When we think of Play Therapy it is most likely that the first elements which come to mind are Story Making, Story Telling and ‘playing through’ dilemmas to achieve resolution.  We might think of a highly active therapy session involving role play, acting and using symbolic toys to tell the story.

This may indicate that the child is verbalising their story and is including the Play Therapist as part of the narrative and action.

But does the child always need to develop a ‘complete’ story and is ‘playing through’ the story physically always needed or possible?

The role of the therapist within the Play Therapy session is as Facilitator and the ‘holder of the safe space’.  The therapist is available and present to support the child with their journey and be an interactive part of the play as and when needed.

For some children, the interaction of the therapist isn’t always required, just the knowledge that they are safe and supported can be enough, allowing the therapist to remain the Facilitator.  Likewise, some stories may not need to be verbalised, internal narrative may be sufficient for the child to work through and explore their stories.

In order for a story to come into being, narrative must be present.  But what if the narrative is all that is required and doesn’t then need to be developed into a story?  For instance, with the attached image, we can see a tableau in which the characters all have specific roles and individual goals.  However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the characters have all formed together to form a story.

• The pirate is watching for something.
• The boy is sailing.
• The monkeys are playing

Here we have specific character narratives, but at this stage the characters do not have involvement with each other and may not ultimately be part of a larger story.

As with all elements of Play Therapy, the child may have created what is needed here with no requirement for the development of a more involved story.  We must remember that this is the child’s creation and expression and so in order to work in a client-led manner, this must be respected.  Also, by leaving this tableau open –ended, the child has the option to return and alter it to suit or build further narrative if the child wishes.

This approach may be particularly useful for children whom are non-verbal.  There is no expectation to verbally tell a story and it provides the child with the scope to be creative, expressive and to convey narrative which may not be easy or physically possible to convey verbally.

If you feel that your child may benefit from Play Therapy or are interested in Arts Therapies then Integrated Treatment Services may be able to help you.  You can contact directly at info@integratedtreatments.co.uk, on 0845 838 2921 or via our confidential contact form. 

Emily Breden

14/12/2013

Written on behalf of Integrated Treatment Services.

Integrated Treatment Services is a private Speech and Language Therapy service based in Leicestershire, East Midlands and across Southern England. It specialises in providing highly-skilled Speech and Language Therapists, but also associates with other therapeutic professionals, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Psychologists and Arts Psychotherapists