1. Dr Neeta Gupta
Associate Professor
Department of psychology
Certified Practitioner of EFT & REBT
(London) & CBT (Scotland)
DAV PG College
Dehradun
Play-Therapy
2. Play therapy is a form of therapy used
primarily for children. That’s because
children may not be able to process
their own emotions or articulate
problems to parents or other adults.
A trained therapist can use playtime to
observe and gain insights into a child’s
problems. The therapist can then help
the child explore emotions and deal with
unresolved trauma. Through play, children
can learn new coping mechanisms and how
to redirect inappropriate behaviors.Although
everyone benefits, play therapy is especially
appropriate for children ages 3 through 12 years old
3. What kind of problems is play therapy effective for?
It is particularly effective for children who have:
•Experienced physical or emotional trauma
•Experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse
•Witnessed conflict or have been bullied
•Been severely punished by teachers or authority figures
•Experienced significant life changes
(loss of parents, parents’ divorce or separation from
family)
•Issues with anxiety or sadness
•Trouble coping with their immediate environment
4. Children learn to understand the world
and their place in it through play. It’s
where they’re free to act out their inner
feelings and deepest emotions. Toys can
act as symbols and take on greater
meaning — if you know what to look for.
Much can be revealed in how a child
interacts with different types of toys and
how their behavior changes from session
to session. Play therapists use these
observations as a guide to the next steps.
Each child is different, so therapy will be
tailored to their individual needs.
5. Tracking behavior is the most basic of play therapist
responses. The therapist tracks behaviour when he or
she verbally responds to the behaviour of the child
simply by stating what is seen or observed. Tracking
behaviour allows the child to know that the therapist is
interested and accepting.
6. Play Therapy Technique
Role Play
Therapy
Creative Art Play Therapy
Metaphors and Storytelling
Other Play
Therapy
Genogram
Toy and
Object Play
Therapy
Imagery and
Fantasy Play
Therapy
8. Metaphors and Storytelling
1.Emotion
Thermometer The children are given a makeshift “emotion
thermometer” with a range of emotions from
0 (smiley face) to 10 ( frowning face). The
play therapist instructs the children to list
events and how they feel about it then
indicate points on the thermometer.
Some questions to ask:
What makes you feel like a smiling face?
What makes you sad or frowny?
What makes you relax and enjoy doing?”
9. 2. Mutual
Storytelling
The first step in the mutual storytelling technique is
to elicit a fictional self-created story from the client.
The story needed to be from their own imagination,
and it was against the rules to tell a story about
anything that really happened, anything they read or
heard about, or anything they saw on television or in
a movie. The story must also include a moral or
lesson. When the client has finished telling a story, it
is important for the counselor to ask about the moral
or lesson of the story. The counselor may also ask for
a title to the story or which characters the client
relates to, even who the client would or would not
like to be .
10. 3.Turtle Technique
A therapist might give a client a turtle puppet, and explain
that when the turtle is upset about something it stops, goes
into its shell, closes its
eyes, and takes three deep breaths.
The client can then play out this
process with the turtle puppet,
and this can help the client learn
anger-management techniques
(Schneider & Robin, 1974).
11. 4.Bibliotherapy
the therapist might find a story or book that involves a
problem similar to the client’s problem, and that provides a
solution to this problem.
While reading this story with the client, the therapist might
ask questions relating the story to the client’s life, such as,
“Have you ever felt this way?”.
12. Creative Art Play Therapy
Colour Your
Life Play
Therapy
Draw a
Family
PlayTherapy
Clay Play
Therapy
13. Creative Art Play Therapy
1.Colour Your Life Play Therapy: The "Color Your Life" technique, a form
of play therapy, is designed to help children become aware of the range of
feelings possible, to talk about their own feelings and to move from action to
verbal forms of expression. Give the child and their family enough pieces
the candy and let them sort them out by color. Instruct them,
depending on the number of colors, to respond to the following
prompts;
Green – Use words to describe the family
Orange – What needs to be improved in the family set up
Red – Representing what worries them
Yellow – Describe their favorite memories
Purple – To describe fun activities the family does
14. 2.Clay Play Therapy:
Clay play therapy allows the child to show their creativity while
expressing what they feel inside. When sculpting, the technique
help children relieve stress. They use art skills to sculpt
characters who maybe contribute to
their mental health disorder.
Therapists gather information
from the interaction and use it
to offer solutions.
3.Draw a Family Play Therapy
In the draw a family therapy
session, the client to draw a picture of their family. The
15. psychiatrist as questions based on the drawing to
understand what every family member represents to
the child, how they affect them and make them feel.
The way they draw each family member reveals how
they affect them, and this
play therapy
help children
speak out
hidden
emotions.
17. Role Play Therapy
1.Super Hero Play: the therapist might ask the
client to draw a superhero with superpowers that
the client would like to have. The therapist can
then help the client figure out how their personal
strengths can be as useful as these superpowers
2. Puppet Play:Puppets are excellent tools for play
therapy. A unique technique is the Family Puppet
Interview. The therapist presents the children and
their families with puppets, then asks them to
each choose a puppet representing each member.
18. The child and their family narrate a story using the puppets.
While at it, the councilor interviews individual family members
about the story and then opens up the discussion to the whole
group. This helps reveal family dynamics the child might be
unwilling to talk about freely.
Communication using puppets has helped clients struggling with
selective mutism.
19. 3.Role-Play
For example, the therapist and client might role-play a
situation the client is anxious about, such as the first day of
school, so that the child can
work out what they feel
anxious about and possibly
realize they do not need to be
anxious at all. For example, a
bully at school might instill fear,
but role-playing makes the child
understand the bullying has
Nothing to do with them.
