Play therapy: Encyclopedia - Play therapy

Play therapy

Play Therapy is defined by the Association for 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." A lay definition might be "a form of counseling that uses play to communicate with and render assistance, especially to children whose natural language is play."

Play therapy is often used instead of "play diagnosis". The term was used, along with children's toys (play-houses, pets, dolls, etc) to help the diagnostician to try to determine the cause of disturbed behaviour in a child.

Treatment therapists then used a type of systematic desensitization or relearning therapy to change the disturbing behaviour, either systematically or in less formal social settings. However the same processes can be used with any other pre-verbal, non-verbal, or verbally-impaired persons, such as slow-learners, brain-injured or drug-affected persons. Mature adults usually need much "group permission" before indulging in the relaxed spontaneity of play therapy, so a very skilled group worker is needed to deal with such guarded individuals.

See also

• Play (activity)
• Drama therapy
• Therapy

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Play therapy", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki