By Amy BAdding, MS, LMHC, RPT Theories in Play Therapy “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” –  Plato SLIDE 1: My name is Amy Badding. Ames, Iowa. Private practice, focus on 12 and younger. Background- worked in the hospital, agenycy, in home, and group practice, and started pp in June of 2019. Work 1 ½ days at an elementary school doing individual and group therapy. 4 children who keep me busy! I teach 4 webinars through Kids, Inc. on about 12 different theorectical approaches in play therapy. I was so excited to see the APT magazine come out with for these are the webinars I have created to help others in the field have a better understanding for the basis of our work with children. These webinars are to give you some basic information about each theory as it applies to play therapy and how you can use it with your own clients. I have always been intrigued by theories and the idea of why someone does what they do. My hope is that you will walk away from these webinars with some basic knowledge about the various theories in play therapy and be albe to explore what theory best fits your work with children in therapy. You will notice as we go through these approaches that they may be very similar to what you do in your own practice or this may be the first time you’ve heard about some of these theories To get started…..Play therapy has evolved and changed over the years but the basis of theories really stays the same, it is just new ideas expanding from a theoretical foundation. When I was first learning about play therapy many things have stuck with me when it comes why we do this job? Especially this: Gary Landreth emphasizing the importance of “Being with the child” and how the most young children will not get the full attention of an adult than that time they have with you in their play therapy. This is so true, for even the best parents do not spend an entire hour focusing on their child’s feelings. Parents have so many demands in their daily life with work, activities, maintaining the home so it may seem that they are “with” their child but not like the play therapist is in that moment and time. By Amy BAdding, MS, LMHC, RPT

Psychoanalytic, Jungian, and Relationship Play Therapy Today, our focus in learning will be on three theoretical approaches: psychoanalytic, Jungian, and Relationship Play Therapy. Freud says, “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways”. Children who carry deep, troubled emotions and never get the opportunity to work through them can become angry, scared, and very sad adults. I often hear the adults of the children I work with say, “I wish I would have had someone like you when I was a kid”. I often see my work with young children as preventative care. If we are allowing them to work through their most difficult, traumatic situations now, during these most vulnerable stages of development, than I am one step closer to preventing this child from having a life full of troubles. . Amy Badding, LMHC, RPT acb@iowacounseling.com

Psychoanalytic Play Therapy Hermine von Hug Hellmuth, Anna Freud, and Melanie Klein Little Han’s case – most famous case of early work with children. Hermine von Hug-Hellmuth (1920) was the first to treat children with talk and play. Anna Freud (1927) Helping children come to consciously understand why they thought, felt, and behaved as they did. Used play in her treatment to facilitate child’s positive emotional attachment to the therapist, gain access to the child’s inner life, and to influence the child to like her. The goal of psychoanalytic play therapy is to help the child suffer less, overcome trauma, adjust to life events, cope with life changes, master phobias, and better manage anger and aggression. PA therapy is good at encouraging resiliency (bounce back) and adaptability (make change), especially with a vulnerable (helpless) child under stress. PA play therapy goes beyond the immediate issue and helps to clear the way so that healthy development can resume where it has been stopped by trauma or internal conflict. The goal of PA is attained through free associations, and in play therapy, this is the play itself. One of the most famous early works with children was the little Han’s case in 1909. Sigmund Freud worked primarily with Han’s father. The family lived in an area where horses were close to their home everyday. Han’s had developed a phobia of horses and Freud and Han’s father wrote letters back and forth to try and figure out what was causing the boy to not want to leave his house. Freud worked mainly with the father and his relationship with his son, little Hans and to help him overcome this fear. Psychoanalytic play therapy was developed first by Hermine von Hug- Hellmuth. Freud and his colleagues wanted to start a clinic for neurotic children and had in mind a women doctor to run the clinic. She was the first practionionar of child analysis and used games and drawings as the basis of her child therapy. Her treatment of children in their own homes became a large impact on education, parenting, and child welfare facilities. But, the most cited beginnings of child play therapy started with Anna Freud and Melanie Klein. Both women had deep interest in childhood and development. They both valued play therapy as a means for understanding and healing for children who experienced trauma and stress in their lives. Anna Freud, was the daughter of Sigmund Freud. She had a close relationship to her father and craved his attention. She saw that the importance of play for a child was how they moved towards autonomy and self-confidence. She felt that kids under 7 could not be helped directly because they were not capable of cooperating with adult therapy techniques. She viewed play as a source of information about the child’s development. She observed blockages in a child’s progression of development as the underline cause of psychopathology and then the goal of psychotherapy is to remove those blockages. This occurs by interpreting the defenses, then the drives as the repressed material becomes more conscious. Anna Freud’s work with children was aimed at helping them to consciously understand why they thought, felt, and behaved as they did. Freud discovered that children often required different psychological treatment from adults and emphasized the role that early disruptions in attachment could play in the development of psychological problems. Her work studying children who had experienced abandonment or extreme neglect laid the foundation for later research into early attachments.

