Play Therapy
Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) is a non-directive psychotherapy approach for children where the relationship between child and therapist is the foundation for therapeutic change.
CCPT is a developmentally sensitive intervention based on a child’s natural way of self-expression: play. Accordingly, the therapeutic materials are carefully selected to facilitate communication.
But the most important resource in the room is the therapist. Just like in other modalities, the child-clinician relationship is the highest predictor of positive treatment outcomes. For the therapist, this involves being attuned and using reflection —not strategies.
The therapist builds an unconditional relationship within a warm, safe and predictable environment. This special connection is healing for the child.
In play therapy, the child uses the whole self —mind and body— to express unconscious thoughts, wishes, fears, anxieties and so forth. This helps them process ‘stuck’ emotions and thoughts. Through such play, the therapist gains an understanding of the child’s needs and experiences without giving directions or asking questions.
CCPT specialists are trained to read the metaphors of the play (themes) and observe emerging patterns. These observations help the clinician to reflect thoughts and feelings back to the child, thus addressing the underlying sources of challenges and allowing the child to gain insight into their own behaviours.
Change then happens from the inside out. As internal growth increases, behavioural symptoms will decrease. This leads to a stronger person, more able to tolerate triggers and changes (i.e. increased resilience and inner strength). The effects are progressively noticed in the child’s daily functioning.
The power of narratives and brain plasticity
By creating stories and “playing out” their issues, children are processing their emotions and experiences, just like adults do when they talk about their problems.
Oral and visual stories (narratives) help people integrate information of both the right and left brain hemispheres and make sense of it. When information is fragmented, or unintegrated, individuals can’t describe what happened, and that becomes an unresolved experience for them.
Play therapy provides an opportunity for children to develop their narratives and make meaning of their experiences. The therapist’s role is to support children through reflection and co-regulation so that they can develop coherent narratives of their lived experiences. This takes practice and repetition.
Through repetition of narratives or play themes initiated by the child —in a warm and safe therapeutic relationship—, new neural pathways are being formed in the brain, leading to integration, emotional regulation and more flexibility.
Further information
There are various types of play therapy, which are grounded on different theoretical models. These approaches sit on a continuum ranging from non-directive to directive.
Child-centred play therapy (CCPT) is a humanistic intervention and the most non-directive of all play therapy modalities. As an evidence-based approach, it has been proved to be one of the most effective for children aged 3 to 11.
To access the latest play therapy research, including meta analyses and reviews, please visit https://evidencebasedchildtherapy.com