Child Centered Play Therapy
Play therapies that we’ve tried but don’t use are facilitative and/or interpretive therapies. The idea behind facilitative play therapy is that the therapist plays with the child in an attempt to get the child talking about what is bothering them. This technique is a hit-or-miss proposition. In interpretive play therapy the therapist interprets the child’s play in an attempt to determine what might be distressing the child. This too, is a hit or miss type of therapy. Moreover, assuming the therapist is correct, what is done to resolve the symptoms? Moreover, even when the child does talk about what is on their mind they don’t usually have the advanced intellectual abilities to develop insight into their problems and then work them through as would an adult. Child Centered Play Therapy goes right to the heart of the matter by helping the child effectively cope with and master their distressing thoughts, feelings and behaviors when faced with life’s challenges even if the child doesn’t talk about them! It makes sense to take your child to a therapist if they meet the criteria in the section Why Child and Family Therapy? You may have already tried to help your child by giving love, support, advice and direction only to find that it doesn’t always work. Because of their young age children have difficulty putting into action the help you’re trying to give. Children may listen, only to forget what you told them when the time comes to apply parental lessons. That’s because children tend to be ruled by their emotions; they’re not particularly logical although they seem that way sometimes. Even though you give them good advice, children have difficulty planning ahead especially when it comes to problem solving. Their reasoning abilities and their ability to develop insight are those of a young child, not an adult. Accordingly, children tend to learn best through experience rather than through talking and listening. Child Centered Play Therapy places the child in a therapeutic environment in which they are able to figure out how do deal with their upsetting emotions through experience. They “lead the way” and are responsible for how they create success and effectively cope with failure or when things don’t go their way. In Child Centered Play Therapy the focus is on what the child is doing, experiencing, feeling and thinking without the therapist interfering and telling them what they should be doing and why. We have a dedicated playroom in which the therapist and child spend some time. During the early stage of Child Centered Play Therapy we’ve found is that at first they typically just play and explore. Then, as the therapy continues, they struggle because they have to figure everything out themselves. After a while, there is a breakthrough and a point at which the child is able to master and have control over their frustrations and the struggle pays off. The benefits of Child Centered Play Therapy are that when the child is on their own, at home, school or in social situations, they’re better able to control and have mastery over their behaviors, emotions and thinking. Life will always be full of situations that cause upset, but it’s how we deal with the upset that’s important. We’re outcome oriented, so you should be able to measure the difference and improvement before and after the therapy. Filial Therapy involves teaching the parent to be their own child’s therapist at home! Instead of waiting until a session is over and then getting feedback from the therapist, you are involved, first-hand with the treatment. Filial Therapy makes you a better parent at the same time you are providing treatment to your child. Because you are doing some of the therapeutic work, it is cost-effective. Generally speaking, Centered Play Therapy and Filial Therapy takes about 12 sessions over five months time. The first session is a family meeting which involves interviews and family observations. In subsequent sessions you will learn how to do the Centered Play Therapy. Once you have it down pat, you’ll start doing it at home and come in less frequently. Of course, your progress and the overall treatment will be monitored by the therapist. If circumstances are such that additional treatment modalities are indicated we discuss them with you ahead of time, because your child is unique and this is not a “one size fits all” technique. To make an inquiry or an appointment, call 215-355-8812. |