Psychoanalytic Play Therapy Hermine von Hug Hellmuth, Anna Freud, and Melanie Klein Treated young patients in their own homes. Saw children’s difficulties rooted in their parent’s unresolved troubles. Felt play was a direct substitute for verbalizations and used play as a means of communication. Melanie Klein worked with children in their homes and often viewed that their problems were really the unresolved troubles of their parents. Klein saw child’s play as equivalent to an adults work with free association and used it to interpret the child's unconscious. She used only a few toys because she wanted the child’s imagination and unconscious fantasies to be expressed. She extended and developed Sigmund Freud’s understanding of the unconscious mind. She explored the mind of the infant and the earliest roots of the superego. Anna Freud and Melanie Klein did disagree about their theories but the idea behind play therapy and how it was used to help children is something they did have in common. When working with my child clients, at some point I will ask the parent about how they were parented as a child. There are many things that can be explored with this conversation. Sometimes parents don’t want to parent their own child the way they were parented or vices versa. They may feel they had a good upbringing and strive to bring these values into their home, but their child is being resistant.

Psychoanalytic Play Therapy “Therapeutically Holds” the child. Recognizes child’s wholeness as a person. Work to help children learn what it is to think is the right, good, or satisfying thing to do. Most beneficial in treating children with depression, anxiety, borderline or psychotic functioning, and those who need to reconcile self to limitations; such as chronic illness or a disability. A safe and accepting atmosphere is an important aspect of PA play therapy, but sometimes may not be enough for the child to move in their therapy. The PA therapist “therapeutically holds” the child, similar to a mother holding her baby. The therapist holds their client psychologically. The therapist absorbs the child’s excitement and distress that they cannot accept on their own; they empathically listen and respond to the child; allow the child to be in charge of their own therapy rather than ask questions they can’t answer. By doing this, it helps the child grow from overwhelming experiences. The play allows the child to put conflict into a symbolic arena and project intolerable feelings about themselves. The therapist recognizes the child’s wholeness as a person and does not place judgement on their behaviors or emotions. Because we understand the developmental role of the child, the therapist works to help the child learn values of right and wrong. Pscyhoanalytic play therapy is most beneficial in treating children with depression, anxiety, borderline or psychotic functioning, and those who need to reconcile self to limitations; such as chronic illness or a disability.

Psychoanalytic Play Therapy THERAPIST ROLE The therapist and his/her way of being is the intervention. Therapist strives to create an atmosphere of safety and acceptance, of genuine positive regard for the child. Therapist shows respect for the child’s thoughts and feelings. Stay neutral to the child’s conflicts. Set limits so the child cannot hurt themselves, the therapist, or the office. The therapist role in PA play therapy is more of how they present themselves to the child. The therapist and his/her way of being is the intervention. The therapist strives to create an atmosphere of safety and acceptance, and genuine positive regard for the child. Therapist shows respect for the child’s thoughts and feelings., by using reflection and moving them along in their play. Stay neutral to the child’s conflicts. – This can be difficult for therapist who primarily sees children in their practice. We may not always like what the child does but it is important to remember that children show how they feel through their behaviors, so the psychoanalytic therapist stays neutral to the conflict, not the child. Being neutral and not reprimanding them for what they are doing and feeling will allow them to openly explore these feelings in a safe place. But, on the same note setting limits in the therapy session is important in order to maintain a sense of safety for the child and give them enough space for self-expression. The difference here would be: The child throws a UNO card on the floor because they didn’t get the color they wanted versus the child hitting themselves on the head and repeating “I’m so stupid”. I would tell the child who throws the card, “you are so mad you didn’t get a yellow card, that you just needed to throw that card on the floor” and the child hitting themselves, “ You are feeling stupid right now but I’m not for hurting yourself on the head. Let’s relax your head on the coach and talk about the things that do make you feel smart.”

