Classmate 3 Chapter 17 Play Therapy Choose four different play therapy techniques

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Classmate 3

Chapter 17 Play Therapy

Choose four different play therapy techniques. Describe and discuss how those techniques might be used. Is there one technique that you like above the others?

Visualization: A counselor can use the visualization technique to let a child dream up situations in their imagination, think about problems, discover new strengths, and adjust expectations. Children have vibrant imaginations and visualization allows them to use their creative minds for the sake of therapy. Example: A counselor could have a child visualize that they are in a rocket ship headed for the moon. They glance down and see Earth getting smaller and smaller as they draw closer to the moon. Then the counselor can ask the child to draw the three things or people that the child would want to have on the rocket ship with them throughout the journey. The counselor can use this to analyze what the child values and then move forward with the session.

Storytelling: A counselor can use storytelling to explore emotions and help children learn about themselves. Example: The counselor asks the child to share a story that includes a beginning, a middle, and an end. The counselor can encourage the story to be imaginary, such as encouraging the child to take the “microphone” as the new President of the United States. How would you address the country as the new president? This would be a fun, imaginary story where the child expresses their thoughts and emotions, then the counselor uses their story to analyze and move forward with the session. Or, the story can be based on reality, such as a story about the child’s favorite pet, hobby, or childhood memory.

Art: This is a technique that partners well with many theories of play therapy and allows for a child to symbolize emotions, become more self-aware, gain access to the unconscious, enjoy a non-threatening form of play, and allow for self-interpretation. Art is something that most children are accustomed to in one way or another, so it can be a comfortable play environment. It also allows for a wide range of thoughts and emotions to be expressed, both through the artwork, but also through the child’s interpretation of their own artwork. Example: The counselor can encourage the child to draw a picture of one thing that made them happy this past week. The child then draws a picture and then the counselor can ask for an interpretation, why they felt happy, etc.

Puppets: A counselor can use puppetry to reenact events that have occurred, role-play, express feelings, and practice new behaviors. They can also help children practice communication skills, overcome isolation, build self-esteem, release emotions, and make decisions. Example: The counselor shows the child a wide array of puppets, including animal puppets, human puppets, puppets showing various emotions, etc. Then, the counselor asks the child to choose two puppets form the pile and to reenact how the child likes to play with their sibling. The counselor then observes which puppets the child chooses, their reaction of how they typically interact with ether sibling, and then can analyze next steps accordingly.

 

 

I have not had a chance to practice these in a child counseling setting, but I imagine I would enjoy art therapy quite a bit. I have an art business that I run as a side-job and love the way that we can use art to express emotions. I also love how a piece of art can truly speak a thousand words. I think it can be an incredibly effective tool in helping children express their emotions, both with the art piece itself, but also with how they describe and interpret their own artwork. I also love that there is such a wide array of art forms that can be used with children. One can get quite creative and keep children’s focus with various art techniques.

Compare and contrast two different types of family play therapy. Include which has the greatest appeal to you and your reasons.

Group Play Therapy vs. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy:

 

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) was developed primarily for children with signs of resistance and aggression, therefore PCIT aims to establish a strong link between the parent and child, create a nurturing environment rather than a critical one, and provide appropriate discipline. PCIT typically lasts for one hour a week for 10-14 weeks. The therapist gives immediate feedback to the parent and child throughout each session, guiding and teaching them throughout the session. Parents are often coached to ignore the disruptive behaviors of their child and focus on the positive, suitable behaviors their child demonstrates. Parents are also required to play with their child at least 5-10 minutes every day in between sessions. Parents are taught seven basic skills using “BE DIRECT,” which stands for: Be specific and clear, Every request should be stated positively, Developmentally appropriate commands ensure the child is capable of doing what is asked, Individual demands are more effective than multiple requests, Respectful and polite requests encourage reciprocal responses, Essential commands help parents remember to assess whether what they are asking is trivial or necessary, Choices help children build independence and problem-solving skills, Tone of voice that is neutral and calm, parents relaxed and in control. These methods have found to be particularly beneficial in improving a child’s behavior, both in the home and at school.

 

Group Play Therapy is also most commonly used for children demonstrating behavior problems and can apply to both the home setting and the school setting, just like PCIT. Group play therapy allows children to interact with peers, experience self-growth, and self-exploration, while developing tolerance. Group play therapy tends to be a bit more chaotic than PCIT since more children are involved. This can be both a positive and negative, depending on circumstances. I have not personally had the opportunity to implement these techniques, but I think I would like and appreciate both of them! PCIT seems like it would be more beneficial if the child tends to be more disruptive in the home and Group Play Therapy seems like it might be more beneficial if the child has struggles with peers, school situations, etc. I like that with both techniques, the children are building stronger relationships with others throughout the play sessions – whether with their own parents in PCIT or with peers in Group Play Therapy. I suppose if I had to choose one of these, I would maybe lean towards PCIT because it allows an opportunity for the parent and child to truly strengthen their relationship, which has the potential for countless benefits throughout their lifetime.

 

Chapter 18 Group Counseling with Children

Explain the stages of group development.

