PLAY THERAPY

Question 1

a psychotherapeutic approach primarily used to help children ages 3 to 12 explore their lives and freely express repressed thoughts and emotions through play.

Answer 1

Play therapy

Question 2

normally takes place in a safe, comfortable playroom, where very few rules or limits are imposed on the child, encouraging free expression and allowing the therapist to observe the child’s choices, decisions, and play style

Answer 2

Therapeutic play

Question 3

Goal of therapeutic play

Answer 3

*help children learn to express themselves in healthier ways
*become more
respectful and empathetic,
*discover new and more positive ways to solve problems.

Question 4

is “the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and
development

Answer 4

Play therapy according to APT

Question 5

as “a way of being with the child that honors their unique developmental level and looks for ways of helping in the “language” of the child – play.”

Answer 5

Play therapy according to APT

Question 6

play therapy lets children sort through complicated feelings and “use play to communicate at
their own level and at their own pace, without feeling interrogated or threatened.”

Answer 6

BAPT

Question 7

This is a key aspect of play therapy since traditional therapy can often feel intimidating for children (and adults as well), which does not necessarily lead to a conducive environment for self-expression.

Answer 7

BAPT

Question 8

underscores an important aspect of play therapy, which is the idea that the client can feel in control of how much they reveal about themselves.

Answer 8

BAPT

Question 9

play therapy has been refined and targeted to a variety of different
disorders

Answer 9

ASD - ADHD

Question 10

has also been used in normal functioning children and
adults to great effect.

Answer 10

Play therapy

Question 11

a type of therapy where therapists allow clients (who are often but not always children) to play during sessions, rather than simply sitting with clients and asking them questions about their problems

Answer 11

Play therapy

Question 12

Therapeutic play helps children with social or emotional deficits learn to

Answer 12

*communicate better,
*change their behavior
*develop problem-solving skills
*relate to others in positive ways

Question 13

It is appropriate for children undergoing or witnessing stressful events in their lives, such as

Answer 13

*serious illness or hospitalization, *domestic violence, abuse, trauma, *family crisis,
*upsetting change in their environment

Question 14

Play therapy can help children with

Answer 14

*academic and social problems,
*learning disabilities,
*behavioral disorders, anxiety, depression, grief,
or anger
*attention deficit disorders
*Autism spectrum.

Question 15

plays an important role in play
therapy for children.

Answer 15

Parent or caregiver

Question 16

allows the therapist to decide the
best treatment approach for the child

Answer 16

Assessment

Question 17

the child is encouraged to play with
very specific types of toys that encourage
self-expression and facilitate the learning of positive
behaviors

Answer 17

Playroom

Question 18

may also be incorporated into play therapy

Answer 18

Arts and crafts, music, dancing, storytelling

Question 19

Play therapy usually occurs in weekly sessions for
an average

Answer 19

20 sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes
each.

Question 20

responds to the unique
developmental needs of young
children, who often express
themselves better through play
activities than through verbal
communication.

Answer 20

Play therapy

Question 21

uses play and other
creative activities to communicate
with the child and observe how the
child uses these activities to express
thoughts and feelings that are not
expressed in words

Answer 21

Therapist

Question 22

Two approaches to play therapy

Answer 22

1. Nondirective play therapy
2. Directive play therapy

Question 23

is based on the principle that children can
resolve their own issues given the right conditions
and the freedom to play with limited instruction and
supervision

Answer 23

Nondirective play therapy

Question 24

uses more input from the therapist to help
speed up results. Play therapists use both
approaches, depending on the circumstances.

Answer 24

Directive play

Question 25

are well-trained in
child development, attachment, and
the use of play as a way to
communicate with children.

Answer 25

Play therapist

Question 26

The play therapist should also be
trained in a recognized therapeutic
approach, such as

Answer 26

child-centered,
cognitive-behavioral, Adlerian, or
Gestalt therapy

Question 27

Different types of play therapy

Answer 27

nondirective play therapy
* puppets/dollhouse/other toys for the purpose of
pretend play
* interpret play for emotional content
* directive play therapy
* interpret drawings for emotional content
* drawing/painting for the purpose of emotional
expression
* Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)

Question 28

Toy and Object Play Techniques

Answer 28

Ball play
Toy telephone play
Plush doll play
Medical play
Block play

Question 29

A therapist might present dozens of toys to the client, then ask them to pick out toys that represent family
members. This can help the therapist see what the client thinks and feels about their family members
(Schaeffer & Cangelosi, 2016).