Psychoanalytic Play Therapy PARENT ROLE The more the parent is involved, the more the treatment works. Primary source of information about the child and the home. Meet parents where they are and not pass judgement. Child-therapist relationship runs second to the relationship the child has with the parent. Brining your own child to a therapist is not an easy thing to do for a parent. Admitting that your child is hurting and you cannot help them is very painful for many parents and can threaten their own self-esteem and confidence as a parent, so the parent role is….. To involved them. The more involved the parent is in the child’s therapy, the more the treatment works. Primary source of information about the child and the home. They know their child best and the therapist needs to reinforce this to the parent. Most of the time these parents feel helpless and defeated when they are asking for help for their own child that they cannot help. Strive to meet parents where they are and not pass judgement. It’s important to reflect what the parent is feeling whether it be frustration, sadness, or fear for their child. The therapist’s role is to not only accept the child but also the parent who comes with them regardless of the mistakes they have made with their child. I find that the more empathy I show towards how the parent is feeling the more they will disclose about the issues in the family. Child-therapist relationship runs second to the relationship the child has with the parent. Its important for the parent to know that your goal for their child is to educate them on how to help their child during the therapy process and sometimes it is appropriate to transition the therapy to the parent (which we will later talk about in Filial Play therapy). Resources: show book, websites,

Jungian Play Therapy Carl Jung Named after his grandfather, who believed he was surrounded by spirits and explored the psychological depths of the human soul. Family of pastors Did his psychiatric residency at one of the premier psychiatric hospitals in the world at the time. Him and his wife lived in the psychiatric hospital with the patient. Developed a professional relationship with Freud and said he was the “first man of importance” he had ever met. Attended Clark Conference Jungian play therapy is a more complex and difficult theory to use. The Jungian Institute of Los Angeles is a place where you can get specialized training in Jungian play therapy. If you have interest in this approach, Dr. Eric Green has some excellent articles about Jungian play therapy. (show article) Carl Jung was born in Switzerland and named after his grandfather, Carl Gustav Jung a psychiatrist. His father was a pastor and his mother came from a family of pastors. His interest in the spiritual aspect of personality was family tradition. He studied psychiatry at the most prediogous institutes in the world and very quickly became well known name in the mental health/psychiatry field. After reading Freud's, Interpretation of Dreams, he felt the concept of the unconscious psyche fit his research. He wrote to Freud and met him in Vienna, where they had extensive talks about their research. They traveled together to America and attended the Clark Conf., where the first publications in English of works of Jung and Freud.

Jungian Play Therapy Split from Freud Structure of the Psyche Mid-life crisis Jung used Play Therapy to work through this emotional time. Structure of the Psyche Active Imagination The Achetypes Archetypal energies can be projected onto the play material, which can serve as symbols for those energies. Eventually, Freud and Jung’s differences caused an unpleasant split between the two. The split with Freud caused Jung to fall into his own depression or mid-life crisis. He used play to work through this difficult time in his life. This play, which he felt was underneath him as a prominent psychiatrist, released a flood of feelings and he came to the realization that he could put expression to these feelings. He wrote his feelings and thoughts in a journal, with elaborate drawings and paintings. He discovered that developing a relationship between the deeper unconscious material within himself and the conscious ego was critical. Jung developed his own Structure of the Psyche- In the center we have the SELF- then we have the personal self and the unconscious self. This center circle is the center of personality and includes all of our unconscious thoughts. The persona is the social face or “mask” individuals show the world. Our conscious awareness resides in the ego and is our common sense or ability to reason. Then in the unconscious is our collective unconscious, which is the part of us that is influenced by our family, culture, and race. The shadow is the black side of our personality that we sometimes project onto others and the idea of “everybody thinks like I do”. Jung developed a technique called the active imagination – which is the fantasy material from the unconscious (children creating the scenes in their play of what they want their life to be like) is actively engaged by ego consciousness in the dialogue (explaining what it means from your life). Active imagination has become a central tenant for therapist who use imagery or guided imagery. Jung’s approach was to allow the unconscious material (our thoughts) to have expression and then interact with the consciousness (the reasoning part of us). Jung used archetypes as the content of the collective unconscious, which is an image or symbol of someone or something from the collective conscious. He believed that our psyche knows how to survive and adjust. There are a large number of achetypes (next slide).

