PLAY & CHILD THERAPY BLOG sponsored by childtherapytoys.com
Play Therapy
No sand tray? No problem!
One of our readers has submitted this great idea for creating a sand tray alternative. Thanks, Lisa! Submit your own ideas or play therapy articles to receive gift certificates at ChildTherapyToys.
One thing therapists can do, even with the help of their child clients, is make colored rice for a rice bin instead of a sand tray by using white rice, vinegar, and food coloring. The kid can help "make" the colored rice in session (make sure ziploc bag is sealed well). Combine all colors in a bin, and use as alternative to sand. Easier to sweep or vacuum up than sand is! Kids love it!
-1 tsp vinegar
-1 cup raw white rice
-5 (or more) drops of desired food coloring
Place in baggie, shake so that color spreads, allow to dry for 48 hours or bake in the oven for 45 mins at 200 degrees.
Hope other therapists can use this! I LOVE it, as do my clients!
November Play Therapy Wrap-Up
Another interesting month in the world of Play Therapy. Get all the November news here. Here's some highlights:
-This article provides many useful Q&A resources for counselors and other child-therapy practitioners. The sites deal with grief, social/emotional issues, and general counseling. Very bookmark-worthy!
-When a therapist becomes involved in a divorce case, he or she must be very mindful of the process and of the decision-making rights of the parents when it comes to case notes. Here's a brief but important article on how to avoid mishandling the situation.
-Linda Lowenstein is always adding great articles to her website. The two most recent great reads include an article on stress management and one on the effects of addiction on families.
-Congratulations to Dr. Robert D. Nolan of Florida for being named the 2011 David Lawrence Jr. Champion for Children. Here's an impressive article about his contributions to the field of play therapy.
-Sandplay Voices is an excellent resource for articles, power point presentations, training opportunities and more. It's also a great resource for finding other great resources, such as the Center for Practical Play Therapy Techniques website run by Dr. David A. Crenshaw, which is full of valuable play therapy information.
-For those of us who didn't attend the 21st International Congress for Sandplay Therapy this August. The event was held in Switzerland (the homeland of Sandplay pioneers Dora Kalff and C.G. Jung) and appears to have been a very enriching experience. Here's a write-up in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy.
-A horse is a horse of course of course but they also have a capacity to heal. I've been seeing more and more articles about animal therapy in the past year.
-Bop bags and board games will always be great tools to use in play therapy, but there are also ways to utilize newer technology in the therapeutic process. Here's a very cool video about using digital technology in play therapy with children.
-Here's a great three-part article on Filial Therapy by Rise Van Fleet. Find lots of other articles and information at the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy website.
-Having just wrapped up another great conference in Sacramento, the APT is already gearing up for the 2012 conference in Cleveland. Aside from the big show, there are lots of other play therapy events upcoming in 2012. But not all play therapy learning has to involve travel and expense. For example, you could attend a virtual conference just by watching this series of videos on youtube. Another great way to expand your therapy repertoire from home is through the Colorado School for Family Therapy's distance learning classes. Aside from Play Therapy courses, they offer certification programs in Marriage and Family Therapy, Sandplay Therapy, Art Therapy, and more.
Check out our resources page for our full list of upcoming events.
Happy Holidays!
-This article provides many useful Q&A resources for counselors and other child-therapy practitioners. The sites deal with grief, social/emotional issues, and general counseling. Very bookmark-worthy!
-When a therapist becomes involved in a divorce case, he or she must be very mindful of the process and of the decision-making rights of the parents when it comes to case notes. Here's a brief but important article on how to avoid mishandling the situation.
-Linda Lowenstein is always adding great articles to her website. The two most recent great reads include an article on stress management and one on the effects of addiction on families.
-Congratulations to Dr. Robert D. Nolan of Florida for being named the 2011 David Lawrence Jr. Champion for Children. Here's an impressive article about his contributions to the field of play therapy.
-Sandplay Voices is an excellent resource for articles, power point presentations, training opportunities and more. It's also a great resource for finding other great resources, such as the Center for Practical Play Therapy Techniques website run by Dr. David A. Crenshaw, which is full of valuable play therapy information.
-For those of us who didn't attend the 21st International Congress for Sandplay Therapy this August. The event was held in Switzerland (the homeland of Sandplay pioneers Dora Kalff and C.G. Jung) and appears to have been a very enriching experience. Here's a write-up in the Journal of Sandplay Therapy.
-A horse is a horse of course of course but they also have a capacity to heal. I've been seeing more and more articles about animal therapy in the past year.
-Bop bags and board games will always be great tools to use in play therapy, but there are also ways to utilize newer technology in the therapeutic process. Here's a very cool video about using digital technology in play therapy with children.
-Here's a great three-part article on Filial Therapy by Rise Van Fleet. Find lots of other articles and information at the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy website.
-Having just wrapped up another great conference in Sacramento, the APT is already gearing up for the 2012 conference in Cleveland. Aside from the big show, there are lots of other play therapy events upcoming in 2012. But not all play therapy learning has to involve travel and expense. For example, you could attend a virtual conference just by watching this series of videos on youtube. Another great way to expand your therapy repertoire from home is through the Colorado School for Family Therapy's distance learning classes. Aside from Play Therapy courses, they offer certification programs in Marriage and Family Therapy, Sandplay Therapy, Art Therapy, and more.
Check out our resources page for our full list of upcoming events.
Happy Holidays!
Eleven Warning Signs of Mental Illness in Children & Adolescents
The “Action Signs” Project is a new tool kit to help identify children with mental health disorders. Approximately fifty percent of serious mental health conditions manifest themselves by the age of fourteen and as many as one in ten youngsters has a serious mental health condition that impairs their functioning in either home or school or in the community. Family practice doctors and pediatricians are in an ideal position to identify these children, and the eleven signs identified in The “Action Signs” Project can be extremely useful.
The “Action Signs” Project tool kit that was recently released by the REACH institute and was funded by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The authors of the tool kit spent the last ten years sifting through studies and interviewed more than 6,000 families and children in an effort to identify the most efficient and simplest method for identifying the most serious mental health disorders.
The researchers identified eleven signs that require immediate action. They include severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships, intense worries or fears that get in the way of daily activities, sadness that lasts more than two weeks, or sudden and overwhelming fear brought on for no apparent reason.
Dr. Peter Jensen, a Mayo professor of psychiatry, was the principal investigator on this study. He noted that there is frequently a disconnect that occurs between what a child says and how a parent interprets that message. For example, four to five percent of parents respond “yes” when asked if their child has “ever talked about wanting to kill himself or made a plan to do so?” But then, when a follow up question is asked, “Has he seen anyone for that,' they'll say ‘no’ two out of three times," Jensen said in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio. Jensen said part of the problem is that parents don't always recognize when the threats or behaviors their children display aren't normal.
The 11 action steps listed in The “Action Signs” Project are designed to make these situations very clear. For example a child who has severe Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is described in these 17 words: "extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that puts you in physical danger or causes school failure".
It should be noted that that the eleven action signs won't be able to identify every child with a mental health problem. The developers of the tool kit suggest the tool kit will identify at least half of the children who are currently undiagnosed.
These are the eleven signs:
- Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks.
- Seriously trying to harm or kill yourself, or making plans to do so.
- Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart or fast breathing.
- Involvement in many fights, using a weapon, or wanting to badly hurt others.
- Severe out-of-control behavior that can hurt yourself or others.
- Not eating, throwing up, or using laxatives to make yourself lose weight.
- Intense worries or fears that get in the way of your daily activities.
- Extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still that puts you in physical danger or causes school failure.
- Repeated use of drugs or alcohol.
- Severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.
The full report can be found at : www.thereachinstitute.org/files/documents/action-signs-toolkit-final.pdf
October Play Therapy Wrap-Up
Here's some highlights from all of the articles and resources I've gathered this month for MyPlayTherapyPage.com.
-Perhaps the biggest news is the recently-released results of a ten year study of the overall impact of play therapy, about which I posted a blog earlier this month. You can read a short summary here, but the full report is a must-read for any play therapist.
-"A weed will grow anywhere," Hankin said, "but if you're an orchid, you're probably more reactive and responsive to your environment. If you have a really negative, punishing environment, you're probably not going to grow up to be a beautiful orchid." This is a very interesting article on nature vs nurture.
-The Calgary Herald had two eye-opening articles about the treatment of mental health issues in Canadian schools. The first reveals that only one in four children receive proper treatment, and the second looks at the complicated-but-significant relationship between family income and children's mental health.
-Helping children deal with the grief of losing a loved one can be very difficult from a therapeutic standpoint. This is a moving article about one school counselor's experience at a camp for children dealing with grief.
-Logical fallacies are easy to fall for and important to avoid as a psychologist. Here are 22 types of logical fallacies in psychology, a very handy reference that might take you back to your college days. It also might be helpful to you as the election season heats up.
-The effects of bullying on children has been in the news for a while now, and this CNN study takes an interesting look at the reasons children bully their peers, suggesting that it's not so simple as the big preying on the small, but has much more to do with vying for social status. I also came across this straightforward and useful article about how to recognize and manage aggression in children.
