Image
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Products
  • Resources
  • News
  • Blog

Archive for Intervention Ideas

Play Therapy Termination Activity: The Chain of Intentions by Jennifer Taylor

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· December 21, 2017 
· 1 Comment

Termination of play therapy services can be difficult for the counselor and the child. The relationship formed during the months of therapy is one of the most important aspects of the process. Termination activities differ across settings:  some offices provide certificates and some simply said good bye.

Today, I will share a termination activity that has been quite popular in my office.

The truth is that it is also a goal setting activity. So, you can use it at the beginning and the end of therapy.

It started way back in January 2016….I like to call it the Chain of Intentions.

The Inspiration for This Termination Activity

The Chain of Intentions was inspired by a commercial that I watched about the My Intent Project.  According to their webpage,

We believe there is purpose inside each of us and we want our efforts to encourage people to share more truth and inspiration with each other. We are not a jewelry company – we are an intentions project-My Intent Project

Despite their claim not to be a jewelry company, they do in fact, make jewelry. The customer chooses a word of inspiration to have marked on a disc and uses that as inspiration or motivation in their daily life.

(Note…I have no affiliation with the My Intent project and have received no financial compensation from them…this is purely background).

So, I ordered one with my intention for my play therapy practice.

My word was FOCUS.

Focus on PLAY THERAPY.

See, I have a habit of saying yes to all opportunities. Those things were taking me away from my core mission which was to use play therapy to help children deal with trauma or other difficulties at home or in school.

I needed to FOCUS.

But, because I could not buy a necklace as a termination gift for each or my clients, I came up with a way to create a chain of intentions with all of the (willing) clients and students that came to my office.

Chain of Intention Instructions:

  1. I started by tying a very long piece of yarn to the air ducts in my office to form a string that went from one end of my office to the other. You could do this by tying it to a nail or a hook of any kind.
  2. Cut out strips of construction paper by folding in half vertically and then folding in half again. You will get 4 strips for each standard sheet.
  3. Using a marker, I wrote my word FOCUS and made the first circle around the piece of yarn. It was very sad and lonely all by itself. 
  4. As children noticed it and started to ask about it, I told them the story about the necklace that I just told you.   Now..even though I said this was a termination activity, it can also be a treatment goal activity.
  5. If a child wanted to create an intention as a treatment plan goal, I allowed them to make a strip with a word about what they wanted to achieve during their therapy visits. Children choose things like listen, happy, create, design, friends.   Make sure that the intention is positive. So no chains that say “Stop, no, don’t.”
  6. I had the child stand on a chair and link their strip onto mine (or the last one up) and then staple it themselves so that their word of intention was visible.
  7. At the end of therapy, the child would either create another strip (or do one for the first time if they were not interested in doing a goal strip) that said what they learned during the therapy. Or sometimes, it was a benefit or just something they wanted to continue working on. Their INTENTION after our services ended. Some wrote happy, friends, joy, connection, success. Again, I had the child write the word, put it up and staple it themselves.
  8. If children were too young to spell, they tried their best. Or they drew a picture. Sometimes, I wrote the word down and they copied it.

 

 

Thoughts on Termination

The end result was a way for them to leave something behind. A testament to the power of therapy and the work that was accomplished. A motivation for other children that success was possible. And a vision for their future about what could help guide them after therapy was over.

My goal was to get from one side of the room to the other. It took the entire year. My office is big! But as it grew, it became a fixture in the office and I am excited to take it down and start again. And a little sad to see it go. I am thinking that I can use it as a garland for my office Christmas tree. A symbolic way to honor the work of the year and transition into the intentions for the new one.

***

Thanks to Jennifer Taylor for an other great reader submission! Check out more from Jennifer at jentaylorplaytherapy.com

Have a post you would like to feature on our page? Let us know!

1 Comment
Categories : Behavior, Child Development, Communication, Feelings, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy, Reader Submissions
Tags : Play Therapy, sand play, sand play therapy, sand therapy, sand tray therapy, sandplay therapy, sandtray therapy, termination of play therapy, termination of therapy, therapy tools

Cooperative & Noncompetitive Games

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· October 19, 2017 
· 1 Comment

Cooperative and non-competitive games are ideal for children and families, and are often used by therapists, counselors, and teachers. In a non-competitive game there are no winners or losers, usually information is exchanged.  Probably the most popular non-competitive game used by clinicians is the Ungame. Another non-competitive game, this one developed for therapy, is The Nurturing Game.

                                   

Cooperative games usually have a specific goal that needs to be accomplished, and can only be accomplished when players are working together. Another way of looking at cooperative games is that all players win, or all players lose.  They can be used with children who can’t tolerate losing, have cooperation difficulties, or need to work on their communication skills.  A popular cooperative game used by therapists is The Mountaineering Game. The goal of this game is to reach the top of the mountain. If greater difficulty and complexity is desired players can work together to first ascend the mountain, and then descend the mountain.

The value of cooperative games was demonstrated in a study by Bay-Hintz and Wilson (Bay-Hintz, April K. and Wilson, Ginger B. ,2005. “A Cooperative Games Intervention for Aggressive Preschool Children.”  In Reddy, Linda A., Files-Hall, Tara M, and Schaefer, Charles E. (Eds.) Empirically Based Play Interventions for Children). They studied the use of cooperative games in a preschool class. Cooperative games were played for thirty-minutes per day in one group, and competitive games were played in the other. Two other groups played cooperative games for part of the study, and competitive games for part of the study.  In all conditions where cooperative games were introduced cooperative behavior during free play increased. Cooperative behavior decreased during periods where competitive games were played.  The games used in this study included group games like cooperative musical chairs and Family Pastimes board games (see below).