Archetypes Here is an example of what some may look like and mean. An archetype is a character, action or a situation that represents universal patterns of human nature. So, we can find many of the achetypes in our own therapy playrooms. Hero- resuce figures, such as police, firemen, knight, King, Rebel- jail guy, bad guy (playmobile), Innocence-

John Allen and Jungian Play Therapy 1:22-3:39

Jungian Play Therapy Toy selection and arrangement Have a range of toys, from those that are familiar to those that may be more novel and archetypal. Temanos-boundary or sacred space to where the “work” is being done. Set up so the child first sees things that are familiar and conscious, to things that are more symbolic and have energy from both the personal and collective unconscious. The Jungian play therapist has a range of toys, from toys that are familiar (such as dolls, cars, blocks) to those that may be more novel and archetypal ( such as dragons, mystical characters, ). I think of my sandtray display when I think of the more archetypal objects. Temanos (tamanos)-boundary or sacred space to where the “work” is being done- The play therapy room is set up so the child first sees things that are familiar and conscious( such as the more typical familiar toys), to things that are more symbolic and have energy from both the personal and collective unconscious (the symbolic toys).

Here ae some examples of how symbols to use symbols/archetypes with clients: Sandtray #1-Family genogram Sandtray#2- Animal cards Sandtray #3- Child who was abused by his father. The father figure has a foot ball helmet on and is away from the family. The boy is on the mountain to keep away from the danger below (sharks) Sandtray #4- A child who was molested by her father. She and her sister’s are in the corner surrounded by snakes and other creepy crawly creatures. She had two older sisters who lived outside of the home, notice they are surrounded by farm/nurturing/safe animals. And the mom had a baby with her new boyfriend, she is somewhat hiding in the forest with her baby in her arms avoiding the danger and yucky stuff around her.

Jungian Play Therapy A Technique: Copy of mandalas Colored pencils Have the child color in their mandala. While they are coloring read a short story to help them relax. Ask the child to identify a symbol that represents them in the mandala. When they are done have them write a short statement about how the symbol represents their life.

Role of Therapist Providing Safety, Welcome, and Trust. Joining with the Patient as Companion, and Witness. Making meaning of the play, understanding it’s significance, and occasionally engaging in meaningful participation and interpretation. Communication in the session. The Jungian play therapist role is to help the child feel SAFE in the play therapy room. The Jungian play therapist provides minimal limits but will comment to the child when personal safety becomes an issue. They may say something like this: “you are not for hurting and I am not for hurting so the sword will need to be put up on the shelf”. Being respectful of the room/toys is also important. So if the child is throwing sand the therapist will say something like, “The sand is for keeping in the sandtray”. Another limit that is respected in the therapy room is time. Giving the child a 5 minute warning and then a 1 minute warning that the session has ended. At the end of the session, the client is not asked to help clean-up. It is important for the Jungian therapist to take a “mental” picture of what just happened during the session and having the child leave the “mess” allows the therapist to scan the room and review what happened during the session once the child leaves. Joining the client as a companion and witness is where the Jungian Play therapist moves along with the child client as they work through their emotions. They may become very consumed in their play and express deep emotions of fear, anger, or sadness. These emotions come from a deep level of communication from the client’s psyche. The Jungian play therapist does not attempt to make the client “feel better” or to change their negative behaviors. The therapist is curious about the story that is being told, even if is it not clear and may be jumping from one theme to the next while the ego breaks down and shifts activity to build itself back up. Making meaning of the play therapy and understanding it’s significance is an important role of the Jungian play therapy. The Jungian play therapist is trained to be prepared and to study myths, fairy tales, reading analytically oriented books and articles to reveal the meaning of the child’s symbolic play. Because of the therapists familiarity, the therapist is able to join the child as the play unfolds. The therapist uses soft hypothesis about what is going on because he/she may be incorrect. The therapist may be invited in the play as the child moves around the room giving instructions about what he/she is doing or saying. The therapist will mirror the child’s emotions – if they feel happy and excited, than therapist will show that positive affect as well. If child is quiet and withdrawn and begins to whisper, than therapist will whisper back. Communition in the therapy session -When the Jungian therapist communicates with the child, rather than saying…. “You have a sword” they may say, “That is a very large and powerful looking sword”. If the therapists comments are resonant to the archetypical themes, then the play will continue to emerge. If the hypothesis is incorrect, then the child will likely stop what they are doing and correct the therapist by saying, “No it’s not powerful, it’s a magic sword”. Things to be cautious of when interpreting are if interpretations come too soon, they can be rejected by the child. And, because of the child’s less developed ego strength, too much conscious exposure from the therapist can cause the child to shut down. Interpretations should be mild, based on the level of the child’s ego strength, come at a time when the rapport is strong, and stay within the metaphor that is implied to keep the child client safe and protected.

