Assessing Families For Filial Therapy

British Journal of Play Therapy Vol. 3 (2007) ABSTRACTS pp 4-13 Look, up in the sky! Using superheroes in play therapy Lawrence Rubin & Harry Livesay USA [reprinted with permission of the Association of Play Therapy – first published in International Journal of Play Therapy 15 (1), 2006] Fantasy and fantasy play are key elements in healthy child development and, as such, are potentially important resources for play therapy. The multi-media genre of superhero mythology has long provided children (and adults) with rich fantasies serving a number of important developmental functions, including emotional release, a sense of power, instillation of hope, a resource for problem-solving and identity formation. Whether Captain America, Superman, Spiderman, the Justice League of America, X-Men or Powerpuff Girls these mythological figures have flown from the pages of comics, television and the silver screen into the imaginations and play of generations of children. Considering their ubiquity in popular children’s culture, a paucity of research or clinical literature has addressed the incorporation of superheroes into child counselling and play therapy. The purpose of this article is to first describe the relationship between fantasy, superhero mythology and play therapy and to then provide examples from clinical practice. pp 14-23 Play Therapists’ perspective of change in play therapy: Five poetic portraits Chris Daniel-McKeigue Manchester Metropolitan University and Liverpool Hope University Five poems portray the perspectives of play therapists reflecting on the nature of change within the play therapy dynamic. As part of a study to investigate this phenomenon play therapists, who were engaged as co-researchers, were interviewed and requested to maintain a journal of subsequent observations within their practice. The use of poetry to represent the data emerged during the course of the analysis of the data when the principles of heuristic inquiry (Moustakas 1990) were applied. The process of working creatively with the data is summarised. The issue of whether the poetic depictions of the data have validity beyond the co-researcher whose data they aim to represent is explored. Limitations of the heuristic approach are explored and modifications suggested. Recommendations are made that further dissemination is required to establish how authentic these representations are and how widely they can be applied. In the spirit of qualitative inquiry I, the primary investigator, will refer to myself using the first person. Key words: heuristic, qualitative, poetry, data analysis, change, co-researchers pp 24-31 The Play Therapist as a mirror Dianne Gammage Independent Play Therapist, Devon This paper explores the metaphor of a mirror as proposed by Donald Winnicott in relation to the child’s early development with the primary carer and in its application to the therapeutic process with the play therapist. I will look at the effect upon the evolving child’s sense of self when the primary mirroring process is undistorted and when it is distorted and how the play therapist might create the conditions necessary to allow the child to reconnect to their true self so that they might exist and feel real. Key words: mirror metaphor, continuity of being, reflection, child-centred play therapy pp 32-39 Assessing families for Filial Therapy Nina Rye & Jessica Jager Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Norfolk (Rye) & East Sussex (Jager) The assessment of children and parents prior to filial therapy is an integral part of the process but has received comparatively little attention. An exploratory study by the second author indicated that some therapists were not including a dynamic or play-based assessment. The authors advocate the use of a family play observation. They argue that the information gained enhances the therapist’s understanding of the family dynamics and the therapist’s ability to meet the family’s needs. They describe and discuss the use of a family play observation using case material. Key words: Filial therapy, assessment, family, family dynamics, play observation pp 40-51 Integrative work with children in long-term placements Anne Barnes Notre Dame Centre, Glasgow This article explores the use of a range of therapeutic approaches that may be used with children who have been subject to trauma and loss. The importance of working with families is emphasised when the central means of responding to a child’s condition involves strengthening or building new attachment relationships as a primary resource. Key words: children, therapy, attachment, trauma, Theraplay, Filial Therapy, DDP pp 52-63 Is there a rationale, in terms of current knowledge and research, for the use of Non-Directive Play Therapy with non-verbal autistic children? Fatima Godinho Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools (children with special needs), Aberdeen This article looks for research evidence of the rationale for the use of NDPT (Non-Directive Play Therapy) with children with autism. Current research on autism is reviewed, concluding that the area of research that offers a stronger rationale for the use of NDPT with these children is the area of the early indicators of autism in infancy and early childhood. Joint attention and imitation are the main targets of this research and NDPT, by its very nature, is well suited to address these. Exploratory research in the use of NDPT, although sparse, is encouraging. More research on NDPT and autism is urgently needed. Key words: Autism, non-directive play therapy