Both cooperative and non-competitive games facilitate therapy by becoming the place where therapist and client interact with each other. Non-competitive games typically involve more discussion and disclosure, while cooperative games require social skills and effective communication to achieve success.

The Ungame: Non-competitive games, such as The Ungame, are designed specifically to foster communication. It is available as a board game, and as a separate card games for Kids, Teens, and Families.  The Ungame is ideal for a therapy session as the length of play can be predetermined at the start of the game. So, if there are only fifteen minutes left in the session the game can still be played and the session can still be quite productive.  In addition, playing the Ungame fosters skills such as sharing, interacting, and listening.

The Ungame board game includes two levels of “general cards,” a board, pawns, and a die. Level one cards tend to be light-hearted and non-threatening, and Level two cards tend to require more thought and self-revelation. Level 2 cards ask questions about feelings, values, and memories.  The Ungame card games also consist of level one and level two cards and may be used with the board game. Simply substitute the general cards that come with the game with one of the card decks. The card game includes Choice, Question and Comment cards, which are also spaces on the board game, so these cards should be removed when using them with the board game.

The Ungame is easy to play. Players take turns rolling the die, count spaces and then respond to the prompt on the space they land on. If they land on an Ungame space, they pick up a card, read it aloud, and respond. If they land on a Question space they may ask any player any question they like. If they land on a Comment space, they may make a comment about anything they like. As a therapist, I usually use the Question space to seek clarification about an earlier response or find out something about the child. Choice spaces allow the player to make a comment, ask a question, or pick up an Ungame card. Level 1 cards are typically non-threatening and ideal for building cohesion in a group and rapport between the players.  They facilitate discussion and learning how to express oneself. Level 2 cards tend to evoke more emotional and in-depth responses and are better used once clients have begun to feel comfortable.

Ungame Variations

Getting to Know You – Hide & Seek with Ungame cards – The therapist chooses which deck is going to be played with, and hands a portion of the deck to the child. Better readers can be given more cards, weak or young readers, only a few cards. The therapist may choose to stack the deck prior to the session. The therapist chooses three cards he’d like the child to answer and the child chooses 3 cards they would like the therapist to answer. The child hides her cards first, then the therapist hides his cards. Child and therapist then take turns looking for the cards. When a card is located it is responded to.

Getting to Know You – Rock, Paper, Scissors, with or without Ungame cards – Follow the same procedure as above, but instead of choosing 3 cards, go through your stack and identify a few questions you’d like to ask. Next, play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Whoever wins the round, gets to pose the question. This game can also be played without cards. Participants simply ask whatever question they want of the other participant.

The Squiggle Game is a cooperative activity and was developed by D. W. Winnicott.  Winnicott was a pediatrician and a child analyst.  He developed to the Squiggle Game to be played in the initial interview with a child.  He developed this activity as a way for the therapist to make contact with the child.  He did not develop any fixed rules, as he wanted clinicians to feel free to adapt it to their style and enhance it a way that worked best for them. Clinician and child take turns making a squiggle, and then turning it into a picture of something. Child and counselor are free to complete as many, or as few, as they choose. Many variations of the Squiggle game have been developed over the years (as a Google search will reveal). One interesting discussion can be find in the following online article:

www.focusing.org/chfc/articles/en/thurow-interaction-squiggle-total.htm

The Nurturing Game is another non-competitive game that not only fosters communication but also promotes activities that encourage nurturing behavior.  The Nurturing Game is suitable for adults and children ages 6 and older to increase self-awareness, communication skills, and appropriate use of personal power. Participants respond to questions regarding awareness of self, feelings, giving and receiving praise, as well as practicing appropriate touch. Each Nurturing Game contains cards and directions that are published both in English and Spanish. There are two “tracks” on the game, one for adults and one for children. In addition to responding to cards there are Praise (Sun) spaces and Hug (Heart) spaces. I recommend that male therapists use the heart spaces to give a high five, fist bump, or “say something positive” about one of the other players.

More cooperative games

Mountaineering, There’s a Growly in the Garden, & Bambino Dino: These three cooperative games are published by Family Pastimes.  Family Pastime games have a specific goal that is achieved when participants play together, not against each other.

The most popular Family Pastimes game purchased by therapists is The Mountaineering Game.  Participants work together to reach the top of the mountain. For an added challenge, game participants can also try to work their way back to the base of the mountain.  The rules of the game compel the players to talk and work together. There is only one pawn which players take turns moving. There are two types of cards, mover cards and equipment cards. At the beginning of the game players must decide how to distribute the cards.  Neither player has enough mover cards nor equipment cards to get the pawn to the top of the mountain.  Since players take turns moving the pawn, each move affects what the other players can do.  As the pawn travels up the mountain it can become stuck and players must work together to move the pawn off various obstacles. This is a fun game to play with siblings and gives the therapist an opportunity to witness how they work together. Cooperation games can also be sent home for family members to play together during the week.