Role of Parent The therapist in treating the child is also treating the parent, though perhaps indirectly. “Parent Consult” meetings. The Jungian play therapist believes that the child’s conscious and unconscious personality are deeply influenced by the parents, particularly the parents unconscious. So as therapy begins, the relationship between the child's conscious and the parents unconscious starts to shift. When the therapist agrees to take on the child client, they also assume a therapeutic relationship with the parents. The Jungian therapist feels the parents insight is significant at the initial session but discusses with the parent the importance of the child’s time with just the therapist in the therapy room. Meeting with the parent after every third or fourth session is typically called a “parent consult”. This will involve comparing notes about the child, communicate, and coordinate how to continue to help the child. It will be a time to review the child’s progress and to give feedback and ask questions. The therapist also looks at the consult as a time to act as a resource to the parent and be supportive of changes in their own unconscious awareness of what is going on with their child.

Relationship Play Therapy Otto Rank, Carl Rogers, and Clark Moustakas Rank, who deemphasized the past and unconscious and focused on the here and now (present) relationship with the client. Moustakas studied play therapy under Dr. Amy Holloway, who used cognitive behavioral play therapy methods. Professional work, mentors were Carl Rogers and Virginia Axline, who used a non-direct/child-centered approach. Spent time using child-centered play therapy but felt it was not right for him. Studied his own tapes, research data, and formed Relationship Play Therapy. Next we will talk about relationship play therapy. Otto Rank was a theorist who deemphasized the past and unconscious of his clients and focused on the here and now relationship. Clark Moustakas studied at the Merrill-Palmer Institute in Detroit in 1946. He learned more by working directly with the children than from his graduate courses. Moustakas studied under Dr. Amy Holloway who used a CBT approach. During his time with Dr. Holloway, she accepted his own ideas and encouraged him to be himself as a child therapist and to utilize his own way of “being” with children. Later on in his career he accepted a full-time faculty position at Merrill-Palmer and was to be a colleague of Dr. Holloway’s but unfortunately, after a month before he joined her, she became ill and suddenly died. Dr. Palmer was not only his mentor but a dear friend as well. The Child Therapy program at Merrill-Palmer became then his responsibility. Moustakas professional work mentors were Carl Rogers who developed person-centered therapy with adults and Virginia Axline, who used a non-direct/child-centered approach with her child clients. Although Moustakas applied the non-directive approach to his work with children, he became restless and uncomfortable with nondirective ways of responding to children in play therapy. After 2 years of practice, he felt this was not his way of “being” with his child clients . He studied his own tapes and research and felt that the best way to help and make change were in the interactions and conversations between the child and therapist along with their developing relationship, therefore he formed RELATIONSHIP PLAY THERAPY.

Relationship Play Therapy Therapist participates in the child’s plans, sometimes actively playing with the child at the child’s invitation. Therapist begins where the child is and deals directly with the present conflicts/problems and feelings. Central Goal: Enable the child to find their own way through self direction and strengthening the will. When using Relationship Play Therapy, Clark Moustakus emphasized how the therapist “waits” for the child with patience and dedication, until the child is ready to face the issues and challenges they are struggling with. The therapist: participates in the child’s plans, sometimes actively playing with the child at the child’s invitation. This is also a difference from child-directed play therapy. He will use non-direct tracking with the child but only by invitation does he enter into the play. READ BOOK Therapist begins where the child is and deals directly with the present conflicts/problems and feelings. The primary goal for relationship play therapy is to enable the child to find their own way through self direction and strengthening the will.

