Play therapy refers to a range of methods that capitalize on children's natural urge to explore, harnessing it to meet and respond to their developmental and mental health needs. It is also used for forensic or psychological assessment purposes, where an individual is too young or too traumatized to give a verbal account of adverse, abusive or potentially criminal circumstances in their life.
Facts
Origin YearSourced to the subject's own account Connections
Associated With
Play therapy is a recognized psychotherapeutic modality used in child and adolescent mental health care.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_therapy, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_therapy, lead section
Play therapy refers to a range of methods of capitalising on children's natural urge to explore and harnessing it to meet and respond to their developmental and mental health needs.
2. Play Therapy (Wikipedia)
WikipediaOrigins section, From education to therapeutics subsectionQuote, Origins section, From education to therapeutics subsection
In 1919, Melanie Klein began to use play as a means of analysing children under the age of six.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between directive and non-directive play therapy?
Non-directive lets the child lead; directive adds structure and therapist guidance.
Non-directive play therapy is a non-intrusive method in which children are encouraged to play in the expectation that this will alleviate their problems. Directive play therapy includes more structure and guidance from the therapist as children work through their emotional and behavioural difficulties through play.
Who developed play therapy, and who is it used for?
Early figures include Hug-Hellmuth, Klein and Axline; used from infancy to young adulthood.
Hermine Hug-Hellmuth formalised play as therapy by providing children with toys to express themselves and observed play to analyse them. In 1919, Melanie Klein began to use play as a means of analysing children under the age of six. Virginia Axline, a child therapist active in the 1950s, applied Carl Rogers' work to children. Play and play therapy are generally employed with children aged six months through late adolescence and young adulthood.
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