Two very popular games for children ages 4 to 7 (and older depending on the child’s emotional maturity) are Bambino Dino and There’s a Growly in the Garden. In the first game, Bambino wanders into a valley to get food, just as water begins to rush in. Participants work together to save Bambino from the rushing water. Players take turns rolling the dice. The color on the top of the dice determine if the player will get a barrel to remove water, food for Bambino, or more water will be added to the valley. It helps if players work together, discussing which cards to use and when to remove water.  Players may also share barrels to remove the water.

                                                                  

In There’s a Growly in the Garden participants work together to plant flowers, and then prevent the Growlys from pulling them up! The game starts with an empty garden. Players take turns adding Flowers, Scarecrows to block the Growlys, or Special Things that also block the Growlys.  Players need to watch out for Growlys, who turn up randomly, and pull up flowers if they’re not blocked by a Scarecrow or Special Thing.

Family Pastime publishes numerous games, these are just three examples. In addition, there are dozens of fun activities and games available from ChildTherapyToys.com. When using these games, it is advised that the therapist become thoroughly familiar with the rules and how to play before bringing it into the play room. The games are not complex but the rules are nearly impossible to figure out on the fly.

 

1 Comment
Categories : Behavior, Feelings, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy Games, Self-Esteem, Social and Emotional Competence, Therapy Practices
Tags : cooperative games, Play Therapy, play therapy gams, therapeutic games for children, therapeutic games for teens

What are the “Must Have” Toys for a New Play Therapist? By Jennifer Taylor

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· September 11, 2017 
· 1 Comment

Questions about “must have” toys get asked so many times by clinicians new to the field of play therapy.  And, the answers can vary widely.  I’ve given parents some of my favorite toys in the past.

Dr. Landreth’s “Must Have” Toy Categories:

The foundation for play therapy training for a lot of clinicians is Dr. Garry Landreth and Child Centered Play Therapy.  He advises that play therapists include several toys from each of three categories.  Note that this list does not include everything that would fit into each category (they are just examples) and also that you do need everything on any list

Real Life

  • Play kitchens and play food
  • Doctor kits and band-aids
  • Dolls and Dollhouses
  • Animals, Cars, Trucks, People
  • Cash Register and Play Money

Expressive/Creative

  • Art supplies
  • Paint
  • Play-doh
  • Dress Up
  • Puppets and Puppet Theater

Aggressive/Emotional Release

  • Toy guns 
  • Foam swords
  • Rubber knives
  • Rope
  • Soldiers
  • Aggressive puppets or figures (sharks, dinosaur, alligator, etc)

Directive Play Therapists “Must Have” Toys

When doing  more structured or directive play therapy interventions, you usually need things like:

  • Books
  • Therapeutic games
  • Traditional board games
  • UNO cards
  • Playing cards
  • Cooperative Board Games

“Must Have” Elements of a Play Therapy Space

It can be quite easy to find excellent toys everywhere you go.  And Dr. Garry Landreth reminds us all to beware of the urge to get everything.  He says in his book, The Art of the Relationship, “Toys should be selected, not collected.”  

And I created this infographic to summarize my thoughts on creating the perfect play therapy space that you might find helpful.

Reframing The Question

But, I just recently heard it explained in a wonderful way by a colleague, Dr. Jessica Stone, who responded to this very question during a discussion board about the Play Therapy Summit.   She gave me permission to share it with you:

Hi all, I like to take an approach of collecting gems along my way in this field. I am not sure I could identify the one thing my office couldn’t live without. It is complex. Is that my personal favorite thing? Or my client’s? Or the majority of my clients? What comprises a favorite thing?

I believe what we have in our offices needs to be a balance of 1) what is congruent with who we are, what we believe, what our theoretical foundation is, what our space allows comfortably, etc. and 2) what speaks our client’s language, what helps our clients speak, what speaks to our clients, what allows them to experience feeling heard, seen, important, and understood.

I like to take a gem from Maria Montessori and think of the tools in my office as a way of scaffolding within the office. There are items that fit where they are in this moment, items that help them move forward, and items that work when they need to regress a bit.

Sometimes these tools aren’t our preferred or favorite. Sometimes they are. As I look around my office in response to your question I think about the clients who use the majority of the tools in my office on any given day but I also think about that one client, the one who found the tool that meant the most to them and they used it in the most amazing way – whatever that meant for them – Jessica Stone, Ph.D., RPT-S”

As I was packing up my office to move out of the state this week, I found Dr Stone’s words especially helpful.  I usually play loud music when doing tasks like this, but this time, I held each of the toys and remembered the children that used them and how they used them.  It was a mix of joy and sadness as I reflected on all of those shared moments in this specific playroom.

Final Thoughts:

In the end, I would recommend selecting a few items from each of Dr. Garry Landreth’s categories and then considering Dr. Stone’s advice about seeing the value of all the different toys in the playroom. But, know that whatever you have is enough.  As long as you are in the room,  focusing on the relationship with the child and responding in an authentic manner

 

**The post What are the “Must Have” Toys for a New Play Therapist? appeared first on Jennifer Taylor Play Therapy.

 

1 Comment
Categories : ADHD, Anger, Anxiety, Art Therapy, Behavior, Books, Child Development, Communication, Conflict, Depression, Feelings, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy, Play Therapy books, Play Therapy Toys, Reader Submissions, Sandplay/Sand Tray Therapy, Social Issues

Counseling Games I’m Enjoying this Week by Dr. Gary Yorke

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· June 26, 2017 
· No Comments

My playroom shelves are packed full of therapy games. I mean, really packed. I have well over a hundred therapy and counseling games on my shelves. As the president of the largest US publisher of therapeutic and counseling games, I have a lot more options than most child clinicians when it comes to acquiring games and selecting the ones I want to use in my sessions. Most of the time I try to be prescriptive. That is, I select games and activities most appropriate to the client I’m meeting with. Despite taking this approach I find myself gravitating to some games much more than others. Below are some of the games that I’m getting the most out of right now, and would recommend to my fellow clinicians for their play therapy practices.