Relationship Play Therapy Limits Setting Setting of play and presenting problem 4 Dimensions of the Therapy Setting: Easily accessible and open Freedom Tranquility Caring Number of sessions Diagnosis and Assessment -Limits – Clark M. believes without limits there would be no therapy. Limits define the boundaries of the relationship and tie it to reality. They offer security and permit the child to move freely and safely in their play. But, there are few limits in relationship therapy as compared to child-centered play therapy. I was reading in his book that he allows the child to paint (hopefully with washable paint) items in the play room), such as painting a doll red and the mirror red. Setting depends on the presenting problem, age of the child , and gender. Moustakus says that most children often begin their play with paint, sand, clay and followed by “diffuse” items such as trucks, cars, dolls, kitchen and then move to family and community play. The 4 Dimensions include: 1)Creating a space that is easily accessible and open, 2) Create an atmosphere of freedom, 3) Establish an atmosphere of tranquility (privacy, security), and 4) Atmosphere of caring – from the start the therapist shows this through body language and words. The child determines the length of time and number of session needed to come to terms with issues and problems. The child directs the life of therapy and the length of time in therapy according to their own purpose. The relationship play therapist believes that the focus is on who the child is in their interactions with the therapist and not assessments based on diagnosis or predetermined analysis of the child’s problem. But…..when billing insurance we often times need to rely on assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning.

Relationship Play Therapy Parent Involvement: Initial meeting – child and parents, meet with child 3-4 session, then meet with child and parent again to discuss core play themes and directions of play therapy, and develop a plan for continuing the work. Transfer new knowledge to their own life and others involved with their child. May suggest, Group Therapy, Family Therapy, and sibling involvement Parent Education Training The Relationship therapist begins by working with the child for the first 3-4 session. Once the therapist feels the relationship with the child is established and secure then the therapist will invite the parent in, with the child, to discuss core play themes and directions of play therapy, and develop a verbal plan for continuing the work. The therapist wants the parent to transfer this knowledge to their own life and others involved with the child in hopes it will be used for other caregivers, the schools, family members, and others involved in the child’s life. The therapist may suggest, Group Therapy, Family Therapy, and sibling involvement when the child expresses conflict with other people. Parent Education is an important aspect of work with children in play therapy. Parents learn much more about how their child thinks and feels. It also presents opportunities for the parent to enter their world and learn what is essential to them. Most significant break through occurs when parents join the relationship therapist in the playroom and observe directly the communication and interactions with the child. This helps the parent affirm the child’s identify.

How to help the parent build a relationship with their child Reflect what your child talks to you about, rather than ask questions. Describe what they are doing so they can see that you are paying attention to them. Give them praise If the parent is struggling to connect with their child, I will often suggest some very simple skills, used from Parent child interaction therapy. THEy are very easy to teach to the parent.

How does this theory apply to your work with children? What is the difference between Relationship Play Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy. Can be successful for child clients who avoid the problems. Very important to use with clients who struggle to trust others. Allow the process to unfold. The relationship takes time and patience. What is the difference between Relationship Play Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy. – these 2 theories can be very similar but there are 2 main differences that Clark Moustakus took into consideration when he did not feel child centered therapy was moving his clients forward and that is the limit setting and the therapist joining in the play. The child centered therapist would not allow either of these. Can be successful for child clients who avoid the problems.- I turn to relationship theory when kids avoid the problems and need help admitting to what is going on in their play. Very important to use with clients who struggle to trust others. Allow the process to unfold. It may feel that this process takes longer but often times young children need the time and patience of the therapist to allow the issues to come to surface. The relationship takes time and patience. Case Example: (Jade)I work with a 5 y/o girl who was inappropriately touched by her babysitters older son. I knew that the boy was being sent to a juvenile detention center for the mom told me this at the intake session. The county attorney was involved and not only wanted the little girl to get help to deal with her trauma but also wanted an advocate in case she would have to testify about what happened to her. Unfortunately the babysitter was in denial about what her teen son had done and called the little girl and her mom liars. This caused mom to be very angry, but the little girl was so confused about why the babysitter would feel this way and say these things about her. In the end the boy, who is 16y/o plead guilty and my client will never have to face him in a courtroom. This is information only her mom and I talked about. I use this case as an example with RPT because if it was not for the patience and strong relationship we developed during our time together, she would not have been able to tell her story to me. These are the steps I took with her, to help her reach that point of talking to me about what happened to her and the many confused feelings she had after it happened. First, she had a plan when she came to her sessions. She loved to write so she wrote words on my dry erase board and chalk board. Second, we started from where she was at in life at this time. She felt angry because she had to leave her friends at her daycare. She felt sad because her daycare provider (the abusers mother) was mad at her and her mom. And, she felt like she did something wrong to make all this happen. And finally, she was able to find her own way through all these feelings by writing and drawing about them. She was later able to open up about the bad dreams she was having every night.