20. 4.Costume Play
For example, the therapist and client might pretend that the client
is being crowned the new king or queen of a land. The therapist
can then ask what the new king or queen wants to do with their
power, to figure out what the client likes and dislikes.
5.Mask Play
For example, the therapist might ask the client to make two
collages (masks) out of magazines. One mask (the “outside
mask”) is how they think the world sees them, and one mask (the
“inside mask”) is how they see themselves. This can reveal a lot
about how the client thinks of themselves and the world .
21. Toy and Object Play Therapy
Magic Wand
Play
Emotion
Ball Play
Feeling
Charade Play
Tearing
Pages
22. Toy and Object Play Therapy
1. The MagicWand Play Therapy: the therapist might give the client a magic
wand and tell them they can make three wishes. At least one of the wishes
is likely to relate to a real-life problem the client has.
This play technique is effective for helping clients to safely verbalize their
wishes or goals, as well as aspects of their environments (e.g., at school or
in their home) that may be troubling them.
2.Emotions Ball Play Therapy: this one works well to express emotions, especially
in children who might be uncomfortable describing their feelings. Using a ball,
write a feeling on each side, then have the family toss the ball back and forth. You
might have emotions like joy, happiness, sadness written on the ball. Whoever
catches the ball describes a time when they had that particular feeling.This is a
group therapy activity to help families discuss their emotions while the rest listen
with no judgment.
23. 3.Feelings Charade Play Therapy
This play uses feelings on written charade cards. You could call it
a card game.The children pick cards and act out the emotions
written on them during the therapy sessions. The aim is to allow
the therapist to analyze how clients express their feelings in the
family set up. Best for teens and very therapeutic.
24. 4.Tearing Pages Play
This playing therapy technique uses an old
book. The children tear pages
out of the book, crumple, and
toss them into the paper bin.
This play therapy idea helps
the children understand how
to “throw away” angry feelings
and not hold on to them.
26. Genogram:
1.Communication Games
the therapist and client might play “The Talking, Feeling, and
Doing Game”.
A turn of the game might look like this: the client draws a card
that says “Make believe that something is happening that is
scary. What is happening?” and if the client does what the card
says, they get a chip.
During the game, the therapist can see how the client reacts in
certain situations and advise them on how to react in these
situations.The response of the child during play therapy in this
game reveal their inner feeling and psychological issues.
27. 2.Self-Control Games
the therapist and client might play “Simon Says”,
where the client has to do what the therapist
says (such as jumping on one foot), but only if
the therapist started their sentence with “Simon
says…”. This can promote paying attention and
self-control, as the client has to pay attention to
what the therapist is saying and only do what the
therapist says in certain situations (Schaeffer &
Cangelosi, 2016).
28. Imagery and Fantasy Play Therapy
c
Guided
Imagery
The World
Technique
Worry
Dolls
29. Imagery and Fantasy Play Therapy
1.Worry Dolls
Some children carry burdens from home, such as financial turmoil,
leaving them feeling worried, which significantly affects their
mental health.However, a play therapy activity like worry dolls
goes a long way in solving such problems. How? You present the
children with dolls or help the client make their own, and they
assign each with a thought bothering them in this case, worry.
After the session, they leave the dolls behind. In future sessions, the
therapist can bring these dolls out one-by-one to discuss these worries
and how the client is dealing with them This activity can also use
stuffed animals. The intent is to show children they don’t have to
worry and leave worries behind.
30. 2.Guided Imagery
For example, a therapist might ask the client about a
nightmare they have been having,
then explain to the client that
nightmares are like movies,
and tell the client that they can
change the nightmare if they do
not like it.The therapist can then
work with the client to figure out
a happier ending for a nightmare,
in an attempt to retrain the client’s
brain to feel more control.
31. 2.The World Technique
This play therapy technique involves the child using toys and tools
to build an imaginary world
of their own. As you observe, ask
questions to understand the child’s
mind. What they come up with could
be happening in their reality.
Additionally, this play therapy activity
allows the child to express their creativity
and express their emotions with no inhibition. Playing the role of a
creator gives them power. You find their problem-solving skills
improve because they face challenges and need to overcome
them as they build.
33. Other Play Therapy:
Laughter Play Therapy
Laughter is said to be medicine for the soul.
A tickling game is one way to get children laughing. The therapist
and client might take turns trying to make each other laugh in any way
they can (without touching each other). The client’s parents can also
play a tickling game with the client for the sole purpose of making the
client laugh.The reaction to what is said, how it is said, and who
says it gives you an idea of the family dynamics.
Besides, real emotions are expressed in a happy and calm
environment. Laughter improves relationships, as well. Ir breaks
barriers put up by life’s issues.
34. Stress Inoculation Play
the therapist might have the client play out a future stress-causing
situation, such as an upcoming class presentation. The client can
use toys to work out what might happen
during the presentation, and the
client might realize that the
situation is not as
scary as it first seemed.
The therapist can also offer
coping strategies for the
client based on
the client’s fears about the
presentation(Schaefer & Drewes, 2013).
35. 3.Magic Tricks
For example, the therapist might ask
the client if they want to see some
magic, show them a magic trick, and
then show the client how to do the
magic trick themselves. This is a fun
activity that can help the bond
between the therapist and client.
Showing the client how to do the trick
themselves can also give the client a
feeling of control and mastery, which
can raise their levels of self-esteem.
.
.
36. Evaluations:
Playing is considered the language of children. With this in mind,
games and play help children express themselves naturally with
no inhibition. Regardless of what your child or family is
undergoing, a therapy offers more solutions to handling them.
A struggling kid or one undergoing emotional abuse can easily get
lost in a game and give clues to what is happening in their mind
and social places.
Play therapy continues to be practical, and many parents give
positive feedback after attending sessions with their children.