Topic: Play Therapy and Beyond: Treatment Techniques and Strategies with Children and Pre-Adolescents

Place: Radisson Martinique on Broadway, Manhattan, NY

Date: February 23, 2007

Time: 8:00am – 3:30pm

Presented by: Paul R. White, LCSW

By Gabriel Rueda – M.A. Counseling PCCF

Play therapy is a therapy technique currently used with children ranging from ages 3 to their pre-adolescent years. Playing is an effective language that children so often use to express their feelings and experiences through a natural, self healing process. Because playing is one of the most predominant ways they use to communicate, it becomes an important means to help them know and accept themselves; and if we as mental helpers learn and speak their own play language, playing therapy can become very successful.

The power of play can be very useful in therapy to optimize communication and help them achieve optimal mental health. Observing, for example, children play with toys or playing a game, is helpful in determining the cause of their disturbed behaviors.

I believe Paul White, LCSW, did a beautiful and unique seminar that moved the audience and made all participants pause and think about how to treat the youngster population. Among the so many different strategies of treatment that caught my attention were:

• The magic of #3 - stop, think, and choose; help them become aware of how they use their mouths, hands and feet by learning the “trace-a-face” & “train-my-brain techniques”.
• Problem solving and play-doh
• Refrigerator stickers as reminders
• Picture frames as a praise tool for their accomplishments
• Good face & good voice
• How to socialize or make friends using the magic of # 3:  play nice, don’t hurt, and play what they (those who you want as your friends) want. 
• Identifying and understanding feelings
• The great use of stamps (e.g. “Top Secret” stamp in child’s file/folder)
• How to connect with children. 
• The thinking, Feelings and Actions connection.

Difficult populations (such as ADHS, Depression, Bipolar, Oppositional, Reactive Attachment, Obsessive Compulsive, Sexually Abused and Foster Children) and the positive effect of play therapy upon these populations was also a topic that touched and gave great relief and hope to the mental helpers audience during the seminar.

Having a heart to help children and pre-adolescents is great! but adding more knowledge and skills definitely improves harmony and progress in the counseling arena.