Structured and Release Play Therapy Gove Hambridge and Daniel Levy Expanded to include more goal directed interventions. Child moves out of the passive role and into the active role. Abreactive Effect No need for Interpretation Allowed free play to recover from the procedure Daniel Levy developed release theory in the 1930’s and Gove Hambridge elaborated on his theory in the 50’s to include Structre and Release play therapy. He encouraged recreations of stressful events in therapy and then used play to recover from these events. He also used an anxiety scale (1-10) to asses the child’s anxiety during the play. He believe the child needed the Abreactive Effect, which is the release of emotional tension. Through play kids can relive a painful event and produce a release of feelings. Repetition of the abreactive play is needed to adapt the thoughts and feelings about the event. Children gain insight from the play not the interpretation. Allowed free play to recover from the procedure. EMDR.

Structured and Release Play Therapy Therapist meets with parents to gather specific information about the traumatic event. Child engages in free play. Therapist uses play therapy toys to recreate the traumatic event. The traumatic event is acted out. Therapist assess child’s anxiety level. Belief is that children must repeatedly reenact a conflict in order to overcome it. Child engages in free play to decompress from the experience. In Release play therapy, the therapist creates scenarios with the playroom toys that simulate as closely as possible the experiences that caused the child distress. (Levy, 1939). The therapeutic relationship is important in Release therapy, but is comes second to the actual work of the session. Such work is only possible “when the relationship with the therapist is, at the least, sufficiently secure for the child to tolerate the stress situation in the playroom”. The session will look like this: Therapist meets with parents to gather specific information about the traumatic event. Child engages in free play to start. Therapist uses play therapy toys to recreate the traumatic event. The traumatic event is acted out. Therapist assess child’s anxiety level (show anxiety scale) Belief is that children must repeatedly reenact a conflict in order to overcome it. Child engages in free play to decompress from the experience.

Types of Release Techniques: Release of feelings in standard situations. Release of feelings in a specific play situation. Simple Release Types of Release Techniques Release of Feelings in Standard Situations ‐you get release of feelings but experience isn’t specific to child and characters are not personal. This was session with a little girl who was struggling to adjust to her adoptive home. We used the babydoll, potty, kitchen, diaper bag, and dog and racoon puppet. Here are her verbalizations during the play: She carries her purse and says “I’m coming home from work”. She says, “The dog is waiting for me to take him outside. She uses a jumprope as the leash and pretends to talk to the dog. She says in a firm voice, “you are not aloud to run around outside without me (one of the new homes rules)” and put the dog in her kennel (refrigerator). She then picks up the racoon and says, “Im gong to find a new home for him. He is lost”. My home is his new home. The baby is crying so she sits the baby on the potty and says, “Are you done going potty and throwing your fit”. She then packs up the diaper bag to go camping. 2. Release of Feelings in a Specific Play Situation ‐scene resembles a definite experience recreating in play a stressful or traumatic experience in child’s life. (child inappropriately touched by mom’s boyfriend in the dollhouse) 3.Simple Release  ‐child is encouraged to release feelings that may not be acceptable to release, such as anger, aggression, jealousy. unacceptable feelings. Ways to do this would be shooting a dart gun at a target, angry Kleenex game, tell a puppet they don’t like it when they get everything they want, and so on.

Questions and Comments If you have further questions, I can best be reached at my email: acb@iowacounseling.com

Bibliography Green, Eric (2010). Jungian Play Therapy with Adolescents. PLAY THERAPY: June 2010. Landreth, Garry (2002). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship: Second Edition. New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge. Moustakas, Clark (1997). Relationship Play Therapy. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, Inc. Punnett, Audrey, PhD, RPT-S, CST-T/ISST & Eric Green, PhD, LPC-S,RPTS, SP. Psychoanalytic Play Therapy. Play Therapy, Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2019. PP 46-47. Schaefer, Charles (2003). Foundations of Play Therapy. Hovoken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Solnit , MD, Albert J., Cohe, MD, Donald J., & Neubauer, MD, Peter B. (1993). The Many Meanings of Play: A Psychoanalytic Perspective. New Haven and London: Yale University Press www.implypsychology.org Utube- Association for Play Therapy History Speaks: Allan Interview.