Child/ Adolescent 1

Front 1

child-centered play therapy

Back 1

- a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures who provides selected play materials and facilitates the development of a safe relationship for the child t fully express and explore self through play, the natural medium of communication
- focus on relationship
- changing of what may be unmanageable in reality to manageable situations through symbolic representations

Front 2

tenets for relating with children

Back 2

- children are not miniature adults
- children are people
- children are unique and worthy of respect
- children are resilient
- children have an inherent tendency toward growth and maturity
- children are capable of self-direction
- children's natural language is play
- children have a right to remain silent
- children will take the therapeutic experience to where they need to be
- children's growth cannot be sped up

Front 3

Stage 1

Back 3

Initially diffuse negative feelings

Front 4

Stage 2

Back 4

Expressing ambivalent feelings that are generally anxious and hostile

Front 5

Stage 3

Back 5

Expressing anger toward parents, siblings, and other persons in the child's life

Front 6

Stage 4

Back 6

Ambivalent feelings are expressed again but in the form of positive and negative feelings and attitudes expressed toward parents, siblings, and other persons in the child's life

Front 7

Stage 5

Back 7

Clear, distinct, separate, usually realistic positive and negative attitudes with positive attitudes predominating in the child's play

Front 8

Adjusted children

Back 8

- conversational
- prone to discuss world as it exists for them
- examine whole play setting and use a large variety of materials
- free and spontaneous
- use concrete ways to bring out their problems
- not so serious and intense in their feelings about themselves, the therapist, or their play
- express negative attitudes less often
- use various strategies to discover their responsibilities and limitations in the therapeutic relationship

Front 9

Maladjusted children

Back 9

- May remain completely silent during first few sessions
- May keep up a rapid-fire flow of questions and conversation
- want to be told what to do and what not to do
- more likely to express their feelings symbolically with paints, clay, sand, and water
- often aggressive and want to destroy play materials or therapist
- more serious and intense in feelings about themselves, the therapist, and play

Front 10

basis for child-centered theory of personality structure

Back 10

- person
- phenomenal field
- the self

Front 11

the person

Back 11

-child's thoughts, behaviors, feelings, and physical being
- every child exists in a continually changing would of experience of which he is the center

Front 12

phenomenal field

Back 12

- everything the child experiences (conscious or unconscious)
- forms the basis of internal reference for viewing life

Front 13

the self

Back 13

- every child exists in a continually changing world of experience of which the child is the center
- the totality of the perceptions of a child

Front 14

Play therapist's objectives

Back 14

- acceptance of the child
- respect for the child's uniqueness
- sensitivity to the child's feelings

Front 15

What needs to occur for a child to change?

Back 15

A child will not change until the child is free not to change

Front 16

Parental involvement

Back 16

?

Front 17

guidelines when choosing toys

Back 17

"be yourself in playing," not "be careful"

selected, not collected

Front 18

toys and materials

Back 18

- facilitate a wide range of creative expression
- facilitate a wide range of emotional expression
- engage a child's interests
- facilitate expressive and exploratory play
- allow exploration and expression without verbalization
- allow success without prescribed structure
- allow for noncommittal play
- have sturdy construction for active use

Front 19

Children are usually wondering

Back 19

- Am I safe?
- Can I cope?
- Will I be accepted?

Front 20

Inviting the child to the room

Back 20

- greet parent
- crouch down
- make eye contact
- warm smile
- make an introduction to the child without giving the parent a chance to initiate conversation
- "We can go to the playroom now. Your mother will wait here so she will be here when we come back from the playroom."
- No questions - this is a time to allow the child to lead the experience

Front 21

Introduction to the play room

Back 21

- project warm and friendly image with tone of voice and facial expression
- not a time to be overly serious or stern
- smile
- facial expression is animated
- verbal communication kept to a minimum
- "Melissa, this is our playroom, and this is a place where you can play with the toys in a lot of the ways you would like to."

Front 22

Facilitative responses

Back 22

- brief and interactive
- help the child go on
- tracking by reflecting nonverbal play behavior
- reflect content
- reflect feelings
- build self-esteem
- match child's level of affect
- avoiding questions
- facilitate decision making and return responsibility

Front 23

setting limits

Back 23

- total limits rather than conditional limits
- the focus and emphasis are always on the child, in order to clearly convey where the responsibility lies
- children should be allowed to separate
- based on clear and definable criteria supported by a clearly thoughtout rationale with there furtherance of the therapeutic relationship in mind

Front 24

why limits?