 

Yes I Can! Handle My Anger – I’m a little biased, since I developed this activity. The Yes I Can! Handle My Anger game is designed to help participants understand and appreciate various aspects of being angry. There are three types of cards designed to help participants identify triggers for anger, identify positive and negative behaviors associated with anger, and identify thoughts associated with anger. Developing anger management skills is aided by discussion and role playing during the game. Participants use the cards to spell out “Yes I Can!” as they play, which keeps them interested and engaged.

 

Bridge Over Worried Waters – Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health problems during childhood and adolescence. Anxiety affects normal day-to-day activities and causes considerable emotional and physical distress as well as impaired academic and social functioning. Bridge Over Worried Waters is designed to support treatment of anxiety disorders in children ages 6-13 years old. The game incorporates relaxation, positive self-talk, and other coping behaviors into a game format. I like this game because it teaches concrete skills as well as providing lots of opportunities for discussion and exploration.

 

The Social & Emotional Competence Board Game –  The Social and Emotional Competence Board Game was designed to give counselors and teachers another tool to teach social and emotional skills. Social and emotional competence refers to the capacity to recognize and manage emotions, solve problems effectively, and establish and maintain relationships with others. The Social and Emotional Competence Game is a fun way to teach empathy, communication skills, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, self-management, and responsible decision-making. Of course, I’m biased about this game since I developed it as well. It has turned out to be one of our best-selling games and I’ve received a lot of positive feedback.

The Social & Emotional Competence Card Game (ADHD cards) –  The Social and Emotional Competence Game Card Set (Revised) can be used with the Social and Emotional Competence Board Game or as a stand alone card game. I use it both ways. The goal is to educate players about a specific disorder and provide skills for managing the disorder. There are five decks of cards, one for each disorder: Anxiety, Depression ADHD, Asperger’s, and Bipolar Disorder. When playing the board game, any of the five decks can be substituted for the Communication cards. The cards are used to facilitate an appreciation and understanding of the child’s difficulties, and develop strategies for managing and coping with their challenges. I have been using the ADHD and Anxiety cards, without the board, a lot lately. There are no time constraints and the game can be played for 5 minutes or 15. The game is over whenever time runs out.

 

Dr. Playwell’s Don’t Stress Game –  Stress is a factor that contributes to almost every mental health problem. Stress can affect a child’s physical health, too. This is an engaging game helps children develop some of the skills they need to deal with all kinds of stress, including both developmental and situational problems. I’ve found that this game engages kids well.

 

Boundaries Baseball – Boundaries Baseball helps children understand and respect boundaries. Boundaries are essential for positive relationships with peers and adults; children who act out are often asking for the security of clear boundaries and the skills needed to respect them. Boundaries Baseball utilizes a baseball diamond format as a visual reminder for not going out of bounds. As part of the action of the play, participants will also have opportunities to toss a ball so that it stays within the boundaries of a strike zone. Game cards teach four kinds of boundaries: (1) Saying and accepting No, (2) Managing strong emotions, (3) Respecting personal space and property, and (4) Relationship/communication limits (friendship). This is another very engaging game.

No Comments
Categories : Child Development, Communication, Feelings, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy, Play Therapy Games
Tags : child play therapy toys, Play Therapy, therapeutic games for children, therapeutic games for teens, therapy games

Should Your Playroom Include Aggressive Toys Like Play Guns? by Jennifer Taylor, LCSW, RPT

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· June 6, 2017 
· No Comments

Play therapists widely regard the use of aggressive toys, including toys guns, as an essential element to the playroom. However, many parents are hesitant to allow their children to play with toy guns. Nearly all schools have banned the use of toys guns (or even pretend shooting) completely.

Over the years, I have had some toy guns (not realistic looking ones, though) and other times I have taken them out.  As a therapist, the use of toys guns is not essential, but the use of aggressive toys, is vital.

What is an Aggressive Toy?

Aggressive toys are anything that a child can use to get out pent up anger or hostility.  These toys can be used to role play fights or battles, good guy/bad guy situation, or other trauma re-enactments.

 

Examples of aggressive toys include:

  • Non-realistic toy guns

  • Rubber knives

  • Foam swords

  • “Mean” animals like sharks, dinosaurs, alligators, lions, etc.

  • Toy soldiers (two different colors)

  • Handcuffs

  • Rope (I use a jump rope with the handles removed)

  • Bop Bag

What is an Aggressive-Release Toy?

Aggressive-Release Toys are toys that are okay to destroy or break in some way. These toys help redirect actual aggression into a more acceptable alternative.

Examples of aggressive-release toys include:

  • Egg cartons (can be crushed)
  • Bubble wrap (can be popped)
  • Paper (can be ripped up)
  • Popsicle sticks (can be snapped or jabbed into clay)
  • Wet paper towels (can be thrown against wall outside or on easel)
  • Clay or Play-doh (can be pounded)

Why Are Aggressive Toys Useful In Therapy?

