Play Therapy and Sexually Abused Children

Paper Summary:

This study critically examines the subject of play therapy. Results of this analysis determine the strengths and weaknesses of play therapy and the outcome of its use for treatment of sexually abused children. These findings assist in the understanding of uses of play therapy and possible future directions that play therapy may be applied. A critical analysis of the play therapy technique, with the history of play therapy, current uses of play therapy, and treatment outcomes of play therapy, are examined.


Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Statement of Purpose
Definition of Terms
Limitations of the Study
Outline of the Central Chapter
Introduction
History of Play Therapy
Counseling Children With Play
Play Therapy Defined
Uses of Play Therapy
Psychiatric Disorders
Neurological/Medical
Outcomes of Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children
Recommendation of Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children
Working Bibliography

From the Paper:

"Counseling children brings with it challenges that are unique and techniques are needed that are applicable to the needs of children (Erdman & Lampe, 1996, p. 374). Children are different from adults cognitively, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. They may lack abstract reasoning, may be egocentric, and establishment of rapport may take longer. Limited verbal skills may demand that the self be expressed through techniques of play therapy (Erdman & Lampe, p. 376). The use of play therapy has been documented as early as 1919, when H. von Hug-Hellmeth used play to analyze a child by translating her observations of a child at play into symbols designed to detect hostile and sexual wishes toward the child's parents (Guerney, 1984, p. 291). Play therapy has been used with many types of disorders, including psychiatric, and medical. An example of a psychiatric disorder treated with play therapy is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Miller, 1999). Nondirective play therapy has also been described as a preferred treatment for dissociative children (Cohen, 1999). Borrego, Urquiza, Rasmussen, and Zebell (1999) point out the importance of play therapy techniques for the promotion of a positive relationship between parents and children. There are many reported uses of play therapy in a medical setting, Billig and Weaver (1996) report the case of doll therapy used to help a child cope with limb loss. Pressdee, May, Eastman, and Grier (1997) report positive effects of play therapy to help young children become prepared for MR imaging. Zimmermann and Santen (1997) further report the effective use of a doll or teddy bear to reach children regarding their health needs."

More papers on Play Therapy and Sexually Abused Children:

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