Best Therapy for Young Children - Coursework Example

Best Therapy for Young Children Developmental theories emphasize the importance of healthy environmentsfor the proper development of children into healthy adults while medical research has illustrated the detrimental effects of violence and other traumatic events upon the cognitive, physical and emotional development of the child. However, treatment options for children have often been limited to just those children who appear within battered women’s shelters, child protection agencies or other similar organizations (Groves, 2002b) or to those children whose parents have the money to afford expensive counselors who may or may not be aware of the most effective treatment options. For this reason, there have been a growing number of programs designed to work with troubled children through venues other than shelters and governmental organizations (Groves, 2002b). Many of these programs attempt to discover more effective means of reaching the child in a trusting, comforting environment that speaks to the child’s level but without ‘talking down’ to them. Group interventions are one means of addressing the problem while still letting children know they are not alone and have little to be ashamed of (Peled & Edleson, 1995). These types of group meetings, often held in shelters or other community center-type settings, tend to benefit children in the 6 to 15 year age range and work to group children together in age spans of less than 2 to 3 years (Peled & Edleson, 1995). This treatment technique is not recommended for children of preschool or younger age, however, because of their natural lack of focus and reduced dependence upon peer relationships to help them cope with issues and more impulsive natures. Very small children do not respond well to sit-down sessions so require alternate forms of therapy to be developed that meet their specific needs. Regardless of the therapy approach selected, the goal is always the same. “The therapist seeks to stabilize the child’s life situation, to help the child integrate the experiences of the violent events in an adaptive manner, and to work with the child to manage the symptoms that resulted from the trauma” (Groves, 2002b). There are a number of other therapies currently being studied that may be more successful than these approaches in bringing the discussion to the level of the child in a non-threatening, non-invasive way. Several alternative and less-threatening forms of therapy have been devised that allow children to be treated in a less-threatening environment which matches the pace they wish to set. By mimicking activities most commonly associated with enjoyable free-time, children are able to come to grips with their emotions and the events they have witnessed on their own ground and in their own way with the careful guidance and mostly passive presence of a counselor to help them discover a happier, more adjusted existence on the other side of therapy (Groves, 2002a). The present study will look at some of these alternatives, including sand play, play therapy, music therapy and art therapy and their importance when working with children. Sandplay therapy. Sandplay therapy is exactly what it sounds like in that it allows children to play in the sand as they undergo therapy (Hose et al, 2004). In this form of therapy, a child is allowed to play with toys that are placed inside of a sand tray for easy manipulation or display. They are able to create, or destroy, or to draw or otherwise indicate thoughts that weigh on the young child’s mind. Toys added to the scene, such as miniature people, cars, buildings, animals and other items can be used by children to express what they may not otherwise be able to put into words. “Sand tray therapy allows clients to use the therapist’s collection of miniatures … to express their experiences visually. The client makes a ‘picture’ in the sand tray using as many or as few objects as desired” while the therapist “listens to the unique meaning that it has to the client” (Hose et al, 2004). Because of its soothing nature and familiar setting, sand tray therapy is often easier for young patients to deal with than trying to talk about their abstract feelings with the therapist as young children often do not have sufficient vocabulary to verbalize what’s bothering them. As they play, the stories told by the child to the therapist regarding the tableaus created provide a window into the smaller child’s thoughts and feelings regarding the issues that are bothering him or her (Hose et al, 2004). This illustrates this the effectiveness of this therapeutic approach in developing a secure environment and allowing the child to work in their own time and way. Play therapy. Like sand tray therapy, play therapy can be highly beneficial. McMahon (1992) believes that “children who have too much happening in their lives, separations, losses, abuse, repeated disruptions, changes of family membership and abode, changes of caretakers and attachment figures” (p.25) are recommended for play therapy. This type of therapy is considered appropriate because of its lack of specific focus on the idea of therapy and instead allows the child to relax into an environment more suited for his or her nature while still retaining connections to a sympathetic adult. Some children who are anxious and angry can cope with the situation if they have a safe place to sort out their emotions (McMahon, 1992, p. 25). The presence of toys and the opportunity and encouragement given to the child to play helps them to quickly identify the therapist adult as someone who will accept them as they are, making them feel comfortable and more capable of expressing their feelings and fears openly. Like sand tray therapy, play therapy is designed to put as little pressure as possible upon the child while still providing him or her with an avenue of expression that allows the therapist to help them. “Play therapy creates a safe place where children can express themselves and work through their problems. Through their play activities, children learn to cope with feelings that may be difficult for them to talk about” (Hose et al. 2004). The concept is based upon the theories of Anna Freud who believed that by observing play, she was better able to understand the problems faced by the child observed (McMahon, 1992). While recognizing that the play could be a re-enactment of real events or a figment of the child’s imagination, she envisioned play therapy as a “means of permitting children to talk about conscious feelings and thoughts and to act out unconscious conflicts and fantasies” (McMahon, 1992, p. 32). Also similar to sand tray therapy, play therapy is typically comprised of