Expressing Anger

Children need a safe opportunity to express feelings of anger.  In the play therapy environment, children can use aggressive toys to play out things that are happening with people in their lives. BUT…when it is done with an animal instead of a doll person, it feels safer to the child.  It is the same feeling/movements/thoughts but it doesn’t feel as real.

Relieving Physical Tension

Also, when using aggressive release toys, children get to move their bodies in a way that helps relieve the physical tension that anger brings.  Pounding clay, stomping egg cartons, or swinging foam swords helps move the body in ways that release tension and the accompanying noise that the movement makes also helps reduce tension.

Learning Boundaries

Finally, aggressive play helps teach children boundaries.  In rough/aggressive play, children learn how hard to swing without actually hurting the therapist, or how fast to move without falling down.  They learn how to “take a break” if someone needs to rest and how to start back up again.  I have witnessed siblings learn how to set rules for “fair fights” using foam swords and how to negotiate cheating.

Sword Fighting Aggressive Play

My Kids Sword Fighting

Do Aggressive Toys Create Aggressive Children?

It depends on what research you read.  A few studies have shown that aggression may increase temporarily after playing with aggressive toys.  This DOES seem to be more true when you are talking about playing violent video games (different story there). But, long-term, there is no reliable evidence that toy guns create more aggressive kids.

In fact, the opposite holds more true.  If a child has an appropriate place to express and display anger, then they are less likely to use anger with their peers (or parents).  Telling children, “Don’t get mad” is not nearly as helpful as teaching them what to do when they are mad to diffuse it.  The use of aggressive release toys helps teach children what to do with their angry in a way that will not get them in trouble.

Children Will Find Creative Ways To Express Aggression

In fact, many therapists find that children will turn neutral toys like blocks or their fingers into guns, knives, or bombs in order to communicate their needs with whatever is available.  The expression often goes:

If a child needs a gun to represent something going on in their life, they will find something and turn it into a gun (either in shape or with the noises that they make) to communicate that need.”

What To Do If You Are Uncomfortable With Toy Guns?

  1. Set limits.  It might be that toy guns are only for target practice. “Guns are not for shooting at people.”  When I have any toy guns in my office, I NEVER shoot at children.  I have let them shoot at me, but I would not shoot back at them.  If they tell me to shoot them, I would act out thinking about it but being so worried that they would die or I would go to jail or some other bad  outcome.  A great play therapist, Lisa Dion, writes more about how to play aggressively with children in her book, Integrating Extremes: Aggression and Death in the Playroom. 
  2. Set different limits for different games.  You might say that you can not shoot at me in general, but then we make a specific limit for Nerf or laser style games where we have defined a goal or specific rules. These games typically have teams, time limits, and rules of engagement.  You discuss them in advance and determine that the shooting ends when the game ends.
  3. Make sure your guns look very fake.  Avoid anything that is at all realistic.  Guns that are bright colors, light up, or make silly noises all classify as fake guns.  Guns that shoot foam balls.
  4. Use the alternative aggressive toys.  If you are still not comfortable with toy guns, use the alternatives.  Foam swords are generally more fun than toy guns anyway.

A Side Note About Gun Safety:

Regardless of your use of toy guns, there is never a bad time to talk with children about what to do if they find a gun while playing.  Just recently, there was an incident here in Memphis where a child picked up a gun and shot his brother accidentally.

There are many factors in that case that have nothing to do with aggressive play or aggressive toys. And yet, the underlying fear is that if we let our children play with aggressive toys, things like this will happen.  So…

  1. Talk about actual gun safety.  Talk with your children about what to do if they ever encountered a gun outside of the playroom and what to do and not do about it.  You can discuss that they should never pick up a gun outside of the playroom and that they should notify an adult right away.
  2. Require gun safety from adults.  It’s okay to ask the parents of your child’s friends if they own any weapons and how/where they have them stored.  Same goes for grandparents or other relatives. Don’t just assume that they are responsible gun owners, make them prove it.  Everyone that I know that has any weapons in their home can easily tell me how they are keeping them safe.

Final Thoughts:

Recently, I polled a group of play therapists and they overwhelmingly reported that they not only had toy guns in their offices, but that they found them to be an essential component of a play therapy space. However, those that did not have toy guns felt that the same benefits were achieved through the use of other aggressive release toys (like ropes, knives and swords) without the complications.

PS.

Moreover, representing reality in the playroom is important.  The truth is that many children have parents that work with weapons (law enforcement and military) and others have been exposed to very traumatic events involving drug raids, shootings, or other community violence.

To deny access to those items or experiences seems to somehow convey that those feelings, thoughts or experiences are shameful, wrong, or not important.  The playroom is a place to overcome those feelings and any toys that facilitate that process are okay in my office.

Do you allow your children to play with toy guns?

***

Thanks to Jennifer Taylor for this great post!

To check out Jennifer’s website, click here!