Answer 29

Concrete Play Metaphors

Question 30

A therapist might give a client a turtle puppet, and explain that when the turtle is upset about
something it stops, goes into its shell, closes its eyes, and takes three deep breaths. The client can
then play out this process with the turtle puppet, and this can help the client learn anger-management
techniques (Schneider & Robin, 1974

Answer 30

Turtle Technique

Question 31

The client might be presented with an “emotion thermometer” showing a range of emotions from 0 (with
a smiling face) to 10 (with a frowning face) and asked to list events that make them feel like they are on
different points on the
thermometer. This might sound like, “What types of things make you feel like a smiling face? What about
a frowning face? What about a medium face?” o It has been shown that children who are taught to
monitor and regulate their emotions using this technique are likely to engage in fewer aggressive and
disruptive behaviors and display improved behavior in the classroom (Wyman et al., 2010)

Answer 31

Emotion thermometer

Question 32

Developed by child psychiatrist Richard Gardner (1971), this technique involves the telling of stories by
both the client and the therapist. In this, the client (usually a child aged 8-14) is invited to tell a made-up
story using fictional characters.

Answer 32

Mutual story telling

Question 33

At the end of the story, the child is asked to explain the lesson or moral of the story, and then the
therapist re-tells the story using the same characters but offering more adaptive solutions to the
conflicts faced by the characters.

Answer 33

Mutual story telling

Question 34

To illustrate, imagine a child patient was to tell a story about two children fighting over a toy. If the
child’s resolution to the story involved one child using force to take the toy, the therapist’s adaptive
version of the story may depict the two children reaching an agreement to take turns and share the toy.

Answer 34

Mutual story telling

Question 35

The therapist and client might role-play a situation the client is anxious about,
such as the first day of school, so that the child can work out what they feel
anxious about and possibly realize they do not need to be anxious at all
* (Schaeffer & Cangelosi, 2016).

Answer 35

Roleplay

Question 36

The therapist and client might pretend that the client is being crowned the new
king or queen of a land. The therapist can then ask what the new king or queen
wants to do with their power, to figure out what the client likes and dislikes
(Marcus, 1966).

Answer 36

Costume play

Question 37

The therapist might ask the client to make two collages (masks) out of
magazines. One mask (the “outside mask”) is how they think the world sees
them, and one mask (the “inside mask”) is how they see themselves. This can
reveal a lot about how the client thinks of themselves and the world (Schaeffer &
Cangelosi, 2016).

Answer 37

Mask play

Question 38

The therapist might ask the client to draw a superhero with superpowers that the
client would like to have. The therapist can then help the client figure out how
their personal strengths can be as useful as these superpowers (Rubin &
Livesay, 2006).

Answer 38

Superhero play

Question 39

are frequently used tools in play therapy, which can be employed in a
variety of ways (see Drewes & Schaefer, 2018).

Answer 39

Puppets

Question 40

When facilitating this form of play, the therapist will
present the client and the client’s family with dozens of puppets, then ask the
client and the client’s family to each choose a puppet to represent them.

Answer 40

Family puppet interview

Question 41

The client and the client’s family then tell a story using the puppets, and the
therapist interviews each family member about the story then discusses the story
with the whole group. This can reveal certain family dynamics that the client is
unable or unwilling to directly discuss with the therapist (Irwin & Malloy, 1975).

Answer 41

Puppet play

Question 42

Communicating through puppets has also been shown to help clients
struggling with – (Rosenberg & Lindblad, 1978).

Answer 42

elective mutism

Question 43

seems like a natural fit for children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD), especially those with communication issues.

Answer 43

Play therapy

Question 44

is one specific type of therapy that is often
used for ASD, and it has been found to be very effective (Lindsay et
al., 2017)

Answer 44

Lego therapy

Question 45

LEGO® therapy involves three people: with each person playing a specific role which encourages
communication.

Answer 45

a supplier, a builder, and an
engineer

Question 46

The specific benefits of LEGO® therapy include
improved:

Answer 46

“social interactions, social initiations, adaptive socialization, play,
communication skills, social competence, social confidence,
ASD-specific behaviours, belonging, family relationships, coping, making
new friends, independence, and inter-personal skills”.