Play Therapy
Play Therapy
Since ancient times, play has been the most important work of children. Children learn to empathize, share, express their feelings and set boundaries through play. Adults do not have difficulty expressing their feelings, but this is not the case for children. Children cannot express their anger, the stress they experience, grief, happiness and love; they reflect these feelings through play. For this reason, play therapy is an analytical intervention method that draws on the healing power of play to approach children and resolve their problems.
What Is the Aim of Play Therapy?
It aims to resolve the problems a child is experiencing using the play therapy method. In this process, the therapist explores the child’s inner world through play therapy and helps the child bring out and face their problems. In this way, the child moves toward healing their problems through play therapy.
When Is It Needed?
When Can You Get Play Therapy Support?
Your child may experience the social, emotional, psychological and cognitive problems listed below. If you cannot overcome them even though you take the necessary approaches as a family, you can get play therapy support for children aged 2–12.
If Your Child Has Self-Related Problems
If Your Child Has Behavioral Problems
If Your Child Has Relationship Problems
If Your Child Has Speech Problems
If Your Child Has Sleep Problems
If Your Child Has Eating Problems
If Your Child Has Self-Related Problems
In children who are easily offended when they face a negative situation with family and friends and who constantly seek emotional attention by telling their family “I’m upset with you”, “Excessive Sensitivity” behaviors are observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who are shy when joining social groups of friends, who stay in the background and observe in new settings, who behave shyly when talking with elders in the family or in social settings, who wet themselves at school because they are too shy to ask the teacher for permission, and who do not have many friends because they find it hard to make friends, “Lack of Self-Confidence” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who do not want to wear their clothes because they do not like them, and in children who constantly find flaws in themselves, “Self-Dislike” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
If Your Child Has Behavioral Problems
In children who constantly need their mother, who do not leave her side even while she is preparing meals, who always play next to her at home, who do not leave her side in social settings, and who have problems with attachment to the mother, “Clinging to the Mother” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who are constantly on the move, who can never stay still and show impulsive behaviors, and who are frequently warned by their family (stop, don’t jump, don’t do that) and complained about for being constantly active and unable to stay still at school and at home, “Hyperactivity” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who have not been able to let go of their blanket since infancy, who cannot sleep without their teddy bear or toy, and who cannot part with objects they believe protect them, “Dependence on an Object or Item” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who hurt others even unintentionally while playing with friends, who are constantly angry at home or suddenly break things, who damage household items intentionally or unintentionally, and who harm themselves, “Inability to Control Behavior” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who bite the sleeves of their clothes in moments of stress or idleness, who bite their collar so much that it tears, and who chew on armchairs and chairs, “Chewing and Eating Objects” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who suck their thumb in their sleep, who suck their thumb while watching films or crying, and whose thumb begins to change shape from constant sucking, “Thumb Sucking” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who never follow rules and push boundaries, who must constantly be punished because they do not listen to their family, and who have difficulty following the rules at home, when visiting and at school, “Lack of Boundaries and Rules” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who hit their parents or siblings, who immediately shout and attack in moments of stress, and who react angrily to and bully their friends, “Aggression” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who do not carry out age-appropriate tasks and responsibilities, who do not tidy up their toys and do not fulfil family responsibilities, “Irresponsibility” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who never want to leave the television, tablet or phone, who always want to play technology games, who cannot put the tablet down and become angry with their family when asked to give it back, “Technology Addiction” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who suddenly bite their nails in moments of stress, who bite their nails when exam results are announced or while watching films, and who bite their nails when excited or scared, “Nail Biting” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children aged 3 and over who still wet themselves, who always wake up wet in the morning, who frequently wet themselves even when you check, and who usually wet themselves in social settings (school, garden, park), “Toilet Problems” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who usually lose their breath when crying, and who cry in every situation they see as a problem and constantly hold their breath, “Crying Spells” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who usually argue with their sibling, get angry in every interaction and use slang words toward them, who say they do not love their sibling and constantly do not want them, and who always use jealous expressions to their family such as “which of us do you love more”, “Sibling Jealousy” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
In children who cannot sleep alone because of their fears, who constantly call their parents to their side at bedtime, and who have difficulty going to the toilet or elsewhere in the dark, “Fears” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
If Your Child Has Relationship Problems
In children who do not listen to the rules at home or to their parents, who never listen to their family and behave in ways that constantly push them to punish, who hit or shout at their parents, and who shout and cry at the decisions their parents make, “Reaction to Parents” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
If Your Child Has Speech Problems
In children who stutter when speaking, who speak by constantly repeating words, who cannot pronounce words appropriately for their age, and who speak in a babyish way, “Speech Problems” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
If Your Child Has Sleep Problems
In children who have difficulty falling asleep, who constantly grind their teeth because of stress or sleep problems, who often wake up at night from nightmares, and who cannot sleep healthily, “Sleep Problems” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
If Your Child Has Eating Problems
In children who keep food in their mouths for hours, who do not eat at all or are extremely picky, who constantly say they are hungry and overeat, who feel nauseous at meals, who make themselves vomit because they struggle at meals, and who eat by force under family pressure, “Eating Problems” is observed, and play therapy is needed.
Can’t children play at home?
Why Play Therapy?
You may wonder: “My child plays at home every day, we have bought lots of toys — can’t I solve the problem with them? Do we really have to go to play therapy?” Your homes are usually full of toys that children enjoy and have fun with. There may also be educational toys according to the developmental areas we want to support.
The toys chosen in play therapy have a therapeutic meaning. The play therapy room is set up with special toys through which the child can reflect their feelings, and it is different from a child’s room. In this room, the therapist shapes the sessions according to the problem the child reflects and begins to explore the child and to uncover and resolve the problems. For this reason, play therapy should be carried out with a specialist trained in this field.
The Hisar Hospital Web and Medical Editorial Board contributed to the development of this content. All content on this website is provided for general informational purposes only. Please consult a physician for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of your condition.
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