No Comments
Categories : Anger, Behavior, Bullying, Communication, Conflict, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy, Reader Submissions
Tags : aggression, anger, bop bags, development, feelings, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, therapy toys

My Favorite “Non-Therapeutic” Games… Sorry! by Stacy L. Garcia, MA, LPC, NCC

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· May 31, 2017 
· 1 Comment

I’ve told you in my last two posts about how much I love using games in therapy, especially with children and adolescents. I’ve already explored how I use the games Jenga and Find It in therapy sessions, thus using otherwise “non-therapeutic” games and turning them into effective therapeutic interventions that I can use for multiple purposes. Like Jenga and Find It, I use numerous other “non-therapeutic” and therapeutic games to teach various topics and skills to my clients. If you’re new to reading this blog, the difference between “therapeutic” and “non-therapeutic” games is nothing more than what their intent and purpose were when they were created. “Non-therapeutic” games are those that you can find at your local department store in the game aisle, such as UNO and Scrabble. In my own experience, I have found that ANY game can be made therapeutic, just like any game can also be made educational. Today’s game is a popular classic among board games: Sorry! I use the game Sorry! to teach children to take responsibility for their behaviors and actions, as well as to demonstrate through role play how and when to apologize.

How to Play Sorry!

To start the game of Sorry!, each player chooses a pawn color and places his four pawns on the matching colored START circle. The included pack of game cards are shuffled and placed face down on the space marked “PLACE PACK” in the center of the game board. Then game play begins around the board. A player draws the top card from the pack and places it face up onto the “DISCARD” space on the board. He follows the card’s directions, moving his pawn a number of spaces. When a move ends on a square already occupied by an opponent, the opponent’s pawn is bumped back to his START.

Regardless of whether in his favor or not, a player must make a move with one of his pawns as directed by the card he has drawn. The player who first moves all four of his pieces from his START to his HOME of the same color wins the game. The frustration Sorry! usually elicits in its players is often attributed to the cards’ directions not being in one’s favor, as well as being bumped back to his START space, either as a result of his opponent or because he has drawn a Sorry! card forcing him to land in an unfavorable position.

How to Make Sorry! Therapeutic

Enter Therapeutic So Sorry! When playing the game in therapy, I add So Sorry! cards. Each time a pawn is bumped back to its START circle, the opponent who caused the bump back must draw a So Sorry! card. These are cards with questions and role play tasks in which the player has to either discuss or role play his taking responsibility for pretend behaviors and actions in which he should be “so sorry.” The set of cards also includes questions about the client’s own behaviors/actions and prompts them to explore whether he needs to take responsibility for said actions. To use the “So Sorry!” cards that I have, you can click here. Game play resumes as normal after the So Sorry! task has been completed.

Therapeutic So Sorry! is a lot of fun to play, and I’ve found it especially helpful when working with children who have difficulty taking responsibility for their actions and those with behavior and/or impulsivity disorders. It can also be used to reinforce appropriate social skills to use when having to take responsibility for one’s behavior. Best of all, the children I work with love playing the game just as much as I do!

***

Stacy Garcia, MA, LPC, NCC

“Following attainment of a B.S. in Psychology in 2001, I earned my M.A. in Counseling from West Virginia University in 2004. I returned later to obtain certification in School Counseling.

I have extensive experience in working with children and adolescents, though I also see adults. I also specialize in treatment of trauma-related issues and concerns (including PTSD), behavior disorders (such as Oppositional Behavior Disorder), and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I am skilled at working with parents and families who are experiencing issues at home, focusing on each individual’s strengths and needs while they rebuild the family unit.”

1 Comment
Categories : Child Development, Communication, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy, Play Therapy Games, Reader Submissions
Tags : board games, games, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, therapy toys

April Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· May 2, 2017 
· No Comments

“Whoever wants to understand much must play much.” – Gottfried Benn (German physician 1886–1956)

Blog

Thanks to Clair Mellenthin for her submission about spring cleaning. Clearing out and letting go of physical, emotional, and mental baggage can make for a cleaner playroom and a happier you! Check out Clair’s tips to a happier, freer space here!

 

Articles

The Southern Sandtray posted 50 free sandtray directives! These are great ideas for building trays with a variety of topics and subjects. Try some or all of these directives with your clients.

The autism spectrum is very broad and interventions vary dramatically from child to child. two key factor that rings true for all intervention plans is: the earlier the better, and make it a team effort! All parties- parents, teachers, and treatment providers- must be in communication and working together to make the treatment effective. Consistency is key.

According to research done by researchers at the University of Rochester Mt. Hope Family Center and the University of Minnesota Institute of Child Development, children benefit from their mother’s therapy. Research has shown that mothers with depression who participated in interpersonal psychotherapy became better at reading and understanding their toddler’s temperament, essentially making them better parents, while the toddlers became less fussy and angry, making them easier to parent. The relationship thrives which is better for mother and child’s development.

Some pediatricians  have started asking their young patients to complete a questionnaire about depression. Early detection of depression in children and teens is crucial to ensure that they receive the care and support they need. Childhood depression is much more common than healthcare professionals knew in previous years. It is important to recognition of mental illness as well as awareness for physicians to always question and screen for mental illness in their young patients.

 

 

No Comments
Categories : Child Development, Depression, Intervention Ideas, Monthly Wrap-Up, Wrap Up
Tags : development, family roles, feelings, mental health disorders, Play Therapy, play therapy intervention, therapy intervention

Cognitive Restructuring for Children By Donna Hammontree, LCSW

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· January 4, 2017 
· 1 Comment

 

calm-girl

 

Cognitive restructuring occurs regularly in the playroom as a child experiences the therapist’s full acceptance. Teaching cognitive restructuring, however, may expedite the process of having a child experience heartfelt self-acceptance.  A useful analogy is that of a school teacher teaching classroom rules. The teacher will allow students to learn classroom rules throughout the first week of school through experience, but prior to that experience, the teacher will verbally share the rules, and may even write them out and post them.

