Description:

Children and adolescents do not necessarily reach out for treatment. Many children are told that they are going for therapy because the child needs to manage his/her anger or behavior problems that disturb adults or peers in their lives. Therefore, there are many children who come to treatment completely defended and resistant to the help provided. Play therapy can help push through this resistance and helps a child allow the fun of play again. Through play therapy, the play therapist can enhance their verbalization of feelings in a non-threatening environment. Therapists will also learn how to balance their playfulness and limit setting to create a safe place for the children to heal. This is a necessary workshop for therapists who work with school and/or inpatient populations as well.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how to reduce resistance of children through play therapy interventions.
• Describe and create possible play therapy sessions with resistant children.
• Compare Gestalt Play Therapy, Release Play Therapy and Non-Directive Play Therapy as they relate to resistance
• Create techniques through play therapy with adolescents to allow for dissipation of resistance
• Explain the basic premise for resistance in most adolescents play therapy
• List three play therapy techniques to engage resistant children