Play therapy technique Sample Essay.
Play therapy technique talking feeling doing game
A description of the method or technique
This therapy game is played like a standard board game. The child and therapist place their playing pieces on Start, then take turns throwing the dice, and moving their pawn along a path of squares. Depending upon the color of the square on which the piece lands, the player selects a TALKING CARD, FEELING CARD, or DOING CARD.
Client characteristics and who benefits from each play therapy
The game is of value in group psychotherapy(with up to 4-5 players), in the treatment of learning-disabled children
Goals
The questions and directions in each set of cards include items that are not anxiety provoking (How old are you?) to items that are moderately anxiety provoking (Everyone in the class was laughing at a boy. What had happened?). If the child responds they receive a token reward chip. The winner is the player who has accumulated the most chips after the players have reached Finish.
Benefits
The child’s responses are generally revealing of those psychological issues that are most Important at that time. The engaging game format utilizing token reinforcement enhances the child’s interest and elicits spontaneous revelations.
Main concepts or stages
The information gained provides diagnostically meaningful insights into the child’s psychodynamics, and is of therapeutic value because each response can serve as a catalyst for therapeutic interchanges.
Basic skills and strategies of the therapist
No special skills required to use the game however the therapist needs to be able to read further int the answers from the questions
Required training and supervision
Very easy to understand game
Media used
Board game and group therapy
Play therapy technique Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT)
A description of the method or technique
This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual’s treatment: Regular, ongoing parent consultation is part of the CCPT protocol in clinical mental health settings; however, CCPT has been delivered in school settings with limited parent participation.
Client characteristics and who benefits from each play therapy
CCPT is a developmentally responsive, play-based mental health intervention for young children ages 3 to 10 who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioral and relational disorders.
Goals
Develop a more positive self-concept
Assume greater self-responsibility
Become more self-directing
Become more self-accepting
Become more self-reliant
Engage in self-determined decision making
Experience a feeling of control
Become sensitive to the process of coping
Develop an internal source of evaluation
Become more trusting of self
Benefits
Establish a Therapeutic Working Relationship with Child:
Therapists provide a playroom with carefully selected toys to match the developmentally appropriate communication style of children, which is play, thereby supporting the message that the counselor seeks to understand the whole child in the context of their world.
The therapist aims to sensitively understand a child from the child’s viewpoint so they can feel fully accepted, safe, and understood by the therapist.
By communicating sensitive understanding to child, the child can experience a sense of freedom to express self fully and process inner experiences through play and the therapeutic relationship
Main concepts or stages
Foundational Principles:
Children possess an innate capacity to strive toward growth and maturity. The play therapy relationship facilitates the development of that capacity.
Play is the children’s most natural medium of communication.
Play is the concrete expression of the child and is the child’s way of coping with their world.
Child’s feelings are often inaccessible at a verbal level and play provides a means through which conflicts can be resolved and feeling can be communicated.
Basic skills and strategies of the therapist
Licensed mental health provider who has received extensive training and supervision in the CCPT protocol which can include approved university coursework or postgraduate certification in CCPT (https://cpt.unt.edu/child-centered-play-therapy-certification)
Required training and supervision
There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program, and there is training available for this program.
Media used
There are no pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT).
Play therapy expressive art therapy technique
A description of the method or technique
Expressive art therapy can lead clients of all ages to a better understanding of their unconscious through interpretation of developmental phases and of psychic structure as shown in their art work.
Client characteristics and who benefits from each play therapy
Expressive art therapy is a means for accessing hidden resources and provides clients with a vehicle for expressing their internal conflicts and to do so throughout their life span. These therapies also help in the study of the ego
Goals
Finger painting is a form of projective play and is viewed within the context of the therapeutic situation. It is introduced to the client by describing the process but without suggesting color or themes. Finger paints and paper are made available with directions of”paint a picture of something important to you, or of a dream, or of your family doing something together”
Benefits
The consistent use of finger painting has proved invaluable in treating a child with behavior problems and neuroses In the therapeutic setting, it allows observation of personality and motor skills. It facilitates the emergence of the child’s fantasies and inner world, and acts both as evidence of ego strength and as an evaluative measure of progress.
Main concepts or stages
Finger painting is a form of projective play and is viewed within the context of the therapeutic situation. It is introduced to the client by describing the process but without suggesting color or themes.
Basic skills and strategies of the therapist
The counselor observes how the client applies himself or herself, the rate and rhythm of the work, colors used, types of lines, and so forth. When the picture is complete, the client is first asked to tell a story of the painting and then to discuss if anything in the painting reminds him or her of something in real life.
Required training and supervision
In the therapeutic setting, it allows observation of personality and motor skills. It facilitates the emergence of the child’s fantasies and inner world, and acts both as evidence of ego strength and as an evaluative measure of progress.
Media used
Finger painting supplies and art media like an easel
Play therapy expressive art therapy technique using Computer Technology in Expressive Arts Therapy Practice
A description of the method or technique
Creativity software and the Internet can be valuable tools in the practice of expressive arts therapy (EAT). They offer novel options, stimulate fascination, and hold potential benefits for a wide variety of clients and the therapeutic relationship and process.
Client characteristics and who benefits from each play therapy
There are a number of populations that may benefit from use of computer technology in therapeutic and educational settings. One case study demonstrated that Nintendo/computer game use in psychotherapy helped a young child socialize,
Goals
Many mental health professionals are making use of computer technology. Technology has begun to infuse the professional training of graduate-level photo therapists, and art therapists of all types are now able to use computers and digital editing programs in their practices
Benefits
Creativity software and Internet sites can be useful in EAT not only because they are easily accessible and user friendly, but also because they offer innumerable options and unique opportunities for creative expression. Their use can facilitate the therapeutic relationship and process for various client populations.
Main concepts or stages
counselors can easily incorporate creativity software and Internet site use into their repertoire. Most professionals have access to a computer for professional use. Counselors can opt to purchase affordable creativity software, such as shareware. Shareware is either free or offered as a trial before purchase
Basic skills and strategies of the therapist
Using computer technology may offer benefits to the counselor, the therapeutic relationship, and the process itself. Art creation using computer technology may allow a counselor to glimpse into a person’s mental and creative processing, meaning making,
Required training and supervision
To create a sacred, safe space for the depth of EAT work, counselors must plan for the entire process of a session, one part of the process being actually creating art. From organization to choosing specific programs, there are many suggestions and guidelines for use of computer technology related to artistic creation in therapy.
Media used
Computer and software program
References
Evans, Sarah. 2012. “Using Computer Technology in Expressive Arts Therapy Practice: A Proposal for Increased Use.” Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 7 (1): 49–63. doi:10.1080/15401383.2012.660127.
Synder, B. A. (1997). Expressive art therapy techniques: Healing the soul through creativity. Journal of Humanistic Education & Development, 36(2), 74. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2164-4683.1997.tb00375.x