Play Therapy

Play is the child’s natural «language» or means of expression, and toys are their «words». By playing or pretending (make-believe) children express their inner world. Not only do they play to have fun but also to manifest their troubling experiences. Therapists specializing in this type of therapy act as a catalyst to facilitate the expression of the child’s ambivalent or problematic feelings so he or she can work through them. We would say the play therapist enters the child’s play metaphor, which expresses the child’s world and her or his reality.

The therapist relates to the child using unconditional positive regard and a deep sense of empathy.  In this accepting framework, characterized by symbolization and representation that emotional, cognitive, and behavioral, children’s difficulties become less problematic and manageable. Thus, the development of new coping skills can take place.

Throughout the treatment process, children modify their cognitive representations of their reality and their relationships, which fosters behavioral change by generating a sense of autonomy.

Sandplay Therapy

This method, created by Swiss psychologist Dora Kalff in the 1960s, is of great diagnostic and therapeutic value. It allows the client to symbolically “pour” his or her experiences, feelings, and suffering into the sand tray.  Her methods were inspired by Swiss psychiatrist, founder of analytical psychology, C. G. Jung and by English pediatrician and psychoanalyst Margaret Löwenfeld.

The sand tray provides a safe and non-judgemental structure that is open to creating and to projecting internal experiencing.

By moving the sand and placing the small figurines within it, the hands can say what the words have trouble communicating.  This allows the person to get in contact with his or her senses crating a mind-body connection and a flow between conscious and unconscious material. Therefore, personal resources arise, facilitating self-actualization and healing.

The client can utilize two sand trays, one for dry sand and one for wet sand. Creations in the sand can even emerge without using small figurines. Sandplay therapy is appropriate for people of all ages. If someone chooses not to express himself or herself through sandplay, the session can take place verbally.

Parenting: Filial Therapy

This parenting program, developed in the 1960s by Bernard and Louise Guerney, focuses on the parent-child relationship. The duration of the program depends on how it is structured, whether it is offered for a group of parents or just for an individual family.

The therapist trains parents to become agents of change for their child. To begin, they participate in educational sessions to learn the basis for the “special play times” that they will have later on with their own child. Then, they participate in play therapy sessions as observers. Gradually, they are invited to become increasingly active in the play sessions. Once they have acquired basic skills, they start their “special play times” with their child at home, while continuing to participate in discussions and supervision sessions with the therapist at the therapy office.

This program is an important complement to play therapy, offering the child  congruence between the therapeutic framework and the home environment. By applying play therapy principles, the parents can increase the durability of treatment results.

As in play therapy, the child learns to understand and accept his or her own feelings as well as to express them in an appropriate manner. Becoming increasingly self-confident, the child feels more at ease to resolve conflicts or to ask for help when necessary. Likewise, the parents become more self-assured in their parenting roles and deepen their bond with their child.

In this positive parenting program, parents learn ways to nourish their relationship with their child, to obtain their cooperation, and to better listen to and to communicate with him or her. Limit-setting and disciplinary actions follow the same principles.

This program has been proven effective with parents who have typical difficulties in the filial relationship, and also with parents of children subject to anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, chronic illness, and those who display aggressive behaviors, as well. It is equally helpful for adoptive parents and for those with children suffering from attachment disorders or trauma.