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.

It has also been shown that playing can contribute to the development and advancement of critical thought. Whereas, it also allows children to release strong emotions and sentiments which often leads to a feeling of relief. In fact, children will often play out experiences which would be undesirable in real life.

Now considered a valid form of psychotherapeutic counseling, the therapy can assist adults and children in overcoming psychological challenges. When it comes to children, the goal is to help children become more comfortable with overcoming trauma, emotional health, growth, development and social interaction. For, the more a child learns how to interact with other children and adults, the more likely the child will behave and interact appropriately later in life.

As part of the process, therapists are now using this type of therapy to diagnose and treat a number of mental health issues. To do so, a therapist will most often observe a child playing with different types of toys and ask questions if the behavior seems outside normally accepted behavior. In most cases, this therapeutic playtime along with how the child answers any questions will be enough for a therapist to identify the cause of behavioral problems or emotional issues.

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.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment