How do children experience trauma? How do they report it? How can we help to treat it? The questions are especially complex within a framework where we could do more harm than good if we’re not careful.
If pretend play causes development, then we should prescribe pretend play for struggling children; but if pretend play merely marks development, then all the therapist-guided pretend play in the world ain’t gonna change a child’s trajectory.
How can you work toward treatment goals while remaining true to the open-endedness of child-centered therapy, the most common play therapy theoretical orientation?
My first career was as a 6th grade English and Social Studies teacher and I remember that first day of school; within hours or even minutes, there was an obvious difference between students: some kids could do things for themselves and others needed (or wanted…) things done for them.
In this study of group sandtray therapy with preadolescents, just holding the baseline is a success.
Engaging can feel like “invading” but observing can feel like “lurking”. This article based on a paper by Dr. Sally Robinson lays out the dilemma.
Before going back to school for psychology, I taught 6th grade English and Social Studies. I remember my girls starting the year as confident and competent young ladies – and…
I’m very pleased to introduce Dr. Kristi Pikiewicz’s blog, Play Therapy. Here’s her wonderful and informative introduction to what she’ll be talking about on here: Play therapy is more than…