Integrative Play Therapy

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Play is essential to the development of cognitive, social, motor, and language skills in children (Carlson et al., 2006). Ginott (1960) noted that play is a child's language, and toys are the child's words. In play therapy, children's play is seen as a symbolic representation of their world (Homeyer & Morrison, 2008). Children use play to cope with stressful situations and to make meaning and process those situations (Carlson et al., 2006). The Association for Play Therapy (APT) (2016) defined 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 …show more content…

Children who have experienced trauma also present with a wide array of symptoms, and having an integrated approach allows for a therapist to decide which technique to use for each individual client. An integrated approach allows a therapist to answer the well-known question by Paul (1967), "What treatment, by whom, is most effective for this individual with that specific problem, and under which set of circumstances?" (p. 111). An integrative approach that uses both directive and non-directive techniques is Adlerian play …show more content…

Adler measured mental health in terms of social interest, the ability to participate and contribute to others (Oberst & Stewart, 2003). If a caregiver was unable to foster this social interest in a young child, then this child may seek to belong in uncooperative ways like acting out in order to get attention and feel significant in the family. An Adlerian play therapist attempts to understand how a child seeks belonging in the family and helps the child foster his or her social interest (Kottman & Ashby, 2014). An Adlerian play therapist helps the child learn more socially appropriate ways to feel a sense of belonging and worthiness in the family and other social settings (Kottman & Ashby,

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