Play Therapy in Childhood Grief

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Overcoming Obstacles: The Use of Play Therapy in Childhood Grief Abstract Children experience grief in many different forms. Whether it is a death, mental illness, trauma, or disease. Giving children an opportunity to receive counseling that is suited for them provides them with the best care possible. Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate form of counseling intervention. Examples of play therapy include sandplay, art therapy, and game play. Using these forms of play as well as looking at directive verses non-directive play therapy; counselors can develop a counseling plan that best suits the child’s needs. In today’s culture, play therapy must also take into consideration the cultural differences of the children that are dealing with grief and loss. Keywords: play therapy, grief, non-directive play, multicultural Table of Contents Effectiveness of Play Therapy 4 Types of Play Therapy Sand Therapy 5 Art Therapy 6 Game Play 7 Use of play therapy in grief and bereavement 8 School Violence 9 HIV/AIDS 10 Non-Directive Play Therapy 11 Autism 11 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 13 Use of play therapy in a multicultural setting 14 Conclusion 15 References 16 Effectiveness of Play Therapy Children are given limitations on what they can do because of their developmental level. Young children aren’t allowed to drive a car, get married, or serve as a jury member in a court trial. They don’t participate in these activities because it is developmentally inappropriate to expect young children to have that sort of responsibility. The same goes with their need for counseling. Expecting a child to sit and talk about how they feel is developmentally inappropriate. In an article from Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, authors Bratton, Ray, Rhine, and Jones (2005) state “Most children below the age of 11 lack a fully

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