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Virginia Play Therapy

Approaches to Play Therapy

Client Centered (Non-Directive) Play Therapy

In this approach, which was significantly influenced by Carl Rogers, Virginia Axline follows several rules.

  1. The therapist must develop a warm, friendly relationship with the child. Good rapport should be established as soon as possible.
  2. The therapist accepts the child exactly as he or she is.
  3. The therapist establishes a feeling of permissiveness in the relationship so that the child feels free to express his or her feelings completely.
  4. The therapist is alert to recognize the feelings the child is expressing and reflects those feelings back in such a manner that the child gains insight into his or her behavior.
  5. The therapist maintains a deep respect for the child's ability to solve his or her own problems if given an opportunity to do so. The responsibility to make choices and to institute change is the child's.
  6. The therapist does not attempt to direct the child's actions or conversation in any manner. The child leads the way, the therapist follows.
  7. The therapist does not attempt to hurry the therapy along. It is a gradual process and must be recognized as such by the therapist.
  8. The therapist only establishes those limitations necessary to anchor the therapy to the world of reality and to make the child aware of his responsibility in the relationship. (Schaefer, 1983)

In non-directive play therapy, responsibility and direction are left to the child, unlike directive play therapy, in which the therapist may assume responsibility for guidance and interpretation of the therapy. This approach emphasizes empowering the client, self-awareness, decision-making, and acceptance of the client's self. In the first session, there is a warm, supportive, friendly, and accepting atmosphere. The therapist may say that the playroom is the client's own special place, and in the playroom, he or she can play with things just about any way he or she would like.

Psychoanalytic Play Therapy

In psychoanalytic child therapy, play is used as a means of establishing contact with the client, as a source of data, as a medium of observations, and sometimes, as something that promotes interpretive communication. Psychoanalytic therapy was used and developed by Sigmund Freud in 1909. Psychoanalytic therapy holds the view that play is a means by which the therapist and the child work toward resolution of the conflict and their common therapeutic goal. Psychoanalytic therapy involves the therapist in a role of participant and observer. The therapist allows the child to play and can even participate but later takes the role of shifting the play to more verbal interaction between them. By participating as a play therapist the therapist takes on the responsibility of being able to understand, integrate and communicate the meaning of the child's play in order to increase the child's understanding of the conflict, thereby promoting an adaptive resolution. The toys are also an important role in the therapy for the child. The toys allow the child to speak metaphorically rather than literally which is good because the child may not be ready to just tell the therapist what is bothering him or her.

Jungian Play Therapy

Another theory of play therapy titled Jungian, was developed by Carl Jung in 1912. Jung worked with Freud but had different views of play therapy. Jung felt that the therapist is important and has an active role as a facilitator and interactor with the child but not as leader. Jung said that the child's psyche knows where it needs to go, and it is the therapist's job to follow it there. Jungian play therapy depends a great deal on the therapist to build trust with the child and to have discussion with the child about their play with sensitivity and skill.

Filial Play Therapy

Filial therapy combines psychoeducational, empowerment, and play therapy methods which actively involve parents in their child's treatment. Filial therapy has been shown, through research and 30 years of clinical use, to be a highly effective therapeutic intervention which can also be used in prevention and family enhancement contexts. For decades, practitioners have been seeking ways to engage parents meaningfully when children are in therapy or in need of support, when a divorce has taken place, or when a blended family has formed. Filial Therapy provides that means. Filial therapy joins two important strategies; play therapy for children and parent education through direct parent involvement in the change process. The professional therapist directs the intervention, serving as both a teacher and an empathic support person for the parents. Both parents and children make progress and the parent-child relationship is enhanced.