THE BENEFITS OF PLAY THERAPY

WHAT IS PLAY THERAPY: 

One of the most natural things for a child to do is to play. Play therapy, therefore, involves creating a safe, calming environment where children ranging from 3-12 years can receive help, to understand and deal with any traumatic issues they’ve been through. Sometimes emotional and mental help can resolve these problems. It provides the vehicle to meet a child right where they are at, by entering their world of play, where they are most at home. 

ADVANTAGES OF PLAY THERAPY

Read on to see some of the advantages of a child engaging in play therapy.

  • It is a healing treatment and helps develop and strengthen a child’s confidence as well as how they interact with other people. It promotes healthy mental ability and enables them to reach their full potential.
  • It teaches a child to develop courage and determination and promotes emotional health stability
  • Play gives children the opportunity to display and reveal things in their own unique way. Sometimes little children don’t have the words to express themselves adequately. It, therefore, gives them the chance to share, even without words.
  • Play can teach a child to learn about healthy relationships and how to interact appropriately.
     
  • It can give a child the means to resolve a confusing and negative experience.
  • It can contribute to increasing and maturing a child’s capability to use vocabulary to express themselves.
  • Play also accelerates mental flourishing in a child that may have previously been dull and indifferent.

There are three key approaches to play therapy which include:

A CONTROLLED PLAY APPROACH TO THERAPY: 

This kind of play therapy is referred to as ‘Directive,’ as its controlled and directed by the therapist. They actively lead the child into specific games. Based on the child’s responses and involvement, they assess where the child is at. They then present play and entertainment they feel will be beneficial to the child.

NON-CONTROLLED PLAY APPROACH TO THERAPY: 

This kind of play is the opposite. The child shows the way they want to go, and the therapist follows, simultaneously creating a supportive atmosphere, where they can observe the way the child expresses themselves through play. The child isn’t influenced in any specific direction, rather the child is given the chance to find the solution to difficulties and connect the dots with some help.  

BLENDED PLAY THERAPY: 

A therapist combines both approaches. Initially following the child as they play and then coming up with a healing remedy for them. Afterward, they organise play based on what they noticed. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Play is natural for children and imperative for their healthy advancement, especially when traumatised by an emotional shock and negative experience. Generally, it’s quite unlikely they will easily share or know how to express and deal with whatever’s happened to them.

It equips them to process and move forward, helping them deal with trauma, distress, and the memories that haunt them. Acting out certain scenarios simplifies things, so they can process them, deal with fears and gain confidence. It teaches behaviour that can nurture appropriate relationships, give understanding and enhance communication.