Play Therapy May Serve a Fundamental Role in Assisting the Patient - Case Study Example

Section/# Play Therapy – A Case Specific Discussion As a function of defining play intervention and the effectiveness that it has towards a specific incident, the following analysis will focus upon the case of an adolescent that has experienced sexual abuse. Although it must of course be understood that play therapy is only one means by which the therapist can seek to promote the overall psychological health and development of such a patient, it is nonetheless an effective approach that will be detailed within the following discussion. Firstly, the child in this particular case is a white 14-year-old lower middle class girl. The abuse that she has sustained, as defined by individuals associated with the case, as well as the girl in question, extended between the ages of 13 and 14. The patient experiences severe withdrawal from society, including close loved ones and friends, self harming (in the form of cutting), depression, and repeated anxiety attacks. Accordingly, the therapist ultimate goal for this particular client is one in which the client is able to engage with healthy functions and address the underlying symptoms that are causing destructive and antisocial behavior to be exhibited. Although these are indeed lofty goals, it is the expectation of this particular practitioner to play therapy can affect a fundamental role in transforming the approach that has thus far been illustrated. Whereas many practitioners might indicate that the opportunity for play therapy suddenly evaporates once an individual is within their teenage years, it is the interpretation of this particular analyst, from a broad review of existing literature, that play therapy can continue to utilize well into the late teens. As such, the approach that this particular researcher would take is one that is predicated upon using arms and design/creativity as a means of engaging the patient. Alternate approaches would of course include the use of puppets, props, and other action pieces to evoke understanding and exhibit the underlying reasons for why a particular patient might be experiencing a set of symptoms/hardships. However, due to the fact that this particular client is currently 14 years of age, such tactics could relevantly be understood is somewhat juvenile and unrelated to the issues at hand. Furthermore, as a result of the fact that the patient has exhibited a profound interest in part and ostracized herself from the remainder of society in lieu of creating artwork and representing her own thoughts via this particular medium, the utilization of art within play therapy has been understood as the most effective means of integration. As with all forms of play therapy, the situation is not one that should be thoroughly defined and/or planned out prior to the engagement taking place. The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that play therapy is more of a reactive form of counseling and psychological therapy as compared to more proactive forms that seek to engage an understanding based upon existing determinants. Likewise, as the situation unfolds, the therapist must be effectively willing and able to give all with the scenario and ask pointed questions that are able to define the thoughts and feelings that the client is exhibiting. In the eventuality that the client is willing to represent some of the issues that are troubling her and have provided to her level of social isolation, it is the role of the therapist to ensure that these issues are not ignored and are in fact followed up on. One of the means by which this entity affected is for the therapist to question the client with respect to why this behavior that she is exhibiting. One particular pitfall that the psychologist should always be mindful of has to do with expanding the level of psychological counseling beyond that which is represented within the play medium (Ojiambo & Bratton, 2014). What is meant by this is the fact that many psychologists utilize play therapy only as a means of getting to the issues that they deem as the most important. In the eventuality that the therapist uses such an approach, the child will soon come to understand that play therapy is in fact not a therapy at all but rather a means by which the therapist attempts to engage them based upon predefined or standard goals of interaction. Accordingly, it is essential to maintaining the relevance of the play therapy as the central focus of therapy and not to diverge from this; even if the temptation to tackle another issue or define the patient’s approach to it presents itself. Based upon the patient’s symptoms and unique situation, the utilization of art as a means of communication appears to be a core and actionable mechanisms through which understanding is derived. Even though it is not possible for the counselor/psychologist to attempt to define the way in which the play scenario should proceed at each and every juncture, it is the role of the counselor/therapist to ask pointed questions and develop the scenario as a function of addressing issues that have ultimately encouraged the client to seek therapy (Garza et al., 2014). For instance, the therapist should begin the play therapy session by thoroughly defining the fact that art will be utilized as a mechanism of expressing that which is verbally difficult to engage. As such, the client will be represented with the understanding that the feelings and hardships that they have thus far struggled with can adequately be denoted within the artwork that they will provide. Furthermore, such a representation already encourages the client to focus upon the hardships they are facing and the difficulties which troubled them; rather than abstract thoughts and emotions that they might otherwise focus their artistic endeavors upon. Additionally, as the interaction proceeds, it is possible and beneficial for the psychologist to engage the client with certain pointed questions regarding feelings and the methods through which they internalize them (Singhal & Vahali, 2014). But however, it is essential for the psychologist to recognize the fact that a complete and thorough counseling session should not be included within play therapy. The underlying reason for this has to do with the fact that it discourages a level of creativity and freedom of thought that might otherwise be represented within the mind of the patient. In the eventuality that the psychologist understands the counseling and proactive changes are necessary, these must be denoted, recorded, and/or otherwise understood for representation at a later date. Even though it might appear as if the ease of implementation for this particular type of therapy is relatively low, the difficulty that is represented at each and every juncture is with regard to the need for the psychologist to be attuned to minute changes in behavior/meaning that are represented within the activities and verbal/nonverbal cues that the patient is providing. In order for play therapy to be effective, it is essential for the psychologist to be attuned to these minute variances in behavior/communication. In the event that one particular approach to play therapy, such as the one that has been denoted, is not particularly effective, this is not grounds for dismissal of the entire process. Instead, it is necessary for the stakeholder to reassess the goals of implementation and the situation that has been defined on the part of client. Furthermore, in the event that the individual does not have great difficulty speaking concerning the hardships or abuse that they had faced in the past, play therapy might not in fact be the most effective approach. However, based upon the metrics of this particular situation, it is the firm understanding of this analyst that play therapy may serve a fundamental role in assisting the patient and overcoming challenges they are currently facing. References Garza, Y., Kinsworthy, S., & Bennett, M. (2014). Supervision in Group Play Therapy: A Skills Checklist. Journal Of Individual Psychology, 70(1), 31-44. Ojiambo, D., & Bratton, S. C. (2014). Effects of Group Activity Play Therapy on Problem Behaviors of Preadolescent Ugandan Orphans. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(3), 355-365. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00163.x Singhal, M., & Vahali, H. (2014). Building broken sandcastles: Explorations in play therapy with a sexually abused child. Journal Of Indian Association For Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 10(2), 132-144. Read More