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Saturday 27 April 2019

The Psychological Benefits Of Play Therapy

By Matthew McDonald


Psychotherapy is a treatment used in the mental health needs of adults and children. In most cases, it is a practice acknowledged and accepted by experts in the field. Whereas, play therapy is considered a suitable and effective intervention when dealing with brain development in children.

Play oriented therapies generally involve children aged three to eleven. The primary focus of a therapist in this area is to provide a safe and comfortable space where the child can undergo a self-guided healing process. Since most children communicate best at playtime, this period often becomes an important aspect of the therapeutic process.

By participating in this type of therapy, children often learn how to develop mastery when it comes to identifying and developing innate gifts and abilities. As a result, once children begin to use these skills to overcome a number of emotional psychological challenges, most also develop a stronger sense of pride and self-worth.

Playing can also contribute to the advancement and development of critical thought which can have major benefits when it comes to school and homework. In addition, it is often through playing with others that a child learns to display strong emotional responses and sentiments, many which can provide a feeling of relief. Most often, children do this through fantastical play which is not normally accepted in society at large.

This type of therapy is actually a valid form of psychotherapeutic counseling which can help people, especially children in preventing and resolving a number of psychosocial challenges. The goal is to help children become more comfortable with social interaction, development, growth, emotional health and overcoming different types of trauma.

Play oriented therapists can also identify the cause of emotional issues and setbacks by watching a child during playtime. In doing so, therapists often observe a child playing with different types of toys to determine any unusual or disturbing behavior. After which, a therapist generally meets with parents to determine which type of treatment would be best moving forward.

According to several psychodynamic sources, children will often engage in play in order to work with emotional blocks and anxieties. According to this viewpoint, this type of therapy can also be used by children as a self-help mechanism as long as children are allowed to play freely and without structure. Although, there are times during sessions in which non-directed playtimes may very well become directed in order for the therapist to take control of a situation.

In some cases, children using this non-directed method may need to be redirected back to a directed playtime. When this is the case, it is important the therapist use a form of therapy to change or eliminate the troubling behavior which arose during the process. After which, therapists are hopeful other methods will provide better results.

Playing has been recognized as a beneficial aspect of life since the time of Plato from 429 to 347 B. C. For, the great philosopher observed a number of individuals at play and determined that people could learn more about one another in sixty minutes of playtime than in an hour of conversation. As such, it appears playtime, whether or not associated with therapy, can be beneficial to people of all ages.




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