Play TherapyPlay Therapy

IUPUI Seminar ClassIUPUI Seminar ClassMarch 19, 2007March 19, 2007Megan PritchardMegan Pritchard

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or

more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing” –Charles Schaefer

Overview of Play Therapy

• Video: Why Play Therapy? (www.a4pt.org)

“We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we

are playing” –Charles Schaefer

Definition of Play Therapy

• Play therapy is the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapist use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychological difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development. (Association for Play Therapy Board, March 1997)

Play Therapy Activity

Types of Play Therapy• Directive Play Therapy• Non-Directive Play Therapy

Theories of Play Therapy

• Directive– Cognitive

behavioral– Gestalt– Developmental– SFBT

• Non-Directive– Child-centered– Jungian– Psychoanalytic -Adlerian-

-Filial-

Source: InAPT conference 2005

Methods of Play Therapy

• Sand Tray• Imaginative Play• Puppet Play• Art/Crafts

Play Therapy Activity

Sand Tray

Group Sand Tray

Toys Needed for Play Therapy Room

• Scary toys– Client’s can use

these to deal with fears

– Plastic monsters, snakes, bugs, bears, lions, dinosaurs

• Nurturing Toys– Client’s can use

these to play out family relationships and events

– Doll house, dolls, puppets, baby dolls, baby doll supplies, kitchen set

Source: InAPT conference 2005

Toys Needed for Play Therapy Room

• Aggressive Toys– Clients use these

to express anger and aggression and explore power and control issues

– Guns, play knives, hammer and nails, toy soldiers, punching bag

• Expressive Toys– Clients use these

to explore relationships, express feelings, deal with problem/solution

– Crayons, paper, scissors, paint, craft items.

Source: InAPT conference 2005

Toys Needed for Play Therapy Room

• Pretend/Fantasy Toys– Clients can use these to explore

different roles, hidden feelings, and alternative behaviors

– Masks, hats, doctor’s kit, zoo and farm animals, building materials, jewelry

Source: InAPT conference 2005

Support for Play Therapy in the Schools

• Play an effective treatment for children’s problems (Ray et. Al., 2001)(Cohen, 1977)(Johnson et. Al., 1997) (Post, 1999)– Children’s natural language is play. Play is a

developmentally appropriate way that children express themselves. (Axline and Landreth)

– Play is a natural way for children to express feelings/emotions (Drewes)

– Many children learn through hands-on activities and movement (Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences)

Support for Play Therapy in the Schools

(cont.)• Play therapy matches with Piaget’s theory of

cognitive development (Ray et. Al, 2005)– Preoperational stage (ages 2-7): language skills are

not as developed as internal awareness– Concrete Operations Stage (ages 8-11): limits in

abstract reasoning- play helps bridge gap between concrete experience and abstract thought

• Practical applications in the school– Play therapy can be used to assist in GEIS and IEPs

to inform classroom observations and social-emotional analysis (Drewes)

Challenges Related to Play Therapy in the

Schools• Lack of time available with students in a

school setting (Ray et. Al., 2005)– Efficacy even greater when parents are involved and

the number of sessions ranges from 30-35 (Leblanc & Ritchie, 2001)

• Lack of training in play therapy for school counselors (Ray et. Al., 2005)

• Cost of play materials (Drewes)• Non-traditional: need to advocate for it- use

research and concrete explanation (Drewes)

Solution Focused Brief Therapy-Play Therapy

– client goal – miracle question– relationship question– instances/exception

– scaling– unfinished

business– message

Play therapy techniques for SFBT

How to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT)

(Through The International Association for Play Therapy)

• Application process through APT• Academic Requirement– Earn a Masters degree in a

medical or mental health profession and 150 clock hours of instruction in play therapy. – 30 of the 150 hours may be gained via distance learning

(APT offers distance learning coursework)– APT Annual Conference training sessions: approx. 38 hours– Graduate coursework– Indianapolis Approved Providers of training:

• Indiana Association for Play Therapy(Contact: Phyllis Brown, indianaapt@yahoo.com)

• Play Journeys, Inc. (Contact: Patty Scanlon, pscanlon@playjourneys.com)

Source: Association for Play Therapy, Inc., www.a4pt.org

How to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT), cont.

(Through The International Association for Play Therapy)

• Clinical Requirement– Obtain two years (2,000 hours) of clinical experience (one year post-Masters)– minimum of 500 hours of supervised play

therapy experience– document supervision of both general and

Play Therapy clinical experience

• Licensure Requirement– Be licensed or certified in primary mental health field.

Source: Association for Play Therapy, Inc., www.a4pt.org

Resources for Additional Information

• Association for Play Therapy, Inc. Website: http://www.a4pt.org/

• School-Based Play Therapy, Drewes, Carey, & Schaefer• The Handbook of Group Play Therapy, Sweeney &

Homeyer• Leblanc, M. & Ritchie, M. (2001), A meta-analysis of

play therapy outcomes. Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 14(2), 149-163.

• Hall, T.M., Gerard Kaduson, H., & Schaefer, C.E. (2002). Fifteen effective play therapy techniques. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33(6), 515-522.

• Ray, D.C., Armstrong, S.A., Warren, E.S. & Balkin, R.S. (2005). Play therapy practices among elementary school counselors, 8(4), 360-365.

Questions?

Play Therapy Activity