Here are a few ways a play therapist can teach cognitive restructuring:

  • Identify and highlight for the child’s their cognitive distortion while tracking play.

 “You don’t think you can do it.”  (I am helpless or powerless.)

 “So, nobody likes you?”     (I am worthless.)

“Your teacher should do it your way.”     (I should be in charge.)

  • Discuss how what we think affects how we feel and how we act.
  • Use drawings to illustrate:
    1. Take 2 sheets of paper and draw an oval face with eyes on each sheet. Write Thought, Feeling, and Action on each sheet beside each face.    On the 1st sheet, write “I can’t do anything right” beside the word Thought.  Have the child draw a face on the oval showing how the person would then feel.  Then ask the child how a sad person would act and write a short answer for the child next to the word
    2. Next, write the exact opposite of the cognitive distortion (this is a cognitive distortion too!) at the top of this same sheet. For example, “I do everything right!”  The child will agree that this is not true.  Let the child cross out this statement, or put an X next to it.
    3. On the 2nd sheet write, “I do some things right!” Help the child think of some things they do correctly.  Identify the feelings that go with recognizing what they can do, and encourage the child to illustrate the feelings associated with these abilities on the face. Ask the child how this person might act, and the child’s response next to the word “Action.”
    4. This activity can be repeated with the child’s cognitive distortion(s), followed by a rational thought developed by the therapist and child. spacer  cognitive-restructuring-worksheet-1      cognitive-restructuring-worksht-2     cognitive-restructuring-worksheet-3     cognitive-restructuring-worksheet-4

spry-sparrow-book-cover

  • Use bibliotherapy. Spry Sparrow:  From Drab to Fab illustrates how having a negative cognition contributes to feelings of sadness and anxiety.  In the story, Spry compares herself to others and thinks, “I am not good enough.”  Spry’s mother helps Spry identify realistic, positive cognitions.  Heartfelt change occurs for Spry when she accepts the positive thoughts as real for herself.  Encouraging parents to read the book to a child helps the parent understand cognitive restructuring as well.
  • As the child plays, track the new thought as the child practices it behaviorally in session.  For example, say, “Oh, you did that by yourself!  You can do some things!”
  • At the end of the session, meet with the child and their caregivers and discuss the new thought.  Ask the caregiver to reinforce the new thought: For example, when the child plays with a cousin, the caregiver might reflect that the cousin likes the child and ask the child to repeat, “My cousin likes me!  Some people like me!”
  • Games such as Land of Psymon, The Positive Thinking Game, and Positive Thoughts are also fun ways to engage in cognitive restructuring.

landofpsymon       drplaywellpositivethinking      positivethoughts

A cautionary note:  Some children are truly unloved and taught that they do nothing right. In these cases, these interventions may not be appropriate in the early stages of therapy, and will need to be preceded by other interventions. It is also important to note that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has two parts:  cognitive restructuring and behavioral change.  Children are able to learn new beliefs about the world, their relationships, and themselves by understanding cognitive restructuring.  They will also need to practice new behaviors, reinforced with new beliefs, to experience heartfelt change.

Celebrate feeling happier!

Donna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor in private practice, in Savannah, GA. Visit her website: http://www.donnahammontree.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Comment
Categories : Anger, Anxiety, Art Therapy, Behavior, Bibliotherapy, Books, Child Development, Communication, Depression, Feelings, Intervention Ideas, Play Therapy, Play Therapy books, Play Therapy Games, Reader Submissions

July Play Therapy Wrap-Up

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· August 2, 2016 
· No Comments

I think Michael Altshuler said it best, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

girl with plane

 

Another month has come and gone and we have much to recap!

Another big ‘Thank You Very Much’ to Brandon R. Menikheim and Clair Mellenthin for their wonderful blog submissions! If you haven’t seen them yet, don’t miss out! Go check them out on the Blog page!

Jillian Roberts, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Victoria, shares her new book and some helpful tips for parents to use when talking to children about difficult topics, i.e. death of family member or violence in the news. Roberts says when she was writing her book she… “thought about all the different children [she] had seen in [her] career who had dealt with the loss of a parent or a sibling or a friend or a pet, even, and thought about the things that [she] said and the questions they asked and what was most helpful.”

Samantha Finch talks about some of the early childhood intervention options for autistic children for parents to look into. “Early intervention programs assist families with children under three years old who have developmental delays or disabilities such as autism. Early intervention starts with an evaluation, which is followed by therapeutic and support services for the autistic child and his/her family.”

Heidi Gazelle, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, University of Melbourne, talks about overly shy children, when it may be a cause for concern, and why your child may be acting shy/antisocial. She also gives a few tips on how to break your little one out of their shell!

Does your child think rules are meant to be broken? Maybe you aren’t being consistent enough in your discipline methods. “Discipline is an important foundation of every child’s development which could help him or her have a happy and effective life in the future, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. That’s why no matter how hard it is for the parents, if they want their kids to be successful in the future, it is crucial for them to never give up applying this virtue to their kids.” ** please note that spanking is NOT an acceptable discipline method** 

 

Thanks for reading, can’t wait to see what August has in store!

