Play Therapy Handout NACADA

Tuesday March 21, 2017

P Oower f Play NACADA 2017
Region 10 Conference

“It is in playing and only in playing that the individual child or adult is
able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in be-
ing creative the individual discovers the self ” (Winnicott, 1971, p. 54).

Table of Contents: Samantha Booker, Ph.D., NCC, LPC.; Allison Ewing-Cooper, Ph.D.; Meredith V. Parker, M.S., M.A.

What is Play Therapy? What is Play Therapy?

How Does Play Work? Research suggests that “play therapy is effective
mental health approach regardless of age, gender,
Types of Play Therapy or nature of the problem” (Association for Play
Therapy, 2017).
Multicultural While play is used in counseling, it can be utilized
Components in other fields such as advising, education, and
business.
Why play with Emerging Most people use conversation as the means by
Adults? which they express themselves and their needs.
However, play provides an additional layer when
Building Block Activity conversation is not enough to help students meet
their needs.
•Play provides relief, support, understanding, and
aids in coping with challenges
•Play helps to articulate needs and experiences

Dough Activity How Does Play Work?
House Drawing Research shows improvements in areas Helps with mind/body integration:
Contact Us such as academic performance, social Play therapy utilizes the whole brain. The left
skills, healthier attachments to others side is more analytical and the right side is
and self-concept more creative.
Helps in reducing Because of this, play
problems related to: can work with any
•Disruptive behav- student.
iors Play is a pleasant di-
•Aggression version thus effecting
•ADD/ADHD the body by:
•Emotional disor- •Taking fuller breaths
ders •Digestive process
•Anxiety relaxes
•Relationship stress •Eases cardiac tension
•Grief and loss
•Trauma •Muscle tension is eased
•Developmental issues •Reduces fatigue

POWER OF PLAY Types of Play Therapy

For adults, play continues as an important vehicle because it fosters numerous adaptive behaviors
including creativity, role rehearsal and mind/body integration.

Creativity: Role Rehearsal:
•Play How many of us have
•Humor thought about or had conver-
•Dramatizing sations aloud with ourselves
•Moving in anticipation of talking
•Imagining with someone else?
•Listening •Trying on clothes and look-
•Expressing ing in the mirror
•Dress up at Halloween

Multicultural Components

Objects related to play have been found in
archeological digs around the world.
The only thing that has changed over time is
how we perceive and use play.
The current problem is that play is being lost
because of the need to score well on standard-
ized tests; our inner drive to color outside the
lines must be kept in check.

Why Play With Emerging Adults

For adults, play increases:
•Self esteem
•Increased capacity for empathy and
intimacy
•Affirming
•Stress reliever
•Invites genuine, rather than narrow,
cognitive responses
Adults become so wrapped up in play
that filters are dropped and apprehen-
sion is decreased.

Lego Duck PLAY ACTIVITIES

Instructions: Take the Lego blocks out of your activity box. Construct a duck
using the blocks provided and your imagination to the best of your ability.

There are many possible outcomes. Not one duck is the same. Talk to the student advisee
about their rational for building their duck in that manner.

Dough Activity

Conference Instructions: Find a partner you don’t know.
Take the Play-Doh out of your box. Talk to you partner
about the following: Why are you in the advising profes-
sion?
How did you end up at NACADA?
Discussion: How many of you played with the play-doh
while talking to each other? Was it helpful?
Alternative Instructions: Leave Play-Doh out on your
desk to give students the option of playing with it if the
student feels like it will benefit the advising session.
Students may or may not use the Play-Doh but having
it out lets the students know they can use it at any time
during the session.
Some people need to focus their energy while engag-
ing in conversation and by allowing the Play-doh to be
visible may help students talk through some challenging
conversations.

House Drawing

Instructions: Use the crayons provided to draw a house to the best of your ability.
House interpretations are loosely based on research and on the symbolic meaning of the
aspects of the house. They should hopefully be nurturing places with normal levels of de-
tail and normal size. Too little and the client may reject family life; too big and they may
be overwhelmed by it.

Lines and walls represent boundaries and The roof symbolizes the fantasy life, and extra
attention to it can indicate extra attention to
strengths of the ego, thus weak lines in the fantasy and ideation, while incomplete, tiny, or
burning roofs can indicate avoidance of
structure of the house are weaknesses in the overpowering and frightening fantasies (think
about fears of ghosts in the attic - these are
ego, while strong lines are problems with anxiety based on the association for us).
and a need to reinforce boundaries.

CONTACT US Windows, doors, and sidewalks are all ways that People with psychosis tend to show

others enter or see into the house, so they relate to openness, groundlines (their need for grounding), clear
willingness to interact with others, and ideas about the visions of the insides of the house (they
environment. Thus, shades, shutters, bars, curtains, and long and
winding sidewalks indicate some unwillingness to reveal much believe their thoughts and mind are open to view
about yourself (think about expression like windows to the soul
by others), strange angles (like their strange
or the door to the mind). Cars could be signs of visitors coming
or people in the home leaving. Lights could be signs to thought processes), or a house on the verge of a
welcome visitors or reveal prowlers. Open doors or many collapse (like their ego).

windows could mean strong needs to engage others. Big
windows, especially in the bathroom, could be exhibitionistic
desires.

Contact Us

Thank you for your particpation. We hope you enjoyed the activities
presented.
For more information about play therapy please feel free to contact
Dr. Samantha Booker at [email protected].
For more inofmration about Emerging Adulthood, please feel free to
conatct Dr. Allison Ewing-Cooper at [email protected].
For more infomration about the software used or the design
elements, please feel free to conatct Meredith V. Parker at
[email protected].