The Importance of Play Therapy

Play therapy is a special function that allows children to express their feelings and thoughts through games and toys. In other words, play therapy is applied by a play therapist who has received therapy training and is an expert in his field, in a special environment created with the play method and toys that best suit the child’s nature. It is a medication-free therapy and treatment method in which the child expresses himself by establishing a therapeutic relationship that gives the child confidence. Therefore, parents who are not trained on this subject cannot practice play therapy at home.

The Importance of Play Therapy

Unlike adults, children need a familiar environment in order to make sense of their emotions and demonstrate their speaking skills. They behave differently in environments where they do not feel comfortable. For this reason, therapy methods used with adults cannot be successful in children. In therapy, children’s imagination is taken as a basis so that they can express themselves more easily. Toys that support this are used. In this way, it is aimed for them to reveal their emotional problems. The aim of play therapy is to heal the child.

History of Play Therapy

Every child is a different world and a different color. Games are the way to discover the child’s world. The history of this therapy dates back to the time of Sigmund Freud. During the excavations carried out by archaeologists, it was determined that play tools and equipment were also used by children in the Middle Ages. Because the nature of the child is play. As play therapist G. Landreth said on the subject, “Birds fly, children play.” Play is like a language in which children express themselves. Children express their needs, thoughts and feelings with this language.

As the variety of toys they use in play increases, their level of self-expression also increases. Over time, humanity has discovered this and benefited from the healing power of the game. Thus, the way was opened for the treatment method of play therapy. Thanks to research conducted in recent years, play therapy has begun to be used in the treatment of children’s psychological disorders in European countries. In our country, the importance of this treatment method is just beginning to be understood. In fact, many play therapy articles have been written. However, it is difficult to find play therapists who have completed internationally approved training.

What is a Play Therapist?

Here you might be wondering: How to become a play therapist? The question may arise. The play therapist is the person who speaks and understands the child’s play language by entering the play world created by the child with him. According to laws and regulations, it is necessary to be a clinical psychologist to do therapy. People who do not have this title cannot do therapy. A clinical psychologist must complete a comprehensive certification program to become a play therapist.

How Long and How Is Play Therapy Applied?

After the therapies applied by therapists who are experts in their fields, positive changes are observed quickly in children. The number of therapies to be applied to children cannot be determined in advance. While 10 sessions may be sufficient for some children, some children may need to receive therapy for 2 years. According to research, improvement is observed in children after an average of 13-16 sessions of therapy. The number of sessions varies depending on what the child is affected by, the degree to which he is affected by the trauma, and his age. The most important issue is that getting support as soon as possible before the child’s problems get worse will reduce the number of sessions.

To what age range is Play Therapy Applied?

It is a method applied to children between the ages of 2 and 12, depending on their developmental characteristics.

What are the Types of Play Therapy?

Nowadays, there are many types of play therapy that use the method of playing games. If we generally classify play therapy examples; There are two groups of play therapy: therapist-directed (guided) and therapist-undirected (non-directed). However, when we look at it in more detail, we encounter child-centered, experiential, filial, developmental, psychoanalytic, sand and puppet play therapies. We will only mention the three most important ones here.

1.     Child-Centered Play Therapy

Non-directed play therapy, one of the old methods, has the healing aspects of many theories. The most important aspect of this method, which is directed by the child, not the therapist, is that it is Child-centered (Undirected) / Child-Centered. This method is called Child-Centered Play Therapy . This is the play therapy method most commonly applied by therapists in our country. This therapy method is an approach based on revealing painful problems to children and finding solutions through play. Therefore, leaving the management of the game to the child and not providing any guidance during the game is the most important difference that distinguishes experimental play therapy from other types of play therapy.

This therapy method believes that the child will solve the problem in his life at his own pace and in his own ways. Respects the child’s individuality. Because in this therapy, the child is not guided, he discovers needs that he is not even aware of, and overcomes many difficulties that he cannot express. For this reason, in Europe, children are directed to play therapy before psychiatric medication is given. After therapy, a clinical evaluation is made again. In our country, in recent years, families have begun to understand the importance of child-centered therapy.

2.     What is Experiential Play Therapy?

This therapy method is a form of therapy in which children make sense of their environment experientially rather than cognitively. As in the child-centered method, the assumption that the child is trying to get better is emphasized. The basic component of therapy is the relationship established between the therapist and the child. If the child wants to include the therapist in the game he is playing, the therapist then joins the game. He only plays the role the child gives him. He doesn’t step out of that role.

The child may give the therapist a weak role and himself a strong role. Thus, the child experiences the power of adults in therapy. He begins to behave the way he sees or is treated by adults in the game. He makes the therapist feel this in the role he gives. In fact, the emotions he makes the therapist feel are his own feelings. These feelings include being despised, humiliated, punished, feeling worthless, etc. It could be emotions.

Children reveal the emotions they experience by masking them with games. He uses metaphorical symbols while reflecting his inner experiences to the outside. For example, in the play, a child saying “we are in a deserted place and there are monsters around us” expresses more than just the feeling of fear. A metaphor can mean thousands of things to children. The therapist focuses on these metaphors to make sense of what the child is saying. These are very important for the therapist. While child-centered therapy focuses on the relationship, in this method the information obtained rather than the relationship is given meaning.

3.     What is Filial Play Therapy?

Filial Therapy, a part of Child-Centered Play therapy, is an educational program that enables parents to strengthen their relationships with their children through play. Filial Therapy emerged by integrating play therapy and family therapy. It is a psycho-educational method that aims to solve problems between the child and the family and strengthen the family relationship.

Children need to share their feelings with their families and spend time together. Unfortunately, in today’s conditions, parents are in a busy and busy situation due to socio-economic reasons. Therefore, families cannot spend enough and quality time with their children. When this is the case, children create an emotional void that needs to be filled. Families are taught how to apply child-centered therapy skills in play sessions with their own children.

Since it aims to increase trust in the relationship between parents and children, it is a therapy method that is both preventive and helps solve the problem, if any. With this therapy method, families give the message to their children that I am with you and I understand you. It helps families gain ‘limit setting’ skills for their children. It also allows the child to make choices. This helps him gain the ability to take responsibility for his choice. It is also recommended that families buy and read one of the play therapy book resources on the market during therapy.

Major Problems Treated with Filial Play Therapy Method

Aggression, sibling jealousy, introversion, anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioral disorders, single parenting, anger outbursts, nail biting, fecal incontinence, bedwetting, adoption, attachment problems, self-confidence problems, etc. This play therapy helps the family in solving problems.