Beginning Stage: This is the initial stage of group development and includes orientation and exploration. It is the time that group members are allowed to get acquainted with one another, discover one another’s expectations, and determine the structure of the group. During this stage, group leaders are focused on creating a safe environment, with a foundation of trust and understanding. The leader also establishes ground rules at this point, clarify the purpose of the group, and the responsibilities of each group member (including confidentiality). During this stage, group members tend to be cautious, perhaps a bit nervous, and unsure of how they feel about the group, therefore it is up to the group leader to build rapport, demonstrate appropriate behavior, actively listen to each person, and establish quality ground rules.

Transition Stage: During this stage, group members are somewhat testing one another and perhaps even the leader. They are determining how much, or how little, they can trust the others within the group. This tends to be the portion of group counseling that includes anxiety and defenses since members are still a bit worried about their “safety” and how much they can share with others.

Working Stage: This is the stage where members begin to trust each other and accept one another in the group. This is where the group is able to bond and spend time productively, solving problems together, listening, and sharing. Members can identify their goals, concerns, and thoughts while working with the group to address concerns. Communication greatly increases during this stage with members feeling like they can share more openly with one another. Feedback can also start to be given since there has been a foundation of trust laid. The group begins to move from insight into action during this stage.

Leaving/Ending Stage: This is the final stage of group counseling and gives the members an opportunity to evaluate all they have learned throughout the sessions. This is a very important stage because it sets the group members up to continue their growth, even when the group is no longer meeting. It creates independence within members and pushes members to apply what they have learned. Group leaders should be encouraging with their members, but also aware that members might be reluctant to terminate their sessions for fear of falling back into old behaviors without the support of the group. Sadness can also take place during this stage if group members were able to bond throughout their sessions. The counselor can also arrange for a follow-up session, if necessary.

 

 

Differentiate the group models such as group therapy, group counseling, group preventive processes and group crisis counseling.

Group Therapy: These groups deal with unconscious motivations with a goal of personality change for group members. This tends to be for people who are severely disturbed, suffering from deep psychological problems, or socially deviant behavior. Group goals tend to focus on rebuilding, alleviating symptoms, and creating a place to explore problems.

Group Counseling: These groups are growth oriented, preventative, and remedial. Each individual’s behavior and development is a focus as group members aim to develop or change within their group sessions. Members are typically “normal” people who are experiencing stress in their lives – this often includes relationships, social skills, values, problem solving, and making decisions. These groups can also be created based on a topic, such as dealing with the divorce of parents, a death, or school problems.

Group Preventative Process: These groups tend to focus on avoiding difficulties such as problem solving, anger management, and stress management.

Group Crisis Counseling: These groups are focused on decreasing the stress associated with crisis events for each person involved, along with increasing group members’ coping processes. Counseling aim to provide psychical and psychological safety for group members, while also being accepting and encouraging.

Choose and discuss five group leadership skills and five group leader personal characteristics.

Group Leadership Skills:

Active Listening: The ability for a counselor to engage in listening skills that truly make each individual in the group session feel heard and valued.

Facilitating Communication: The ability for a group leader to navigate the balance between sharing information themselves, asking open-ended questions, allowing group members to share equally, navigate interruptions with grace, and encourage healthy dialogue.

Setting Goals: The counselor’s ability to come alongside group members to create clear, well-defined and realistic goals for both the group and the individuals within the group.

 

Confronting: This is the counselor’s ability to challenge and confront group members on thought patterns, potential misbehavior, etc. Without the ability to confront certain issues or topics, the group is not able to solve problems and grow together in a healthy manner.

 

Empathizing: The counselor’s ability to relate to their clients, understand their struggles, feel their emotions, and make them feel safe. This can build trust and encourage group members to share with one another.

Group Leader Personal Characteristics:

Goodwill, Genuineness, and Caring: This involves a genuine caring in “being there” for clients (presence) and includes a sincere interest in others without pretense. I think this is absolutely crucial for quality leadership and might even be the most important, in my opinion. If a leader genuinely cares for those around them, other qualities tend to fall into place or issues can be resolved. However, if the leader is not genuine, cannot be trusted, etc., everything falls apart very quickly.

Being aware of subtle culture issues: An increasing awareness of one’s own bias, prejudice, and negative attitudes towards others, along with a desire to learn about cultures with respect. I think this is also crucial in quality leadership. The more time we spend with diverse people groups, the more we learn and grow in our multicultural competence.

Inventiveness and Creativity: The ability to create new experiences and be open to new opportunities or ideas. I think this is very important for a group leader since they are constantly interacting with a wide array of individuals. They must be creative enough to come up with new methods and be kind with new opinions.

Willingness to Model: This is the ability and willingness to model proper behavior. I think this is also crucial to quality group leadership because so often our actions speak louder than words. When our actions align with our words, they become even more powerful.

Non-defensiveness in Coping with Criticism: Knowing one’s values, strengths, weaknesses, and limitations and dealing frankly with challenges. This is an important one because group leaders are bound to face criticism. They must be able to move forward with humility and an openness for growth, while still maintaining their own values and beliefs.

References

 

Henderson, D.A. & Thompson, C.L. (2015). Counseling children. (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.