Play+Therapy

Name : Victoria J. Agcaoili SPED 843 Dr. Aronin Spring 2011

Play Therapy __Description of Intervention Method __ Play therapy is a technique whereby the child's natural means of expression, namely play, is used as a therapeutic method to assist him/her in coping with emotional stress or trauma.

This method allows the child to manipulate the world on a smaller scale, something that cannot be done in the child's everyday environment. By playing with specially selected materials, and with the guidance of a person who reacts in a designated manner, the child plays out his/her feelings, bringing these hidden emotions to the surface where s/he can face them and cope with them. In it's most psychotherapeutic form, the teacher is unconditionally accepting of anything the child might say or do. The teacher never expresses shock, argues, teases, moralizes, or tells the child that his/her perceptions are incorrect. An atmosphere should be developed in which the child knows that s/he can express herself/himself in a non-punitive environment. Yet, even though the atmosphere is permissive, certain limits may have to be imposed such as restrictions on destroying materials, attacking the teacher, or going beyond a set time limit.

Link : []

The steps in implementing play therapy are as follows :

1. Select a student who might benefit from play therapy.

2. Decide if you will have a separate session with this child or whether you will sit near the student during your class play period or recess. 3. Obtain materials for the session. Recommended items include:  manipulatives (e.g., clay, crayons, painting supplies) , water and sand play containers  , toy kitchen appliances, utensils, and pans  , baby items (e.g., bottles, bibs, rattles, etc.)   , dolls and figures of various sizes and ages  , toy guns, rubber knives   , toy cars, boats, soldiers, and animals  , blocks, erector sets , stuffed animals. 4. Place the materials in specific places where they can be located for each session. 5. Meet the student and introduce him/her to the play area. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">6. Inform the student of limitations and how long the session will last (usually 30-60 minutes). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">7. Allow the student to choose materials. Do not suggest materials or activities. If the student wishes to leave before the session ends, that is allowed. However, the student is not allowed to return that day. He is informed of the time of the next scheduled session. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">8. Use the "reflection" technique (see the filed named "Non-Directive Counseling) to respond to the student's comments. If the student is non-verbal, your role will change. You will be describing what the student is doing. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">9. As the end of the session nears, inform the student of that fact, stating the number of minutes left. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">10. Upon reaching the time limit, inform the student in a manner similar to the following: "Our time is up for today. We'll have to stop now and put the toys back where we found them." The student is not allowed to continue playing. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> 11. Inform the student as to when the next session will be held.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Link : <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> http://www.ecosard.com/psychological%20Counseling

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Types of Students Who Benefit from the Method __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It has been used effectively with children who have an understanding level of a normal three to eight year old, who are; distraught due to family problems (e.g., parental divorce, sibling rivalry), nail biters, bed wetters, aggressive or cruel, social underdeveloped, or victims of child abuse. It has also been used with special education students whose disability is a source of anxiety or emotional turmoil. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Link : <span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[]

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Qualifications for Using the Method __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">To become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S), a clinician must have earned a Master's degree in an appropriate medical or mental health profession from a regionally accredited educational institution, two years and 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience, 35-50 hours of clinical supervision, 350-500 hours of clinical play therapy with clients, and 150 hours of instructions.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Costs of Using the Method __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The cost of play therapy varies dramatically depending upon geographical location, type of organization, insurance coverage, and availability of play therapy providers. Some insurance companies provide full or partial coverage for play therapy, however not all facilities or play therapists accept insurance as payment for services. Some providers offer sliding payment scales based upon financial need of the client.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Link : <span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Play therapy sessions are usually conducted one-on-one, once a week, ideally on the same day at the same time each week, and last approximately 45 minutes, depending on the child’s age.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">PROFESSIONAL TRAINING <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Prospective play therapists have to be adequately trained. Most play therapists have a master's degree in counseling, psychology, or social work, although other disciplines also are represented in the field. A master's degree representing some area of the helping profession with emphasis on the clinical or counseling aspects of therapeutic relationships is a general prerequisite. Within or in addition to such a program, training should incorporate the areas of child development and basic counseling skills including acquisition of a theoretical approach incorporating a rationale for behavior change consistent with the play therapy approach utilized. The program of study should include extensive training in the area of play therapy and a supervised practicum experience with children in play therapy.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Link : <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">http://www.counseling.org/Resources/Library/Selected%20Topics/Play%20Therapy/Play%20Therapy.htm

