Play Therapy Process Research Articles

Addressing Diversity Issues in Play Therapy.

Globalization is upon us, resulting in almost daily exposure to and interaction with highly diverse populations. To practice ethical play therapy, play therapists must become culturally competent. Play therapists are called on both to address cultural issues in therapy and to facilitate children’s pride in, and preservation of, their culture. Despite this, the existing literature on cultural competence in psychotherapy has rarely been applied to play therapy practice. The author’s goal is to do just that so as to provide play therapists with a model relevant to their work. Play therapists must first fully understand the concept of culture and its potential impact on their own lives, the lives of their clients, and the play therapy process. Second, play therapists need to develop adequate levels of culturally related awareness, skills, and knowledge. Last, they can ensure the work they do is more culturally sensitive and competent by following basic guidelines. “The community surrounding the school at which I work is experiencing a significant influx of new immigrants. As a group, they are experiencing many adjustment difficulties and the children are being referred to me for play therapy. I have no experience with this population and feel terribly incompetent. How do I even approach working with children from backgrounds so different from my own?” This situation is being repeated at schools and clinics across the United States as well as many other countries as the speed of globalization slowly but surely increases. Play therapists find themselves in the very difficult position not only of needing to understand the impact of a particular culture on the children they see but of having to negotiate between the dominant culture, the family’s culture of origin, and their rapidly acculturating child clients. However, the existing literature on therapists’ cultural competence in psychotherapy has rarely been applied to the practice of play therapy. This article presents some issues for play therapists working with diverse populations to consider, some suggestions on how therapists can improve their cultural sensitivity, and some guidelines for engaging in the practice of culturally competent play therapy. Over approximately the past two decades, there has been continuous progress in recognizing the importance of having all mental health professionals develop multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills to the ethical practice of psychotherapy. In a report prepared by a task force of the American Psychological Association (APA), this value was taken a step further in the statement “[we] call upon psychologists to recognize their professional role in an ever-evolving pluralistic society: to value, affirm and celebrate the richness of individual and cultural diversity within society” (Fouad, Arredondo, Ivey, & D’Andrea, 2002 p. 292). It is not sufficient for therapists to be aware of a client’s cultural differences; they must guard against the tendency of traditional, Western forms of therapy to gradually assimilate the client into the dominant culture. The role of an advocate for multiculturalism is inherently a values-laden task that requires therapists to make and convey values-laden decisions (Merit Council, 2002). To date, psychotherapy, by its very nature, has been a process in which clients learn to get their needs met within the context of a larger family, community, or society. As a result, the tendency has been to help nondominant culture clients learn to live within the dominant culture. The APA task force asks psychologists to resist the tendency to move toward assimilation and to value, affirm, and celebrate diversity. One of the most difficult tasks for those working with children is to balance the needs of the parents who are typically more embedded in and committed to the culture of origin with the needs of their children who often must spend most of their day in systems developed by and for the dominant culture. Although considerable literature exists on the culturally competent practice of psychotherapy, this article attempts to apply that knowledge to the specific demands of the practice of play therapy. For the purposes of this article, all types of diversity are being subsumed under the general rubric of culture. That is, the term culture is being used to delimit any and all group memberships that form a part of the child’s identity. These group memberships may include, but are not limited to, gender, gender role, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, physical ability/disability, religion, and social class. The term culture also includes the concepts of perceived culture and internalized culture. Perceived culture refers to

An account of play therapy with an abused child from a different ethnic background to the therapist

This paper has a two‐fold purpose: first, to look at issues concerning ethnic difference in psychotherapeutic work with a traumatised child. In that respect it is offered as a contribution to the debate on cross‐ethnic therapy. Secondly, it examines the process of play therapy with a young child, in relation to current theories of play therapy. Coincidentally it comments on the impact upon the worker with children affected by trauma. It is written in tribute to a very brave little boy. My thanks go to him and his family for agreeing to this work being offered for publication. To protect confidentiality, the name used, Martin, is a pseudonym, and any identifying details have been either altered or omitted. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The value and use of interpretation in play therapy.

“My client has been coming to therapy for weeks and has yet to engage in any play even vaguely related to the presenting problem. Whenever I try to bring up anything even minimally related to the trauma, the child either freezes or gets angry. Managed care may only give me a few more sessions. The parent is worried that therapy isn’t progressing and, frankly, so am I. What now?” Does this sound familiar? If so, you are not alone. Many child therapists find it very difficult to keep sessions problem-focused without feeling that they are either violating fundamental tenets of their theoretical orientation or risking overwhelming the child. In addition, even when progress is being made in session, many children seem to have a great deal of difficulty generalizing those changes to their lives outside of the therapy. The systematic use of language in general and interpretation in particular is one way to make a significant dent in both of these problems. Although this article focuses on the use of interpretation within play therapy sessions, it is important to note that interpretation is only one part of the overall treatment process. Maximum treatment effectiveness depends on a multi- or ecosystemic approach. Within such an approach, the therapist works with the child, the family, and other systems impinging on the child’s development and well-being. These other systems might include the peer social system; the school, medical, legal, social service, community, and cultural systems; as well as any other system in which the child is embedded. Usually therapists approach assisting child clients from two directions. One is to help the child learn to function well within these various systems as they currently exist. The other is to change the systems so that it is easier for the child to function well. The knowledge gained by the child and therapist through the interpretive process usually impacts both, as better understanding helps children make necessary changes and may be used by the therapist to guide systemic changes. Whether the emphasis of the play therapy is on changing the child or the systems in which he or she operates depends on the age of the child and the capacity of all those involved to make meaningful changes. In any case, the use of language in play therapy is likely to facilitate the change process. The remainder of this article is divided into three sections. The first describes the importance of language in children’s mental health and presents a systematic strategy for formulating and delivering interpretations that brings language to the fore in play therapy sessions. The second part briefly reviews the therapeutic processes identified by Shirk and Russell (1996). The third and last section reframes much of the play therapy process under the general rubric of “problem solving” while describing how systematic interpretation and the use of various therapeutic processes can be used to support such problem solving.

Play therapy with abused children

The rights of children and the abused child play therapy as a healing process for abused children starting play therapy - settings, materials, boundaries the play therapy process for the abused child case history - the physically abused child case history - the emotionally abused child case history - the sexually abused child.

Play Therapy: A Paradigm for Work with Families*

The dream‐like, open‐ended process of play therapy has much in common with the family therapy style of the authors. This paper provides a partial list of similarities between play therapy and family therapy. It reviews methods for using play with families and considers the question of indications and contraindications for play therapy with families. Clinical examples are utilized to illustrate throughout the paper.

Quantification of the nondirective play therapy process.

Quantification of the nondirective play therapy process.

Emotional adjustment and the play therapy process.

Emotional adjustment and the play therapy process.