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Play Therapy
To answer the question "what is playtherapy",
the initial response would be that in some ways it can be seen to be similar to
other expressive therapies that
involve symbolism (art therapy, etc.). Play therapists work with children
in specially equipped playrooms which include sandtrays, puppets, clay, games
(including the ungame), toys, etc.. Sandplay in sand trays seems to be
especially natural for children given their enjoyment of sand.
The work that
children do in this process can variably be called childwork, childswork,
childsplay or childs play. It can be directive, filial (done with siblings), and developmentally
therapeutic even where a child has been
traumatically emotionally, physically or sexually hurt in the past or present.
Explanation
Play therapy offers children the opportunity to process
emotional issues through the world of play. Because their abstract thinking is
not yet fully developed, children have limitations around the amount of
emotional material that they can process verbally. Play is a medium which
children use to learn and process information. In play therapy, children play
out their issues in much the same way that adults talk out their issues in
verbal counseling / counselling (Axline, 1947).
In play, children often express their emotions in a direct
and uncensored way, giving the counselor / counsellor a great deal of understanding about the
child's problems and feelings. Not only is play used to bring understanding to a
child's issues, but it is also used as a vehicle for change. The child is
provided with a corrective emotional experience through emotional support,
interpretations and clarification of the child's feelings. Play therapy provides
the child with the opportunity to re-experience the conflict or problem in the
safety of the counseling / counselling room, and therefore providing the child the chance to
conquer fears, adjust to life changes, and gain a feeling of security to replace
anxiety and uncertainty.
Our goal is to help your child sort out & work through
any relevant past or present hurts (& the resulting influences on
their life & relationships), & any communication, power struggle or intimacy
issues that may be hindering them.
Phone counseling / counselling,
Online audio / video, email
or LiveType Chat Instant Messaging etherapy sessions are available for
working through issues as an alternative to the standard
Office appointments we
also offer
(see
Online & Phone Counseling).
These are obviously not the best formats for play therapy, but
where there are no local play therapists available & parents are still
interested in trying to work in conjunction with a play therapist to try
to help their child(ren) express & process their feelings / struggles, it
is do-able. Where possible,
online audio video would be the best alternate medium for this. It must be understood
though, that this is a somewhat more limited & limiting format than an office appointment for play therapy
would be.
In our
Resources section we have a number of
links, books, articles, essays & seminar notes that may be of help as a
supplement to counseling.
Context of
our Value Base
Our counseling services are available
to both Christians & non-Christians alike (as per our
Mission Statement), & for both
we integrate our spirituality only to the degree that people request & are
comfortable with.
We are respectful
of others being in somewhat different places than we are in the life journeys we walk out, & are also aware that many have been hurt or offended
religiously by others in their past.
We do not try to force our Christian value base or
beliefs on others, although it can at times affect what goals we feel
comfortable about being able to work on, because
there are a handful of moral & spiritual issues where we will not be
comfortable in counseling contrary to our beliefs. These issues generally
do not tend to come up in most people's counseling though.
We come from a spiritual, biblical
perspective so when requested we also function as pastoral counselors / counsellors
in addition to being professional counselors, marriage & family therapists.
We are very comfortable with prayer & the inclusion
of scripture where this is requested & desired,
yet even
then it will be integrated only
to the degree that people are
comfortable with.
Who we are : MSW MDiv 20+ years counseling experience
Please feel free to book
Online & Phone counseling appointments as an alternative to our Office
appointments
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