According to Jean Piaget ,”play provides the child with the live, dynamic, individual language indispensable for the expression of the child’s subjective feelings for which collective language alone is inadequate.”

A child’s feeling of genuine self and mastery over her or his intrinsic qualities, which results in a sense of worth and ability, are developed through play. Children are motivated to fulfill the fundamental need of exploring and influencing their environment during play.

Play also helps the development of original thought. Play likewise provides a way for children to release strong emotions. During play, children may play out challenging life experiences by re-engineering them, thereby discharging emotional states, with the potential of integrating every experience back into stability and gaining a greater sense of mastery.

MODEL:

Play therapy can be divided into two basic types: non-directive and directive. Non-directive play therapy is a non-intrusive method in which children are encouraged to play in the expectation that this will alleviate their problems as perceived by their care-givers and other adults. It is often classified as a psychodynamic therapy. In contrast, directed play therapy is a method that includes more structure and guidance by the therapist as children work through emotional and behavioral difficulties through play. It often contains a behavioral component and the process includes more prompting by the therapist. Both types of play therapy have received at least some empirical support. On average, play therapy treatment groups, when compared to control groups.

The methods that work well, are enjoyable, are affordable, and are simple to use. The therapy is implied in each technique’s description.These techniques selected are appropriate for 4-12 years old children and cover an extensive array of play approaches (e.g. art, fantasy, sensory motor and game play). The strategies selected deal with a variety of relevant presenting issues, including anxiety, sadness, impulsivity, distractibility, and non-compliance.

 

Play therapy has been a well-recognized and often used kind of child therapy in clinical settings for more than 60 years. Because they lack the language and abstract reasoning skills necessary to effectively express their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, children have shown to benefit from play therapy in particular.

“For children toys are their words and play is their conversation.“

Play therapy can be defined as an interpersonal process where in a trained therapist systematically applies the curative powers of play (e.g.: abreaction, communication, mastery, catharsis attachment formation etc.) to help the clients resolve their current psychological difficulties and help prevent future ones.

Here’s one of the play therapy :

The feeling word game

Often children have difficulty verbalizing their feelings when directly questioned, it is because they are guarded or they do not connect with those feelings they find most threatening when involved in playing a game, children’s defenses are reduced and they are more likely to talk about their feelings. They share their feelings in an enjoyable, non-threatening manner.

Here, the therapist is seated at the same eye level as the child and says, “We’re going to play a game called the feeling word game.” The therapist writes each of the child’s feeling words on a separate sheet of paper. “First, I want you to tell me the names of some feelings that a boy or girl who is (age of the child) year old feels.“

The therapist should also draw a face that symbolizes the emotion if the youngster is unable to read. The therapist should propose it if the youngster cannot describe all of the feelings needed to investigate the topic at hand.

Once all of the feelings are written on individual pieces of paper, the therapist lines them up in front of the child and says, “Here are all of the feeling words. I have in my hand a tin of ‘feelings’ (poker chips). I am going to tell a story first, and then I will put down the feelings on these words. “

The therapist shares a tale about themselves, making sure to incorporate both happy and sad emotions in the story. The therapist places a poker chip on each acceptable feeling after the story is finished. The amount on each should differ, demonstrating to the child that a person can experience multiple emotions.

The therapist then proceeds to relate another threatening narrative about the youngster, allowing for both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. At the completion of the story, the therapist places poker chips on each appropriate feelings.

The child is given the tin those circumstances. The child then tells the next story for the therapists to put down his or her feelings. Next, the therapist narrates a non-threatening tale about the child, allowing for both positive and negative feelings. The amount on each should change, demonstrating the youngster that a person may have more than one feeling at the same time, as well as various amounts of each mood.

These go on until the main points of the current issue are covered.

APPLICATIONS:

All children, especially those with conduct issues, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or anxiety issues, can benefit from playing the feeling word game. This method is a lighthearted and nonthreatening approach for therapists to talk about and probe problems that are typically too frightening for the child to speak about directly.

TECHNIQUES of PLAY THERAPY

Play therapy allows for the application of a wide range of treatments. The approach taken during a therapy session is mostly determined by your child’s requirements and the play tools they are most at ease with. 

A typical play therapy session usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. The therapist will then observe the child’s interactions with the toys that are provided.More targeted play activities that address the problems the child is having will be presented as the child becomes more at ease in the therapist’s playroom. Some of the most common techniques used by play therapists across the world include:

• Using building blocks
• Using art
• Sand play 
• Board games 
• Play with dolls 
• Puppet play
• Tea party play 
• Card games 
• Strategy games like chess or checkers 
• Hide-and-seek 
• LEGO play

What Play Therapy Can Help With

• People who have trouble speaking and expressing themselves in a positive and healthy way benefit the most from playtherapy. Children who have been abused or experienced extremely traumatic or stressful events might benefit from play therapy to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives.Play therapy is frequently very effective for kids with particular conditions that limit their ability to express themselves emotionally and socially.
  
  Children with behavioral issues or learning difficulties may be among them. Some studies have looked at how well play therapy works for kids with the following conditions:
  
  

• Autism
  
  

• Depression
  
  

• PTSD
  
  

• ADHD
  
  

• Sexual Abuse
  
  

• Physical or emotional abuse
  
  

  Things to consider:

  
  Parent or guardian participation is crucial during  play  therapy, even though a play therapist will take the lead.The child, parent, and legal guardian will typically consult with the play therapist separately as well as together, as is customary. To fully comprehend the child’s needs, this is done. You should make sure the play therapist you choose for your child has the necessary training and experience.