child-directed activity with little to no instruction on the part of the therapist, although the therapist can become more involved if it is deemed necessary to explore a particularly difficult subject for the child (McMahon, 1992). This enables the child to develop a sense of control and empowerment, validating his feelings without forcing him to ‘relive’ the events that have upset him. Music therapy. Music therapy differs a great deal from these other forms of therapy in that it uses the power of music to illicit responses in the child that are otherwise difficult or impossible to express (Didericksen, 2005). By listening to songs that discuss the various aspects of widely different family relationships, the child is able to select those songs with which he most identifies with. This selection helps the therapist gain a better understanding of the unique situation the child is struggling to cope with as well as providing the child with a soothing, natural means of broaching often difficult issues of discussion. “This approach can be very effective in helping people develop coping strategies, express feelings of anxiety and helplessness, increase self-esteem, bond, and provide an alternative way to voice traumatic experiences” (Didericksen, 2005). Participation in the creation of music also helps provide an additional level of self-expression as children learn to manipulate the world around them through the medium of music and rhythm. The type of therapy selected for a particular patient often depends upon his or her individual inclinations and the form of treatment that is available at the location where they seek help (Didericksen, 2005). This form of therapy may not be as suitable for very young children, however, as it requires strong knowledge of the music and sufficient attention to understand the words of the songs. Art therapy and children. After investigating these other forms of therapy, perhaps the most effective and widely applicable form of alternative therapy is art therapy. Art therapy can help “preschoolers undergoing transient stress, elementary students with learning disabilities, or emotional disorders, and children of all ages overcome psychological problems” (Rubin, 2005, p. 313). Art becomes the medium through which these children are able to express themselves. “Making art available to more children in a way that allows them to honestly express themselves is good medicine, like taking vitamins or getting regular checkups” (Rubin, 2005, p. 311). It is very difficult for children to find a medium that they can be comfortable with in expressing their emotions and thoughts. Music requires some knowledge and an accurate sense of rhythm while play therapy and sand tray therapy can seem like too practiced an exercise for some children or can remain too disorganized to provide any real results. Art enables children to look with open eyes, to encounter the world without fear, to acquire a perceptual vocabulary that helps them organize their experiences. In art, children learn concepts related to things like change or stability, that relate not only to the arts, but also to dealing with life. Arts help children to think divergently, to explore alternative solutions to problems, to take risks, to fail, and to cope in a flexible way. (Rubin, 2005, p. 312) From past studies, it has been determined that any type of therapy is better than no therapy at all. However, art therapy provides each person with an outlet for expressing their inner thoughts while providing them with a safe environment in which to work (Rubin, 2005). By providing a focused activity, the process of creating a piece of artwork, the therapy session is not unstructured as it typically is with sand tray therapy or simple play therapy, yet it avoids the clinical abstraction of music therapy through its open availability of a wide variety of materials and mediums (Rubin, 2005). By utilizing such a wide array of materials, art therapy also does not require any previous experience or specific expertise in order to create an expressive image or project. By allowing the child to direct the type of art and method of expression, the activity remains free and open to anything the child feels he or she wishes to explore. By carefully assessing the stories associated with these images, the therapist can gain a sense of the feelings and thoughts of the child as he or she copes with the stressors they are dealing with in everyday life much as in the process of sand tray or play therapy (Rubin, 2005). Conclusion While there are several types of therapy methods available and in use to treat children, it is believed that the unique nature of visual art, in conjunction with the tactile process of creating this art, will encourage participants to share their stories and come to some resolutions in their feelings and emotions regarding outside events and activities. The literature suggests that art therapy can be applied to a broad range of individuals with beneficial effects regardless of artistic ability while providing these children with a means of expressing ideas and emotions that they have little, if any, ability to communicate otherwise. Art therapy can be used effectively to assist children in dealing with powerful negative emotions as well as to foster a therapeutic relationship between the art therapist and the client. Other therapies may be effective in these regards as well, but are not as flexible in meeting the child’s individual needs and knowledge base while remaining open and communicative to the therapist. References Didericksen, E. (2005). “Finding voice.” Research Matters. Utah State University. Retrieved January 19, 2010 from Groves, B. (1996, April/May). “Children without refuge: Young witnesses to domestic violence.” (Zero to Three). Vol. 16, pp. 29-34. Groves, B. (2002a). “Mental health services for children who witness domestic violence.” (The Future of Children). Retrieved January 19, 2010 from < http://www.athealth.com/practitioner/ceduc/dv_children.html> Groves, B. M. (2002b). “Children who see too much: Lessons from the child witness to violence project.” Boston: Beacon Press. Hose, W.; Mascarenas, L; et al. (2004). “Clinical services.” (Annual report). Center for Positive Prevention Alternatives. McMahon, L. (1992). The Handbook of Play Therapy. London: Routledge. Peled, E. & Edleson, J. (1995). “Process and outcome in small groups for children of battered women.” Ending the Cycle of Violence: Community Responses to Children of Battered Women. E. Peled, P.G. Jaffe & J.L. Edleson (Eds.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Rubin, A. J. (2001). Approaches to Art Therapy: Theory & Technique. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Read More