1. It’s place in the Counseling Office
Play Therapy
Sara
Play therapy can be anything that you put between you and the client to help alleviate any anxiety and therefore allowing the child to open up. This can be young children that lack the language or older students who may come in with severe issues that they have been holding in, or simply distracted children that need a way to focus while talking.
It’s place in the Counseling Office

2. History of Play Therapy
Sigmund Freud first used PT in 1909
Carl Rogers introduced person-centered theory
Virginia Axline-created non-directive play therapy
Current definition (Association of Play Therapy, 2008)
"the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."
Kelsey
S. Freud- First used PT in his work with the unconsciousness.
Freud and Klein-used play therapy as a replacement for verbalized free-association, they used more of a psychoanalytical approach- believed that analyzing children’s natural play that one would begin to understand the conflict and personality of the inner child.
Non-directive=Child-centered
Play promotes feelings of acceptance and understanding
APT defines play therapy as "the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."

3. What is Child-Centered Play Therapy
Restate what the child says (if anything)
Reflect feeling and content
Set limits in the playroom that prohibit the student from hurting self, you, or materials
Emphasis on the child and the natural way that a child can work out an issue
Sara
The counselor is a mirror for which the child can look at themselves and begin to understand their own thoughts and feelings.
Children need the right environment to being to learn about themselves and work through feelings.

4. Techniques: Tracking The counselor is an observer
The counselor restates what the child is doing without adding negative or positive statements
Children are allowed to process on their own without counselor interpretation
Sara

5. Experiential Activity with Tracking and Reflection
What did you notice from the client’s play?
What themes can you draw from it?
What would you write in notes about the child?
Sara
Set up activity with toys and another student/professor who knows how to use play therapy. Track the child’s behavior and reflect content and feeling (3 minutes) then discussion of questions
Kelsey shows anger with toys!

6. Directive Play Therapy
Directive = Counselor leads or guides session
Creative activities are used to guide counseling sessions in order to gauge the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of the client
Goal oriented
Allows for specific evidence of change and growth in the child
Kelsey
Directive = counselor initiates activities, discussions, or role plays to guide the counseling sessions (ex. Using a puppet to model positive self-talk and coping), good because there still is a decreased expectation for verbalization of the child but with directive there is an increased reliance on experiential approaches
Purpose of play is a way for the counselor to learn about the client’s thoughts and feelings, the counselor uses intentiality with techniqes, statements, and media used. In non-directive, child chooses media but in directive, the counselor chooses
Can be integrated into all theoretical approaches, prescriptive play therapy
Directive techniques can be used to assist in goal setting (ex. Drawing a situation now, drawing a situation how you want it to be in the future, and making a bridge or outline of a plan to determine goal)
Directive techniques also provide evidence of a change or growth by comparing concrete measures from activities (art, writing, storytelling, etc.) and usually utilize more measurable goals (i.e. asking friends to play), making it easier to evaluation (whereas with non-directive the goals are mainly increased self-awareness or understanding)

7. Techniques: Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy
The emphasis is on developing new, more adaptive thoughts and behaviors
The counselor uses techniques to guide student in using more helpful coping strategies to deal with problems
Pairs concrete examples with abstract ideas and emotions
Kelsey
CBPT incorporates developmentally appropriate aspects of play therapy onto a goal oriented and structured approach. Through the use of play, cognitive change is communicated indirectly (often with modeling) and more adaptive behaviors are introduced to the child.
The therapist is problem focused rather than client focused
Stages of CBPT –
Assessment – gather info about student & problem
Intro to Play Therapy – give clear, nonjudgmental explanation of client’s perception of the problem and a description of the play therapy process
Middle stages – goal is that child is transferring what is being learned in the play room to other settings or situations (modeling component)
Final stage –counselor guides child in determining how to handle situations after termination
Can use play as a method of communicating abstract ideas or emotions (ex. our upcoming activity!)

8. Experiential Activity: Weights and Balloons
How did the activity help explain the thought-feeling connection?
For which developmental levels is this appropriate?
How can this activity help the counselor/student with goal setting?
Kelsey
Ask students to list positive/negative thoughts about graduation
Have a student come to the front of the room. For each negative thought noted, add a book into the bookbag. Ask the student to walk around the room. Next, ask the student to write on the board or do 5 jumping jacks. How does it feel? Why do you think the bag got so heavy? How would wearing this heavy bag impact your daily activities?
Explain that holding onto negative thoughts weighs a person down. Doing regular activities becomes a lot harder. Ask the child to take a load off and put the bookbag down. How does it feel now? When you’re not carrying the weight of the negative thoughts around, you feel lighter, more confident, and more energetic. Next, look at the positive thoughts. Blow up a balloon for one or two positive thoughts. Explain that they are “weightless” and helpful because they build up our strength and our confidence.

9. Applying play into your Counseling
Play, art, story-telling, and music can be integrated with multiple theoretical approaches
Play can be used as a medium within a counseling session to bring ease to any aged child
Middle and high school students may even long for a modality of expression other than spoken language
Direct questions do not always produce direct responses
Sara:
Direct questions do not always produce direct responses – may need play to be a symbolic language of self-expression
Items for incorporating play can include ethnic dolls, art supplies, puppets, games, dollhouse, masks, miniatures, clay, etc.
Ask class how they have used other mediums in counseling sessions? How comfortable would you be using it in each level?

