February 2017Volume 3 - Issue 1

Here are some tips and techniques:

Teaching Tips and Strategies:Utilizing Child-Centered Play Therapy

by Kelli Dube, School Psychologist at Crotched Mountain School

Role playing with puppets. Drawing or painting a picture. Playing with toy cars or a sand table. Students who are unable or find it difficult to verbally express themselves or share their experiences can benefit by using toys rather than words in play therapy. If a student is recovering from a traumatic experience or is having trouble regulating their emotions, non-directive play therapy can provide a way for a child to express themselves. Regarded as a highly effective tool, play therapy can help students overcome anxiety, process their emotions, relax in a safe environment and assist them in the healing process.

Using Play Therapy to Stimulate ExpressionTypically used with children aged 3 through 11, child-centered play therapy can be utilized to assess and process trauma and provide a way for children to express their experiences and feelings through a natural, self-guided, self-healing process. For example, children who have experienced trauma have a hard time identifying, understanding, expressing and managing their feelings. This can contribute to difficulty with turn-taking, sharing and peer relationships. Non-directive play therapy enables them to be in charge and in control of deciding on what activities to do and helps them understand themselves and others better. By being responsive to a child’s cues and maintaining unconditional acceptance while setting necessary limits, you can safely allow and guide play by listening, asking simple questions, encouraging play and helping to manage behaviors.

David Etlinger, Director of Admissionsadmissions@crotchedmountain.org / 603.547.3311, ext. 18941 Verney Drive, Greenfield, NH 03047 / cmf.org/school

Rev. 2/2017

For more Teaching Tips and Strategies, visit www.cmf.org/tips

Crotched Mountain School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability.

Kelli Dube has been one of the school psychologists at Crotched Mountain since June 2015 and has been working in the field for 13 years with students ages 5-21. She received a Certified Advanced Graduate Degree (CAGS) in school psychology and a master’s degree in education with a concentration in counseling from Rivier University in Nashua; a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southern New Hampshire University; and an associate’s degree in human services from New Hampshire Technical Institute.

Create a Safe, Confidential and Caring Environment For students who may be reluctant to discuss their thoughts and feelings, creating a safe play environment of predictability, trust and comfort is critical. Being patient with a student as he or she explores imaginary play over time enables them to recreate, process and cope with the situation on their own terms. If a student doesn’t want to play, that’s ok. Give it time. Observing your student’s interpersonal skills and their ability to solve or resolve conflicts or problems and enjoy their playtime is critical during play therapy.

Play Therapy ToolsDepending on the child, different toys or types of play can be used. For example, if a child has experienced being in a car crash, they may use toy cars to simulate the accident, and be able to express their fear, anger or sadness as a result. Other beneficial toys and activities include: puppets, dolls, masks, “fidget” toys such as squishy balls or sensory toys, such as ones that light up or play music. Sometimes students will gravitate towards arts and crafts, drawing and painting, dance and movement, storytelling or even a sand table. Students with autism can also benefit by play therapy as they learn about emotions. I have one autistic student who is learning how to self-regulate and to help him I use a PECS (picture exchange communication system) to help him understand how he feels. If he laughs, I show him the picture of a happy, smiling face. If he’s mad, I show him the photo of an angry face so he begins to understand his own and others’ emotions. With my higher functioning students, I teach zones of regulation using something that represents a thermometer. Blue represents sad, tired, sick or bored; green represents happy, focused, content; yellow means stressed, anxious, frustrated; and red means angry, explosive or scared. I customize my students’ thermometers to connect with their interests. For example, one of my students loves Mario Brothers so his “thermometer” has a Mario theme. Each color has a velcro block and the student can move the color to represent how they are feeling.

Benefits of Play TherapyPlay therapy can help a student re-enact how they’re feeling and provides them the time to process and make sense of a troubling situation. It can also provide an outlet for students to work out their anger or other emotions in a safe and comfortable setting. This can help with emotional regulation and over-coming social issues such as shyness, anger, anxiety and other behaviors.

Long term benefits of play therapy for students include: improved emotional and behavioral regulation, stronger ability to communicate, proper developmental functioning, better appetite and sleep habits, greater confidence and self-esteem, and more self-control.

If your student is showing anxiety, fear, sleeplessness, hyper-vigilance, personality changes or age-regressive behavior and has experienced recent trauma, consider play therapy. Children who receive early intervention for trauma and emotional dysregulation through play therapy demonstrate great resilience in recovery and learn to successfully express their thoughts and feelings in nonverbal ways.