Many things can wait; children cannot. Today their bones are being formed, their blood is being made, their senses are being developed. To them, we cannot say 'tomorrow.' Their name is today.
-Gabriela Mistral, Nobel Laureate (1945)
The meaning of play:
Play is central to a child's healthy cognitive, motor, linguistic, emotional and social development. Play is crucial for children's creativity, exploration, physical skills, self-regulation, interpersonal development and social learning. Play is not optional, it is fundamental. Children use play a means through which feelings can be communicated. Instead of verbalising particular situations, thoughts or emotions, a child may use toys to communicate what they are feeling on the inside. Unlike adults whose natural medium of communication is verbalisation, the natural medium for communication for children is play activity. There is joy when we are truly playing. Play is good brain chemistry , as there is a release of a symphony of 'feel good' hormones such as opiods, oxytocin and dopamine when we are engaged in physically interactive play. Play is important in and of itself for the child's quality of life and individual psychology; play is a 'right' and an intrinsic part of life for a child. The United Nations (1991) proclaims play to be a 'universal and inalienable right of childhood.' The necessity of play for a child's growth is undeniable
What is play therapy?
Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate, evidence-based treatment modality for young children. Play therapy comprises elements of science and art and is informed by a vast reserve of developmental research. Play therapy provides children with a consistent and predictable therapeutic relationship and environment in which to explore their fears, difficulties, struggles and pain, as well as hopes, dreams and wishes. In play therapy the use of toys, puppets, art materials and play are used to build a therapeutic relationship with a child and to help facilitate their self expression and to address childhood emotional, behavioural, social and psychological difficulties.
The play therapist provides the core conditions of empathy, genuineness and unconditional support, to create an atmosphere where the child is allowed to lead at their own pace and use the language of movement, play, art, music and even the language of silence, for self-exploration, self-expression and growth. This can lead to optimal healing for children and a sense of enhanced human connectedness which is vital for children's well-being.
Play therapy can be helpful too many troubled children with a range of difficulties and diagnosis. Play therapy facilitates positive neurodevelopment experiences and resilience building. Neuroscientific findings have provided empirical support for and validation of many of play therapy's philosophical underpinnings and treatment models. Researchers suggest warm positive emotions and positive relational interactions contribute to ideal neural functioning in child development and help create positive and healing neurophysiological states, promoting health and healing.
The Association of Play Therapy (2008) defines 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 psychological difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development."
How can Filial Therapy help?
Filial therapy is a form of family therapy and recognises that the parent-child relationship is almost always the most significant one in a child's life. Filial therapy was developed in the early 1960's by Drs. Bernard and Louise Guerney and is an approach to therapy that emphasizes the parent-child relationship as a means of alleviating child or family difficulties. Filial therapy is based on the principles of play therapy. Under the supervision of a play therapist parents/ carers are trained to hold special child-centered play sessions with their own children, thereby engaging parents in the therapeutic process and empowering them to be the primary change agent for their own child.
Parents learn how to respond empathetically to their child's feelings, build their child's self esteem, help their child learn self control and self responsibility, and set therapeutic limits.
The main goal of Filial therapy is to strengthen the relationships between parents and their children. When the bond is strengthened between parents and their children it creates a healthy family atmosphere, where family members feel valued and understood.
Research has demonstrated it's long term effectiveness with a wide range of problems including alleviating parental stress and child behaviour problems, while improving parental empathy, skills, and child adjustment. Further studies have shown that training parents/ carers and involving them in their child's play therapy has the potential of preventing more severe and costly problems across the lifespan. Filial therapy is a ten week intervention which includes a half-day parent/ carer training workshop. The workshop is designed to teach parents/carers the skills needed to conduct play sessions by demonstration and observation.
Who can benefit from the Learn To Play Program?
Play is inherently therapeutic and children are instinctively drawn to play. However not all children develop the ability to be able to pretend play. Pretend play is a developmental skill. The Learn to Play program helps children to acquire the skills of pretend play. The Learn to Play program was developed by Professor Karen Stagnitti to 'assist children to develop the ability to spontaneously self-initiate their own play, and to develop pretend play skills to or near their expected development level for their age so that they can become a 'player' with their peers.'
In the Learn to Play program the play therapist begins with a directive approach and uses carefully chosen toys and play materials to target, scaffold and extend the child's play ability. As the child's play ability develops the play therapist takes a less directive approach. For children who have not yet reached the expected developmental level of pretend play for their age, the Learn To Play Program has been shown to be effective in helping a child reach their full potential.
The Learn to Play Program focuses on six core skills of pretend play; object substitution, sequencing play actions, play scripts, attributing properties, role play and doll/teddy play. The sessions are held on a weekly basis and at the same time with a qualified Learn to Play practitioner . Children are encouraged to have fun, develop their imagination and engage in enjoyable reciprocal relationships.
How does Play therapy facilitate positive neurodevelopment experiences?
Dr Bruce Perry from the Child Trauma Academy states, "Traumatic experiences create alterations in key neural networks in the brain. These stress-related networks span multiple areas of the brain- from the brainstem to the neocortex, and, therefore, 'getting' at' these systems in order to provide therapeutic 'activations' to create positive change is difficult using our conventional cognitive-heavy approaches. The beauty of play is that it engages these widespread networks in controllable, predictable, and moderate ways. Play engages sensory, motor, emotional, and cognitive systems. These play therapy 'experiences,' therefore, are a recipe for effective therapeutics and resilience building."
(Dr Bruce Perry, MDF, PhD)
Psychiatrist and founder of the National Institute of Play, Dr. Stuart Brown writes that "We are built to play and built through play. When we play we are engaged in the purest expression of our humanity. the truest expression of our individuality."
(Dr. Stuart Brown, MD)
"It's necessary that we believe that the child is very intelligent, that the child is strong and beautiful and has very ambitious desires and requests. This is the image of the child we need to hold."
(Loris Malaguzzi)
Neuroplay Sensory and Social Skills Program
Neuroplay is a sensory and social skills program that aims to assist children with different abilities in developing and extending their play and social skills, offering support within the community, while assisting parents and caregivers to gain practical strategies to support their children's social and emotional development. The Neuroplay program has been designed to raise the self-esteem and confidence of children, to increase social skills such as sharing and taking turns, to create a sense of cohesion and belonging, a sense of connection with others and to increase emotional expression appropriately. At Neuroplay we want children to experience laughter, joy and fun. A parent or caregiver attends the Neuroplay sessions with their child giving them an opportunity to play with their child in a safe and trusting environment. Neuroscience research shows that the relationship between children and their caregivers determines not only their emotional development, but also the biological development of the brain.