 

 

 

No Comments
Categories : Autism, Child Development, History of Play Therapy, Intervention Ideas, Monthly Wrap-Up, Parenting, Play Therapy, Uncategorized, Wrap Up

The Maligned Wolf – Activity for building self-esteem and understanding bullying

Posted by Gary Yorke 
· October 18, 2015 
· No Comments

Here’s a new intervention idea aimed at identifying and preventing several types of bullying. It was sent to us by reader Brandon Menikheim, who earned a gift certificate to childtherapytoys.com for the submission. Learn how you can do the same!

Learning objectives:

  1. Students will be able to define Self-Esteem in order to better understand the effects of bullying both personally and empathetically.
  2. Students will be able to define Bullying in order to identify true examples of bullying behavior.
  3. Students will be able to identify the 4 forms of bullying in order to classify situations into those categories.

Materials needed:

Copy of the story, “The Maligned Wolf.” The story can be read aloud to the students or narrated for the students to act out. If acting out, supply students with necessary props such as a red hood, picnic basket, etc. Visual aids should be supplied and posted in a prominent location for the students to refer to. Visual aids that are appropriate for this lesson include: bullying definition (including definitions for the various forms of bullying) and self esteem definition. A Styrofoam cup filled with water, pencil, small tub to capture water, and band-aids will also be needed.

Procedure:

Prepare the students for the lesson by encouraging them to listen for two things in the story you are about to read. Inform the students that the story will be similar to one they are probably familiar with, and challenge them to figure out what story that is. Warn the students that the story they are about to hear is going to be a little different from the story they are used to, and ask them to listen carefully and identify the parts of the story that make it different from the original.

Read aloud to the students the story of “The Maligned Wolf, ” and allow students to act the story out as you narrate in order to increase engagement. Upon completion of the story, revisit the challenge questions posed to the students. Determine if the students are able to make the connection between “The Maligned Wolf” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” Question what makes this story so much different. Draw attention to who the actual narrator in the story is and begin a discussion about the importance of point of view in all situations. Most importantly, focus on how the actions of Little Red might be seen from the wolf’s point of view. Students naturally migrate to explaining Little Red’s actions as mean, and that she appears to be a bully.

Ask students to explain what it means to be a bully. Have them define what bullying means to them, then present them with the following definition of bullying: “Bullying is when a person hurts someone’s body, feelings or things, or frightens someone on purpose again and again.” Lead a discussion with the students about how Little Red’s actions fit this definition of bullying. Draw attention to the latter part of the definition which states that bullying is on intentional and happens repeatedly. Highlight the fact that Little Red’s actions are classified as bullying because they happened in multiple situations, and were not simply a onetime occurrence.

Students typically recognize that saying mean things to each other can become a form of bullying. Explain to the students that the things we say are a specific form of bullying called Verbal Bullying. Provide a visual definition of verbal bullying to the students. Allow the students to work in their cooperative learning groups to discuss other forms of bullying. After several minutes of brainstorming, ask students to share what their group discussed. As students share examples of bullying, use chart paper to group the examples together into categories. Connect them to the other forms of bullying: Physical Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Social/Emotional Bullying. Provide visual definitions for each form of bullying.

Pose the question to the students, what happens to someone who is bullied? Expand on the common answers of “It makes them feel sad.” Explain the concept of self-esteem and provide a visual definition of the term. Encourage the students to connect the concept of self-esteem with the story of “The Maligned Wolf.” Guide the students into understanding that sadness is a result of low self-esteem, and that confidence and happiness are associated with high self-esteem. Explain to them that low self-esteem can be a result of bullying in the sense that each remark or action lowers a person’s self-esteem a little bit more, until eventually they may not have a good opinion of themselves.

Introduce the Styrofoam cup filled with water. Connect the term self-esteem to the cup of water by illustrating to the students that the cup is like a person, and the water is their self-esteem. Before mean actions are taken towards that person, their “cup” is full, meaning they are happy and confident. Intrigue the students by telling them we are going to try to keep our cup full of water, even after being bullied. Call students up in pairs to accept the challenge. One student from the pair will be the bully and present an example of bullying and then classify it in one of the four forms of bullying discussed. After the student successfully gives an example of bullying, he or she will poke a hole in the cup with the pencil. The second student will be the problem solver, and he or she will need to quickly cover the hole up with a band aid. In addition, the problem solver will need to present the class with a solution to bullying. What is something someone can do to help stop bullying?

Upon completion of the activity, show the students the end result. Ask a volunteer to explain to the class how much water is left in the cup. Then, hold the cup up and allow the students to note that even with the band-aids, the punctures are still slowly leaking through them. Ask the students what they think will eventually happen with water in the cup. Apply the same concept to bullying and self-esteem. Explain to students that similar to the way the water continues to the leak out of the cup, our self esteem still gets lower even after the bullying incident is over. Many times people forgive others for their actions, but forgetting is impossible. The only true solution to bullying is prevention; we must stop it before it starts. Be the person who doesn’t say or do mean things to anyone else, because once you do, you can’t fix the scars that those actions have left on that person.

Provide students with a take-home message describing today’s activities to parents to encourage carry-over conversations. Supply guardians with various questioning topics to allow for genuine conversation at home about the topic discussed.

No Comments
Categories : Bullying, Intervention Ideas, Reader Submissions, Self-Esteem, Storytelling
Next Page »
PlayTherapyPage
Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved
iThemes Builder by iThemes
Powered by WordPress