Back 24

- provide physical and emotional security and safety for children
- protects physical well-being of the therapist and facilitates acceptance of the child
- facilitate the development of decision making, self-control, and self-responsibility of children
- anchor the session in reality and emphasize the here and now
- promote consistency in the playroom environment
- preserve the professional, ethical, and socially acceptable relationship
- protect the play therapy materials in the room

Front 25

Bring in toys/ snacks?

Back 25

"I know you would like to take X with you into the playroom, but it is for staying here in the waiting room. It will be here when you come back from the playroom."

Front 26

Overly dependent?

Back 26

- "You would like the scissors. If you want the scissors, you can get them."
- "In here, you can decide."
- "It can be whatever you want it to be"

Front 27

Seeking praise?
(Do you think my picture is pretty?)

Back 27

"You painted a red house right there, and hmm you put windows right there, and oh, you made this whole top blue all the way across here..."

Front 28

You talk weird!

Back 28

"Oh, I sound different than other people to you."

Front 29

Expressions of affection
"Do you like me?"

Back 29

"You are special to me, and this is a special time together."

Front 30

Stealing toys?

Back 30

"I know you would like to take the car with you, but the car in your pocket (points) stays here so it will be here for you to play with next time."

Front 31

Refusing to leave?

Back 31

- slowly take steps to the door
- "I know you would like to seat for as long as you decide, but time is up."

Front 32

confidentiality

Back 32

discuss general observations and avoid revealing specific behaviors
- "Chris seems angry. How is his anger expressed at home?"

Front 33

giving a reward at the end of session

Back 33

- Play experiences are intrinsically rewarding. They do not need a reward for playing.
- What is held in the heart can never be lost.

Front 34

cleaning up

Back 34

- toys are their words and play is their language
- only ask to them to help if it would be therapeutic

Front 35

Informing the child why they are in play therapy

Back 35

"Your parents are concerned because sometimes things don't seem to go very well for you at home, and they thought you would like to have a special time in the playroom each Tuesday just for you"

Front 36

Inviting parents/ siblings

Back 36

- the presence of a parent in the playroom can severely restrict the development of the relationship between the therapist and the child
- the playroom is a special time for building relationships and what goes on in the playroom is always consistent

Front 37

Understanding what is expressed in the sandtray

Back 37

An expressive and projective mode of psychotherapy involving the unfolding and processing of intra- and interpersonal issues through the use of specific sand tray materials as a nonverbal medium of communication, led by the client and facilitated by a trained therapist.
- It is a process that seeks to promote safety and control for the client so that emotionally charged issues can be addressed through the medium

Front 38

an empty world

Back 38

- 2/3 has no miniatures
- reflective of client viewing world as unhappy or empty place
- reflective of client feeling rejected or desiring to escape
- client may have deficient mental resources because of depression

Front 39

an unpeopled world

Back 39

- reflect the client's wish to escape
- can be an expression of hostile feelings toward people

Front 40

a closed/ fenced in world

Back 40

- need to be self-protecting
- need to compartmentalize
- closing self off from others
- closing dangers out
- fear of his/her own inner impulses and a need for external controls

Front 41

rigid world

Back 41

- arrangement of miniatures appears unrealistic, with a rigid arrangement and typically in rows or a clear geometric pattern
- an extreme need for order, as a reaction to the client's chaotic world
- great need for perfectionism and self-control
- emotionally rigid or repressed

Front 42

disorganized world

Back 42

- showing his/her own inner confusion
- reflecting the chaos of his/her own world
- unable to maintain self-control

Front 43

aggressive world

Back 43

- wars, fighting, car crashes, animal attacks
- may be acting out in some manner in own world
- client may be internalizing anger and uses the safety of the sand tray to express it

Front 44

Global processing

Back 44

- title
- general/ global explanation
- discuss each scene
- discuss specific miniatures

Front 45

focus processing

Back 45

- title the tray
- describe entire tray/ overall scene
- discuss specific miniatures