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Potential Risks with Using the Method __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1) Takes a significant amount of time to see the results <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2) No empirical data suggests its effectiveness <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3) Takes extensive training by the therapist in <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4) Application of technique and interpretation application of technique and interpretation.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Benefits of Using the Method __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Play therapy allows: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1) Children to communicate ideas, feelings and experiences through play. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2) Children to recreate and resolve events (such as trauma, divorce, abuse or death of a parent or family member) in play. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3) Children can rehearse and master life skills and other techniques through play.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4) Children to work through various problems in play. A window for adults, including parents, caregivers, and foster parents, into a child's world.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">5) Children to express themselves, improve impulse control, provide them more adaptive ways of coping with anxiety and frustration, and improved capacity to trust and to relate to others.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Link : <span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[|http://www.minddisorders.com/Ob-Ps/Play therapy.html#ixzz1Fkq07yMl]

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Settings for Method Use __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">· Classroom setting <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">· Clinical setting

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Field’s Attitude Towards the Method __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The field of play therapy is experiencing a growing and enthusiastic interest as a viable approach for meeting children’s needs. It is now represented by the Association for Play Therapy, an international professional organization. A national Center for Play Therapy has been established at the University of North Texas. Increasing numbers of elementary school counselors and therapists in private practice and agencies are incorporating play therapy into their work with children. There is a trend in family therapy to address social and emotional values of developmental as well as family group session issues. In filial therapy, parents are trained to use play therapy procedures with their children. This method is well researched and has proven to be effective in ameliorating children's problems through enhancing the parent-child relationship.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Summary of Research Study <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Todtman, David (1984). “A Case Study of the application of play therapy in a public school setting to a grade 3 student with emotional difficulties”. Theses and Dissertation. <span style="cursor: pointer; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">[]

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Description of Subjects __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The participant for the investigation was selected on the basis of the following criteria: (a) manifestations of behavior that was symptomatic of emotional difficulties; (b) academic performance considered to be below the child's capabilities; (c) the above conditions (a and b) were historical in nature, that is they had been ongoing through the child's previous academic career; (d) the difficulties (symptoms) were not derived from a primary physical cause of a type that would suggest medical treatment; (e) the child was nine years of age or under, and (f) previous attempts to assist the child to overcome the difficulties appeared to have been ineffective.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Raymond was of average height and weight, 8 years of age, and in Grade 3 during 1980/81, the year in which this study was conducted. His dark brown hair hung thick and straight, framing his Chinese face.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Description of Research Design __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In order to fulfill this purpose, a student was selected according to specific criteria. Data were collected on the subject's classroom behavior, his previous school experiences, and his family background. Using theoretical constructs of Erikson and Rogers, a diagnosis was generated in the form of a working hypothesis. Then, the investigator, in the role of a school counselor , employed play therapy strategies developed in conjunction with the diagnosis. This was done over a six-month period. Anecdotal records were kept of the subject's behavior and the administration of these strategies.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">As this study was descriptive rather than experimental, no statistical hypothesis was tested. It was the intention of this study to discover what could be observed from an intensive examination of counseling interventions with one student over an extended period of time.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Dependent Variable __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The dependent variables in this study were the manifestations of behavior that was symptomatic of emotional difficulties and the academic performance that was considered to be below the child's capabilities

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I__ndependent Variable__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The independent variable was counseling which involved play and play materials applied within a conceptual framework adapted from Erik Erikson's psychosocial model of development and Robert Carkhuff's model of the counseling process. This investigation made use of the case study approach to demonstrate by extended example the application of clinical theory to counseling practice in the area of educational psychology.

__<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Summary of Results __ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Findings Related to Changes in The Subject's Behavior

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A. Academic Performance: In June, 1981, Raymond's in-class academic performance was assessed. These ratings can be compared to the initial ratings taken in December, 1980. For each of the subject areas surveyed, there appeared to have been improvements over the course of treatment. Perhaps the most notable improvement was in Raymond's reading performance. In addition to showing the greatest grade level gain in that area, Raymond had begun to show a self-motivated interest in reading, whereas before he had typically only read when pressed to do so.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">TEACHER ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Subject December, 1980 June, 1981

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Math 2.5 3.5 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Vocabulary 2.0 3.0 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Reading 1.5 3.0 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Phonics 1.5 2.5 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Spelling 1.5 2.0

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">As the counseling procedure, play therapy, was employed the subject was observed to have changed positively in a number of ways:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">1. He showed improvements in his academic work habits; that is, he showed an increased ability to work independently and complete school assignments.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">2. He showed an increase in academic achievement of one grade level in five school subjects in a period of six months, according to the teacher's assessments.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">3. He developed improved relations with peers including the establishment of one close friend.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">4. He showed less aggressiveness.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">5. The subject became less withdrawn.