Services for Children
Playtherapy - Play is the child's natural language

For most of us play is synonymous with childhood - all children play.
By expressing themselves through play children gain enormous emotional, intellectual and physical satisfaction.

Play serves many functions, including learning how to use the body and senses; how to make friends and deal with power, competition and cooperation in relationships; finding out about the properties of the physical environment; practicing new skills; being creative; preparing for gender and other roles in adult life and working through inner feelings.

Healthy development depends upon play. When the child is well, healthy and full of vitality, they use play to further their development. An inability to play always signals a restriction of normal development.

Play shows the child's ability to transform inner feelings, thoughts and physical prowess into symbols. Being able to resolve issues on a symbolic level is an essential higher level skill in dealing with the outside or real world. Rather than acting out feelings and fantasies the child plays through them. Instead of throwing a tantrum the child expresses feelings of helpless rage through play. In real life the child learns to gain control over such feelings. Once expressed these feelings often simply dissipate. Adults also solve problems and come to terms with difficult life circumstances through self-expression.

Through thinking and talking they resolve conflicts, come to terms with difficult emotions and change their outlook or behavior. For the child this adjustment process takes place through play.

How is this healing principle used in therapy?

Clinical practice for the last century has shown that when children are given a safe, accepting and insightful environment with socially correct limits, they will use play to express their feeling life in symbols. This activity always leads to healthier adaptation: both to the inner feeling world and to the external world of people and expectations.

This type of play will usually differ from the type of play they use in the playground, with siblings or parents at home. Play therapy as a treatment for the emotional and behavioral problems of childhood was first described by Anna Freud in 1927 in her book, The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Children (Imago, London). In 1947 Virginia Axline wrote her classic Play Therapy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin) setting out guidelines for the play therapist and offering an alternative to the psychoanalytic model. Subsequently numerous books and research papers have been published by play therapists including Bettelheim, Gillham, Ginott, Haworth, Klein, Landreth, Moustakas and Rogers.

When does a child need Play Therapy?

Children benefit from play therapy when they have emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems. There are a range of possible causes for distress in childhood, including: inherent personality traits, stress in family relationships, unsuitable parenting, divorce, seperation from parents, changes in the environment, moving house or school, problems with social relationships with peers, learning problems, arrival of a sibling, sibling rivalry, entering a new develop mental phase, surgery, physical injury, chronic ill health, shock and traumatic birth.

Signs that a child is in distress varies according to age:
Babies usually indicate distress with excessive crying, poor sleeping and eating habits.

From the second year of life the child is more likely to act out distress with social behavior. This can range from uncooperative, resisting and defiant type behavior to withdrawal, clinging, whining, dependency and regression to more infantile behavior.

The most typical response that young children have to overwhelming emotions that they cannot deal with is to develop a behavior problem. Suddenly the parents find that nothing seems to satisfy the child's needs and that they get no cooperation from the child.

The older child can talk about feelings of distress, but instead often expresses problems through physical complaints, like headaches and tummy aches, emotional withdrawal, feeling socially isolated and disliked, academic under-achievement and lowered energy levels and motivation. Normal development in other areas is stunted while the child is in this condition and it should be corrected as soon as possible.

Conditions that can be treated with Play Therapy

Failure to thrive, fears, anxiety, depression, soiling, bedwetting, habits (nail-biting), grief, physical or emotional trauma, learning problems, delayed development, poor response to discipline, excessive anger/ rage, not bonding with parents, poor socializing.

Conditions that can be treated with Play Therapy:

• Failure to thrive
• Learning problems
• Fears, anxiety
• Slow development
• Depression
• Poor response to discipline
• Soiling, bedwetting
• Excessive anger/rage
• Habits, like nail-biting
• Not bonding with parents
• Grief
• Poor socialising
• Physical or emotional trauma

Benefits of Play Therapy

Parents observe many positive changes in the child's behavior and mood once the child resolves stressful feelings like fear, anxiety, grief, anger or jealousy.

The child becomes more

• independent
• sociable
• affectionate/loving
• tolerant of change
• communicative
• self-regulating regarding behavior and feelings
• cooperative - accepts limits and discipline
• emotionally stable- happy, fewerupsets
• healthy - fewer illnesses/ injuries
• creative and productive in play

The child also performs better at school or pre-school, is symptom-free and therefore more confident, and can express emotions more appropriately.

What happens in the session?

Firstly the child understands why he or she is coming for therapy and that the purpose is improved physical and social/emotional health. Within this context the child is offered a range of age-appropriate toys and creative mediums. The child selects its' own activities. The therapist is always present and interprets the meaning of the child's play.

How do children respond to Play Therapy?

Children usually value their visits and can respond quickly with an improvement in their condition. When a child cannot cope with the situation a different approach is immediately used.

For what age is it suitable?

Play therapy can be used from 18 months to approximately 10 or 11 years. Parents accompany children up till three years of age. Thereafter they attend on their own. For babies and children up to 18 months relationship therapy with the mother is used.

How long does it take?

Between 5 and 25 sessions can be needed. Each session lasts 45 minutes. Sessions can be attended weekly or every fortnight

When is therapy complete?

Termination of therapy is a joint decision between parents, therapist and child. Initially the child's symptoms clear up. After this the child works on the cause of the problem. Therapy is complete when the cause is cleared. Premature termination is not advisable.

Is therapy confidential?

Reports and consultations with schools or other specialists are done at parents' request. Parents are requested not to ask children to report on the content of sessions, as this can inhibit the child in future sessions. Instead parents are kept informed of progress by the therapist. The child's need for confidentiality is also respected.

What assesments are done?

A full clinical evaluation is done at first. This entails a family interview to discuss the presenting problem, relevant history, early childhood development, medical history, family functioning and history, previous assessments and treatments, expectations of treatment and assessment of the child's mental state. Referrals are made if other assessments are required.

The Therapist

Anca Ramsden is a registered clinical psychologist. She has twenty years experience both in a hospital setting and in private practice in working with children with emotional, behavioral and learning problems. Her particular interests are the use of play and sensory training as aids in therapy.

Call Anca now on +61 2 94183692 or on +61 414 414 286 for your personal appointment.