Category: Play Therapy
The Good Therapy Blog
November 1st, 2011 |
As a Play Therapist, when you hear the word play, what images come to mind? Do you see an active, energetic scene with puppets dancing and jumping? Or is it more along the lines of quiet engagement between therapist and child processing an art creation, or Sandtray? Might you be seeing in your mind’s eye a lively storytelling narrative, or peacefully sharing a collection of worry stones? Chances are, the first image that comes to mind is a representation of your Play Spirit.
Just like our own personalities influence our day to day interactions with the world, our role as Play Therapists is... Read More
September 23rd, 2011 |
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Dyadic play therapy is a form of play therapy that allows parents who have themselves suffered trauma, the opportunity to address their own symptoms and attend to the strained attachment with their child. But very often, the parents are resistant to this form of treatment. “For adult survivors of childhood trauma, psychotherapy can be both necessary and highly threatening,” said Mirisse F. Foroughe and Robert T. Muller of York University. The researchers authored a paper that explains the obstacles and benefits... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Denver Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
August 25th, 2011 |
I’ve learned to trust myself, to listen to truth, to not be afraid of it and to not try and hide it.
-Sarah McLachlan
There are no physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual benefits to low self-esteem. On the other hand, when you value yourself highly you are most likely positive, consider life to be a playful adventure, are confident in your abilities, maintain a healthy lifestyle, laugh a lot, and are never bored by what life offers.
What are 20 things you love about yourself? How easily you complete this exercise or (complete it at all!) will give you an idea about your current... Read More
July 25th, 2011 |
Teens often tell me their parents don't understand, don't listen or don't care about what they think. Parents wonder why their lectures fall on deaf ears. How do we bridge this communication gap? Parents often want to lecture instead of listen. Teens have heard it before and already know what their parents are going to say. As a result, the only purpose of a lecture is to make parents feel better.
Let's looks at some alternative techniques that... Read More
July 20th, 2011 |
Play is the special ingredient that offers a full and joyful life.
There are many ways to play unique to each person, place, and time. As we grow and develop, we learn and enjoy life more when we play. Parents can learn and grow right along with their children by being fully present and playing.
Parenting is a profound responsibility. Both mothers and fathers can maintain a balance between the challenges and joys of parenting by remembering that play is the essence of true learning. Play... Read More
June 22nd, 2011 |
What are your basic needs? Do any of your basic needs fit into the categories of better health and conquering specific fears? Do health issues or your fears hold you back from living fully and contributing in the way you would like to? What can you do to help yourself?
Discover your own unique ways to bring a playful attitude into all areas of your life and you will find optimal health and removal of the blocks that stop you from making the changes you want to incorporate into... Read More
May 17th, 2011 |
Play is serious business!
-Caitlin 'Cake' Gateaux
I was asked by the US Play Coalition research committee to collect personal statements about ideas and beliefs that are connected to the question, what is play?
How we define play and its value is shaped by many personal, historical, and cultural influences. Darell Hammond, in his recently published book, KaBOOM! How One Man Built a Movement to Save Play, writes about the reality of a play deficit in our communities. He calls on those of us who recognize the value of play (and there aren’t enough of us out there, he says) to take action... Read More
April 21st, 2011 |
If you were handed good health, laughter, and joy would you take it?
As far as I can tell, it is much more difficult to explain play than to experience it. Spring is the perfect time to try out some new ways to play, revisit some of your favorites, and most importantly bring a playful attitude to areas of life that feel less than playful. Play and your health improves without a doubt. With rates of obesity climbing for children and adults, social media depression as a new phenomenon, and more time spent in front of the computer and television than outdoors playing (to name a few changes due to... Read More
April 20th, 2011 |
“The Egyptians highly valued their animals, turning them into gods and goddesses”
-Neil Russack, Animal Guides: in Life, Myth and Dreams
Imagine a perch extending out of the waters of the Abyss. On it rests a grey heron, the herald of all things to come. It opens its beak and breaks the silence of the primeval night with the call of life and destiny, which 'determines what is and what is not to be’ [paraphrase ARAS Collection, http://aras.org]
This post begins with Heron.
-Heron in wetlands
-Heron on the label of a Crane Lake bottle of red wine
-Heron in a Jungian-related... Read More
March 16th, 2011 |
Play is our human birthright and yet we see a devaluing of play in our culture. We are seeing the erosion of the value of play [http://usplaycoalition.clemson.edu] and play outdoors manifesting in nature-deficit disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv. When children and parents could be outdoors playing they are tied to a computer or television screen. Children and adults are experiencing greater incidences of obesity and other physical and emotional disorders due to the lack of physical activity, play outdoors, and connection with nature.
In our neighborhoods, children are not often seen playing... Read More
February 18th, 2011 |
Without playing with fantasy, no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination if incalculable.
-C.G. Jung
Jung wrote about the need for finding and living our myth, our story, as he grew older, he wrote his most important works and found his own unique ways to play. We need new stories that weave playfulness, gratitude, and compassion for self and others. Re-writing your myth or story can help you understand more fully your core values. Your story reflects your uniqueness and the many gifts you have to offer others. If you fully expressed your values,... Read More
February 17th, 2011 |
I love this quote; I have to work so hard to play. For many of us play does not come easily. Try wrapping your arms around the idea that you are not your work. What makes you successful? What do you consider achievements? If your list of successes and achievements are all on the highly difficult side of things then I would like to suggest a slight adjustment. Are you successful when things come easily or when you feel good about what you achieved?
I love what Phil Porter, co-founder of InterPlay has to say:
Get on
Get off
Get on with it Read More
February 17th, 2011 |
How many times have I heard “So, do you have a manual for my kid?” We learn from very early on in parenting that there is no such thing. Sure, there are generalizations about milestones, abilities and limitations, but just as adults are so different from one another, kids can be as well. For first time parents, it is hard to know what's normal for a certain age or what a typical reaction is when going through a stressful experience.
When kids come to therapy, work with parents can be as important as with the child. It's very common to want to know if a child's behavior is normal. Also, if... Read More
February 17th, 2011 |
A GoodTherapy.org News Summary
Affection between grandparents and their grandchildren is one thing. But it can be hard for grown grandchildren and their grandparents to relate to one another. We know how important familial bonds are for a person’s mental health and sense of social support. So how, family researchers wondered, do we find common ground across generations? In a recent study published in Family Relations and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, authors looked at grandparent-grown... Read More
© Copyright 2011 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Mountain View Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
