Plese remember to  describe a hypothetical case as indicated in the instructions:

•Describe a hypothetical or real case of a child who is experiencing one of the special problems discussed in Chapter 14. Be sure to respect confidentiality of the client if you are using a real case. Explain how you would use Play Therapy to address this child’s issue. Be sure to describe the specific technique you would use. These were the instructions for the response:

Assume the role of the child’s parent in the learner’s hypothetical case. Describe the concerns you have about your child and the counseling process

PLAY THERAPY

A play therapy is the application of play and innovative fine arts techniques to assuage unrelieved, calm and modest mental and emotional state in children that are creating behavioural predicaments or are barring children from reaching their prospective. The play therapist responds to the child’s wishes as he uses the wide range of play and creative arts. The play therapist creates a small to standard term restorative connection and normally works categorically considering the communal environment of the client (Henderson & Thompson, 2011).

Play therapy helps in developing a warm friendly connection with the child where the therapist accepts the child the way she or he is. The child is able to feel free to express his or her feelings completely. This is because the therapist realizes the sensitivity of the child and is able to mirror back in such away the child attains an understanding into her behaviour. In play therapy the child is able to lead the way and the therapy follows to give the child an ability to find solutions to her/his problems. Besides, it gives the child an opportunity to become aware of the reality and to make the child aware of their responsibilities in the relationship at hand (Henderson & Thompson, 2011).

Play therapy can take the approaches of; directive play therapy or non-directive play therapy. In directive play therapy the practitioner leads the way on what art to use and how (Henderson & Thompson, 2011). On the other hand, in non-directive play therapy the child decides what to do but within boundaries that are safe. However, most therapists who are efficient prefer using both approaches. Approaches taken may depend on the circumstances and conditions at hand.

Hypothetical case

A ten- year-old boy displaying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing the capsizing and drowning of his father in a lake during a voyage in a boat is afraid of seeing a large pool of water leave a lone bathing. As a counsellor, I would use the play therapy technique of puppets and masks to give the boy an opportunity to deal with the feelings that are hard to let out (Axline, Oaklander, 2009).

I would use fish, turtle, mouse and boy or girl puppets because fish and turtle are usually scared of going out of water while mouse fears coming out in the light. The boy or girl puppets are present just in case he prefers something related to himself. I would then lead the boy in a performance or a story of which I will allow him to participate if he wishes to. I will allow the boy to provide names to the puppets and engage the boy in a discussion to find out how he felt about the puppet show experience. I will ask the boy what he thinks the mouse or the turtle fears most and what I can do to help the poor creatures stay calm in their environment. This discussion will lead me in enabling the boy to find a solution to his problem.

Learners Response

The learner’s choice of puppets is good in that the counsellor should not allow the girl to participate in the play therapy on her own unless she wants to try it out. The mother is worried of the child’s fear that the little girl might panic even more as she may not leave her mother to act out the story. The mother should be involved in the act to help the girl feel more secure and free with the whole process. With the lead of the counsellor to the mother and child, the girl might open up more to therapy process.

References

Henderson, D. A. & Thompson, C. L. (2011) Counselling children (8th Ed) Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole

Virginia Axline & Violet Oaklander, (2009), Play Therapy at work, Play Therapy International

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