For a child, play represents a crucial role in its development. Through games, it is challenged and encouraged, which is why play therapy has been used and developed as a healing approach for various disorders since 1920. Depending on the type of therapy, specific areas are addressed.
What is play therapy?
Play therapy is a psychoanalytic approach used in child psychology. It was developed in the first quarter of the 20th century by psychoanalyst Hermine Hug-Hellmuth. Play therapy is a psychoanalytic approach used in child psychology. It was developed in the first quarter of the 20th century by the psychoanalyst Hermine Hug-Hellmuth. In the following years it was adopted and further developed by various people. The child’s body is stimulated to heal within the framework of various games as a therapeutic measure. In doing so, the patients naturally follow their innate play instinct, which contributes to their development and serves to form different character traits. It also promotes learning behavior. Children learn about themselves and their environment through play and stimulate their brain. In this way, the child’s memory is stimulated and children learn to express themselves. Difficulties in childhood that cannot be mastered by parents can lead to psychological problems. Often parents are not able to cope with these problems on their own. This is where play therapy can help, as the parent or guardian also learns their child’s particular way of expressing themselves. In addition, the therapist can use play to determine if longer therapy is needed. For children up to teenage years, play therapy is the method of choice to express themselves non-verbally as well as to deal with thoughts that they otherwise do not express.
Function, effect and goals
The goals of play therapy are, on the one hand, the reduction of neurotic behaviors and the acquisition of new knowledge. On the other hand, the child awakens his abilities and learns to put his feelings into words. In addition, there is the learning of appreciation and acceptance of one’s own self. Another goal is the development of strategies for problem solving and the formation of emotional stability. Play therapy is used, for example, when children suffer from developmental delays or slowdowns. In addition, there are often emotional and psychosomatic problems. These show themselves in anxious, aggressive or often shy behavior. The children appear restless, fidgety, or refuse to engage in activities altogether. Emotional stress can lead to chronic abdominal pain and headaches, for which no physical cause can usually be found. Depending on their age, affected children may defecate or wet themselves again, even though they are long past that age. Play therapy is also used for social difficulties. Affected children rarely play, usually have few friends, and have difficulty approaching other children. They don’t know how to behave toward others and often have trouble following rules. At school, they can be outsiders, and at home, for example, there are strong rivalries with siblings. The reasons for emotional problems can be manifold. Difficult domestic situations are often responsible. These include separations or divorces of the parents as well as moves or losses that they have to deal with. If the child himself is ill or a close person is ill, this means severe stress, which can lead to apathy or aggression. Outside the home, bullying and violence at school can also be the reason for behavioral problems. In order to not only find these things out, but also to find possible solutions, different types of play are used in therapy. These include various types of functional play, which is used with infants and toddlers. Here, new skills are acquired through repetition of action sequences. Another option is so-called symbol play, in which behaviors or objects must be memorized. The task of imitating parents is also possible, in which fictitious actions must be acted out. In addition, in construction play the child learns to organize itself, to learn by failing and to experiment. In addition, it learns social behaviors through role play.This is usually done through doctor or father-mother-child games, in which the child takes on one of the roles. This is a way of processing positive and negative experiences and giving the therapist clues to difficulties. In rule games, children learn to stick to agreements. They also learn to deal with frustration and develop an understanding of right and wrong. The prerequisite for rule play is the ability to express oneself appropriately verbally or nonverbally. Most of these approaches are also used by special educators and curative educators.
Features
Play therapy has some special features. First and foremost among them is the absence of a therapy atmosphere. Children undergoing psychological treatment often feel pressured or intimidated. In play therapy, on the other hand, they can relax and quickly forget about the therapy itself. It is also easier for them to connect with the therapist. Through the different games, joy and excitement as well as curiosity are naturally awakened. This helps in a natural development of the child and offers the possibility of unfolding. Characteristics of play therapy are, for example, desensitization through repetition games, forgetting about time and engagement with the environment. Self-esteem is strengthened and play serves as an outlet for pent-up feelings. It also teaches children to articulate and express themselves in language. As a result, problems can be better dealt with and solved.
