Post-traumatic play in children: What clinicians should know
The live online sessions will focus on a unique type of play that potentially can signal that traumatic material is still central and/or unresolved to the child or the family. We will look at the characteristics of post-traumatic play, three typical phases of this play, and discuss how witnessing the play in a safe play therapy setting is therapeutic in and of itself and allows for trauma processing on a deep level. The unique feature of this play is that it is client-directed and a form of gradual exposure that the child initiates at his or her pace. Clinicians will learn the benefits of post-trauma play and recognize the signs that the play is helping the child experience a renewed sense of control and mastery, critical in trauma informed play therapy work. Finally, we will offer some specific ideas for making interventions when the play appears to be stuck and potentially retraumatizing to the child. This workshop focuses on Play Therapy Special Topics as well as Play Therapy Skills and Methods.
Objectives: Participants will be able to
- Define the term “post-traumatic play”
- List three characteristics of post-traumatic play
- Name two substantial benefits of children utilizing post-traumatic play in play therapy
- List two ways to document positive progress when children use post-trauma play in play therapy
- Name three ways to help children interrupt stuck patterns in their play therapy process
- Describe two ways parents can be of assistance to the child’s post-trauma play and trauma processing