10. Who is using Play Therapy
In 2005, 105 counseling graduate programs in the US offered at least one course in play therapy
In 2005, 978 school counselors from ACA and APT were surveyed about their theoretical background and 66.6% responded child-centered with cognitive behavioral in second at 9.2%
Of those responding to the survey, the average number of graduate courses taken in Play Therapy was 1.5
Kelsey
Sara’s research has been done in order to advocate that play therapy be an integral part of our theories course and our program. She found the following research about the prevalence of play therapy to help make her case.
Lambert, LeBlanc, Mullen, Ray, Baggery, White, & Kaplan, 2005
(Ray, 2006)

11. Who is using Play Therapy
Elementary school counselors were survey about opinions of Play Therapy (381 School Counselors)
97% of the school counselors believed that play was the natural language of a child
In a qualitative section responders indicated that limitations to using Play Therapy in schools included lack of time with students and lack of training (2005)
Sara
Ray, Armstrong, Warren, and Balkin (2005)

12. Efficacy of Play Therapy
Kranz, Rameriz, Flores-Torres, Steele, & Lund (2005) used games and art to create comfort in migrant children
Baggerly and Parker (2005) used CCPT with 22 African American males
Cultural studies!
Kranz-Traumatic events in the life of a child make him or her vulnerable to retention of that memory
CCPT helps make the memory an external one and move past event (tells us to use PT when child experienced traumatic event, maybe students moving and new to the school)
Baggerly-Concerns: parental abandonment, abuse, domestic violence, racism, and behavioral, social, and academic problems.
The goal of promoting racial identity and developing a greater sense of self-confidence was evident in each participant
CCPT is a non-evasive way to connect with a child and allow him or her to handle things on their own time

13. Efficacy of Play Therapy
Kot, Landreth, and Giordano(1998) experimentally studied a group of children who were all witnessing domestic violence in the home
Post (1999) studied 168 children that were considered at-risk based on poverty, low achievement, special education label, or mobility in the home
Domestic violence/at-risk students
Kot-After 12, 45 minute sessions of individual CCPT the experimental group scored significantly higher on self-concept measures
The experimental group also showed significantly fewer behavioral problems
Post--Experimental group received weekly sessions of CCPT, control group received no treatment
Children in the CCPT group maintained a locus of control and steady self-esteem, while the children in the control group showed a significant decrease in these two constructs

14. Final Thoughts
Play therapy allows children to process and proceed at their own pace
Developmentally appropriate
Works with culturally diverse children, labeled children, and those experiencing trauma
Graduate students should be aware of and trained in play therapy to face the needs they will encounter in the school system
Kelsey
Ask students to brainstorm ideas they have about how to use CCPT at their cites

15. Resources
Association of Play Therapy (n.d.). About Play Therapy Overview. Retrieved May 15, 2008 from
Baggerly, J., & Parker, M. (2005). Child-centered group play therapy with African American boys at the elementary school level. Journal of Counseling and Development 83(4),
Dougherty, J. & Ray, D.C. (2007). Differential impact of play therapy on developmental levels of children. International Journal of Play Therapy, 16(1), 2-19.
de Rios, M. D. (1997). Magical realism: A cultural intervention for traumatized Hispanic children. Cultural Diversity & Mental Health, 3(3),
Fall, M. (1994). Physical and emotional expression: A combination approach for working with children in the small areas of a school counselor’s office. School Counselor, 42(1),
Fall, M., Balvanz, J., Johnson, L., & Nelson, L. (1999). A play therapy intervention and its relationship to self-efficacy and learning behaviors. Professional School Counseling, 2(3),

16. Resources Gil, E. (1994). Play in family therapy. New York: Guilford.
Johnson, L., Mcleod, E.H., & Fall, M. (1997). Play therapy with labeled children in the schools. Professional School Counseling, 1(1),
Kottman, T. (2001). Play therapy: Basics and beyond. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Lambert, S.F., LeBlanc, M., Mullen, J.A., Ray, D., Baggerly, J., White, J., & Kaplan, D. (2005). Learning more about those who play in session: The national play therapy in counseling practices project. International Journal of Play Therapy, 14(2), 7-24.
Landreth, G. L. (1991). Play therapy: The art of the relationship. Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development.

17. Resources
Post, P. (1999) Impact of child-centered play therapy on the self-esteem, locus of control, and anxiety of at-risk 4th-, 5th-, and 6th grade students. International Journal of Play Therapy, 8, 1-18.
Ray, D. C. (2006). Evidence-based play therapy. In Schaefer, C. E. & Kaduson, H. G. (Ed), Contemporary play therapy: Theory, research, and practice (pp.# ). New York: Guilford.
Ray, D.C., Armstrong, S.A., Warren, E.S., & Balkin, R.S. (2005). Play therapy practices among elementary school counselors. Professional School Counseling, 8(4),
Shen, Y., & Sink, C.A. (2002). Helping elementary-age children cope with disasters. School Counseling, 5(5).
Synder, B.A. (1997) Expressive art therapy techniques: Healing the soul through creativity. Journal of Humanistic Education and Development, 32(2),