls or door should have no windows. Having a window in the exterior wall is unlikely to be a problem, but it should have curtains that can be pulled out or covered with shutters or a back door. The best way is to have no windows.
Square vinyl flooring is the best floor covering because it is durable and can be easily washed and damaged parts can be easily and cheaply replaced. The use of any type of carpet should be avoided. It is difficult to keep it clean. Sand grains cannot be completely pulled out of the lint, and spilling paint on the carpet can be really awful. In playrooms and playgrounds where no carpet can be used, a large piece of solid flooring can be thrown under the painting tripod. However, it may seem to children that they need to be careful and clean. The carpet can also convey such a message to children.
The walls of the playroom should be covered with washable glaze. In the case of walls, as in other parts of the playroom, ease of cleaning is the most important issue. Very bright, dark and dull colors should not be used. The whitish cream color is suitable because it makes the space happy and bright.
If financial resources allow, the addition of a one-way mirror and wiring to hear sounds for monitoring and training may also be considered. One-way mirrors can be used to film sessions without distracting the children in the room. Usually, the presence of a video camera in the playroom causes noise and exaggerated behavior in children, and if the therapist has to take care of an expensive camera, his stress will increase
