What is Play Therapy?
Because children’s imaginations are much larger than ours and there are many situations in life that they have not yet encountered and need to learn, their perception of events is different from that of adults. Therefore, their reactions are also different. For example, adults often experience symptoms such as coping with the situation, crying, and withdrawing from others after experiencing traumatic events; In addition to these symptoms, children often exhibit tantrums.
Play is an important part of a child’s life, he spends all his time playing games except sleeping and tries to quickly turn anything boring into a game. Children love to talk to their toys and to themselves. Therefore, the methods preferred for adults are not very effective for children. Therefore, there must be methods built into the game.
Since children’s language development continues; They cannot fully express their feelings and thoughts when an adult is speaking. However, they are free to express themselves in the game. While playing with toys, we can learn from the character he plays and the pictures he draws, how he evaluates his experience and how he looks at it. Play therapy, on the other hand, provides a safe and unconditional environment for children in a special playroom with specially selected toys based on this unique child structure, and allows the child to freely open the door of their inner world and bring the child back to life.
Children can express their inner world in a safe and comfortable environment with play therapy; he starts to relive the traumatic memories that affect his behavior, the situations he was hurt, the difficulties he experienced, the disappointments and anger in the world he built with toys. He develops strategies for coping with his problems with the help of symbolic games, drawings and a therapist.
What is the therapist’s role?
In play therapy, the therapist undertakes the task of encouraging and reflecting so that the child can play as he sees fit. It supports the process from time to time with structured stories and games.
In which situations can play therapy treat the disease?
The effectiveness of play therapy in many problems encountered has been proven by scientific studies. Some of these are those:
- Anxiety
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Nail Biting / Thumb Sucking / Bed Wetting
- Stuttering. not speaking properly
- Boundary Problems.
- inattention and hyperactivity disorder
- impulsivity. anger issues
- childhood depression
- lack of self-confidence
- Unexplained headaches and stomach aches
- Connecting issues
- Post-divorce adjustment
- separation anxiety.