Play Therapy
Helping children to communicate through play Play therapy can be an extremely effective way of encouraging young children to explain how they are feeling. We find out from trainer, author and certified play therapist, Amanda Seyderhelm, why children respond well to this type of therapy, and how social workers can incorporate elements into their work with children and families.
What is play therapy and why is it so important? Play therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which play is used as a means of helping children express or communicate their feelings. Play therapy differs from regular play in that the therapist helps children to address and resolve their own problems. Play provides a safe psychological distance from these and allows expression of thoughts and feelings appropriate to their development. Whether it’s the grief of bereavement, the strain of divorce or the uncertainty of a new home or school following adoption, I have treated children successfully with play therapy. The benchmark for success is when the presenting problem either reduces significantly or disappears completely. For example, a child who is having regular meltdowns learns how to express their discomfort (frustration and anxiety are the most likely reactions as a result of not being heard) in a way that doesn’t get them ‘into trouble’. This might mean that a child who can’t settle in the classroom, will eventually be able to get through their lessons without shouting out or standing up.
You focus on supporting children who have experienced loss and change. Why does play therapy work so well for these children?
Play is a child’s natural language. Its how primary school children make sense of their world because at that age they do not have the cognitive development to talk directly about their feelings. Therefore, adults need to go into the child’s world and use the language of play. The play therapy toolkit contains a basic number of creative art mediums, set out by PTUK (Play Therapy UK), the UK’s leading accrediting body for play therapy. This toolkit gives children ways to discover the meaning of their loss without addressing it directly and consists of drawing and painting, sand play, music, puppets, movement and drama, masks, therapeutic storytelling, and dressing up. The child chooses which medium to play with during each session and uses it to tell the story of how they are feeling.
Is play therapy just for younger children? Play therapy can be used with children as young as two, all the way up to 18 years. In the youngest age group, up to eight years of age, it is most likely that the play therapy will be ‘indirect’ in scope, whereas for the older age groups, it will be more ‘direct’. Both can be used at some point with any age group. The decision on which approach to use is determined by the level of cognitive development the child has. An older child is more likely to want to talk about their feelings directly, whereas a younger child is more likely to discuss these through
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metaphorical language. A trained play therapist is skilled at being able to recognise and tailor the approach according to the child’s needs because play therapy is child-centered.
You describe your approach by using a “backpack” metaphor. Can you explain what you mean by this? All children (and adults) carry what I call an ‘invisible backpack’. This contains their emotional baggage of worries, anxieties and fears. When a child’s behaviour starts to show signs of stress, it is usually because the emotional load in their backpack has become too heavy. This means they are feeling overwhelmed by their baggage and have no way of offloading it. They need a person and space to be able to take some of their baggage out and process it. That’s what happens in play therapy. The aim is to lighten their backpack load so that they have more room in their heads to be able to express themselves in a way that is comfortable for them.
What are some common behavioural signs that indicate a child may be suffering and could benefit from play therapy? The most common behavioural sign, the one I see most in my practice, is child meltdowns, where the child is having regular angry outbursts at
