Play therapy is increasingly hailed as a revolutionary approach in the mental health field that‘s specifically centered on helping children ( teens and adults) deal with emotionally challenging and traumatic experiences. Unlike traditional talk therapy, therapeutic games in play therapy are more in sync with a child’s particular mindset and emotional state to instantly build a connection between the therapist and the child and encourage them to open up in a more relaxed setting. Children spend a greater part of their childhood indulging in play, which adds to the significance of play in the context of therapy.
The idea of play as a fun, spontaneous activity makes it an effective tool for therapists to observe and gain insights into any unresolved trauma or underlying emotional issues in children. For mental health professionals, there are various ways through which play can be incorporated into counseling sessions. In this blog, we set out to explore the transformative potential of games in play therapy and how the use of specific games can pave the way for immense therapeutic benefits for children.
What Are Therapeutic Games in Play Therapy?
On the surface, play therapy may look like an ordinary game, but in reality, it makes use of specially designed games or interactive activities that have been adapted to meet a specific purpose in therapy. A distinctive aspect of therapeutic games is that they provide a playful and supportive environment for children to overcome the communication barrier between adults and children. The therapist can use a variety of techniques like role-playing, water and sand play, arts and crafts, sticks and stones, toy phones, and story-telling, to name a few.
By harnessing the unstructured and creative aspect of play, therapists can introduce innovative game-based techniques into their practice and expand their skill set to achieve therapeutic goals for their clients. If you are new to these methods or eager to expand your skill set, the Core Wellness course on therapeutic games offers an outstanding opportunity to acquire hands-on training on using game-based intervention to treat common diagnoses for children.
How does play therapy work?
To be precise, children are at a particular developmental stage where their language skills are not advanced enough. Resultantly, they may restrain their feelings or simply can’t trust an adult to express themselves. On the other hand, play is the foremost means through which children make sense of the world around them and feel free to express their inner feelings and deepest emotions. In play therapy, therapists use games as a guide to observing children at play in terms of how they interact with toys and others and, eventually, how their behavior evolves from session to session. Based on his assessment, the therapist can set certain goals and adapt sessions accordingly.
Benefits of Using Play Games in Therapy
Play is the most familiar activity for children and can be much more than simple entertainment. Indeed, the cognitive and social impact of games goes much deeper, as indicated by the professional organization Play Therapy International, whereby up to 71% of children who undergo play therapy experience positive outcomes. For children diagnosed with mental health concerns, incorporating games in play therapy can offer numerous cognitive, social, and emotional benefits, as described below.
Expression of Emotions
The fear of judgment or an uncertain response from adults is what holds back children from expressing themselves. Games provide a creative outlet for children to express their innermost emotions that have been suppressed for a long time. Core wellness course on Creative interventions in play therapy can teach you how appropriate games can encourage children to let go of that initial hesitancy and improve your understanding of child psychology.
Processing Trauma
For children struggling with grief, trauma, or extreme thinking, games can be turned into a therapeutic experience to help children process these challenging emotions without feeling overwhelmed. Core Wellness’s card deck game Worry Worry Go Away has been exclusively designed to help children externalize their feelings and relieve the built-up emotional tension.
Building Empathy and Social Skills
Games essentially revolve around some kind of interaction or contest between two or more participants. Group-based activities like these can build empathy in children as they learn how to collaborate and share with others. It’s a great way to familiarize children with positive social interactions to foster basic social skills.
Social and Behavioral Benefits
Games are not all fun and naive. They also provide a structured context governed by certain pre-set rules to regulate behavior. This is particularly relevant in the case of children with behavioral challenges to help them manage their actions in a constructive manner. Check out our course, Everyone Hates Me and I Do Too, which utilizes stories, activities, and games to help children self-regulate and cope with negative thought patterns.
Cognitive Benefits
What makes these games all the more appealing is that they can be tailored to suit the specific needs of children, especially those with attention difficulties. Integrating game-based interventions can boost focus and impulse control in children, they can help them control their anger or alleviate anxiety to strengthen their emotional resilience.
Popular Therapy techniques
Depending on the child and the situation, the therapist can either go with the directive approach where they guide children towards specified games or toys to be used in a session or let children choose for themselves. In the case of the latter, the children are free to play as and how they see fit. Therapeutic games are incredibly versatile, meaning they can be tailored to suit a wide range of age groups and emotional issues.
One popular game is “Feeling Charade,” which calls upon children to identify and label emotions in a group activity. Another example is that of the Ungame, which is congenial to build rapport and facilitate open-ended conversations about feelings and experiences in a non-competitive way. The Core Wellness’ game Go Worry Go can be an innovative resource for therapists to enhance their therapy sessions and help children develop essential coping skills in an engaging and fun way.
If you are looking to expand your therapeutic toolkit, Core Wellness’ on-demand course offers insights into how to tailor therapeutic goals to individual clients' needs and equip them to deal with emotional challenges.
Experience the Wonders of Game in Play Therapy with Beth Hartstein
Core Wellness course on how to use games therapeutically in play therapy is being led by Beth Hartstein, a certified play therapist and supervisor with extensive experience in crafting meaningful and effective interventions to achieve successful therapeutic outcomes for clients. As someone who is well-versed in the language of play, she is distinguished for her holistic and people-centered approach to using games in therapeutic settings to build emotional resilience in children and adolescents as well as adults.
Get ready for a prime opportunity to become a part of an upcoming live webinar to learn how to use the latest techniques and tools in therapeutic games as a tool to get the most out of your therapeutic process and generate an array of therapeutic benefits for your client. If you are passionate about creating your very own therapeutic playroom, then the Core Wellness course A Rainbow of Play Techniques by Beth Harstein is all you need for a comprehensive introduction to the world of play therapy that applies to children of all ages. You can also check out her other incredible on-demand courses to expand your skills and enrich your therapeutic practice with creative play techniques.
Key Takeaway
To sum up, games take on a whole new meaning when used in a therapeutic context to assess behavior and help children develop core coping strategies to promote healthy emotional, social, and cognitive development in children. It can be used to counter varying emotional issues in children right, from grief, depression, and anxiety to behavior complexities.
Integrating games into practice is set to be an efficacious tool to help children get in touch with their emotions and articulate them in a recreational environment to foster wholesome emotional growth. Explore the Core wellness live course or register for our on-demand webinar today and take advantage of the power of play in therapy. Visit our website to learn more about our live and recorded courses and elevate your practice today for a rewarding therapeutic career.