-This is a touching story about a disrupted adoption, abandonment issues, and the ways a child copes. Find more adoption articles here.
-There hasn't been much sand play therapy news lately, but here's a review of Grace Hong's book Sandplay Therapy Research and Practice, and another for Working With Children to Heal Interpersonal Trauma: The Power of Play edited by Eliana Gil. Read more book reviews here.
For all of this month's Play Therapy news click here. And don't forget to check out upcoming play therapy workshops and conferences.
Hope everyone has a great November!
-Perhaps the biggest news is the recently-released results of a ten year study of the overall impact of play therapy, about which I posted a blog earlier this month. You can read a short summary here, but the full report is a must-read for any play therapist.
-"A weed will grow anywhere," Hankin said, "but if you're an orchid, you're probably more reactive and responsive to your environment. If you have a really negative, punishing environment, you're probably not going to grow up to be a beautiful orchid." This is a very interesting article on nature vs nurture.
-The Calgary Herald had two eye-opening articles about the treatment of mental health issues in Canadian schools. The first reveals that only one in four children receive proper treatment, and the second looks at the complicated-but-significant relationship between family income and children's mental health.
-Helping children deal with the grief of losing a loved one can be very difficult from a therapeutic standpoint. This is a moving article about one school counselor's experience at a camp for children dealing with grief.
-Logical fallacies are easy to fall for and important to avoid as a psychologist. Here are 22 types of logical fallacies in psychology, a very handy reference that might take you back to your college days. It also might be helpful to you as the election season heats up.
-The effects of bullying on children has been in the news for a while now, and this CNN study takes an interesting look at the reasons children bully their peers, suggesting that it's not so simple as the big preying on the small, but has much more to do with vying for social status. I also came across this straightforward and useful article about how to recognize and manage aggression in children.
-This is a touching story about a disrupted adoption, abandonment issues, and the ways a child copes. Find more adoption articles here.
-There hasn't been much sand play therapy news lately, but here's a review of Grace Hong's book Sandplay Therapy Research and Practice, and another for Working With Children to Heal Interpersonal Trauma: The Power of Play edited by Eliana Gil. Read more book reviews here.
For all of this month's Play Therapy news click here. And don't forget to check out upcoming play therapy workshops and conferences.
Hope everyone has a great November!
Fishing for Feelings Card Game
Here's another great therapy idea from one of our readers. Thank you to Robin Whisnant for submitting. Submit your own ideas or play therapy articles to receive gift certificates at ChildTherapyToys.
Fishing for Feelings Card Game
Materials needed:
-Children's fishing pole (available at department store) or pole with string attached
-magnet (available from a craft store)
-Feelings Cards (available from ChildTherapyToys.com)
Assembly:
-Attach magnet to the end of the fishing line, and paper clips to the Feelings Cards.
The object of the game is to pick up as many feelings as you can with the fishing pole. The client removes each feeling caught and talks about a time they had that feeling. Therapists can play and model for the client. This is an especially fun game for groups. Group members can form teams and work together. This game promotes sharing, healthy competition, team work, appropriate expression of affect, and development of a feelings vocabulary. Fishing for Feelings is suitable for kids and teens, in individual sessions or in group. Fishing is a great family activity, and there are many children who have never been fishing before. This idea can be shared with parents who might be inspired to take their child fishing!
Fishing for Feelings Card Game
Materials needed:
-Children's fishing pole (available at department store) or pole with string attached
-magnet (available from a craft store)
-Feelings Cards (available from ChildTherapyToys.com)
Assembly:
-Attach magnet to the end of the fishing line, and paper clips to the Feelings Cards.
The object of the game is to pick up as many feelings as you can with the fishing pole. The client removes each feeling caught and talks about a time they had that feeling. Therapists can play and model for the client. This is an especially fun game for groups. Group members can form teams and work together. This game promotes sharing, healthy competition, team work, appropriate expression of affect, and development of a feelings vocabulary. Fishing for Feelings is suitable for kids and teens, in individual sessions or in group. Fishing is a great family activity, and there are many children who have never been fishing before. This idea can be shared with parents who might be inspired to take their child fishing!
Feelings Jenga
We received another great therapy intervention that I wanted to share with our readers. Submit your own for a chance to get free stuff at ChildTherapyToys.com. Learn more here.
A great use of an inexpensive store-game is as follows:
Use a Jenga or generic Jenga set (Big Lots sells one for $6.99). On each of the blocks, write the name of an emotion with a Sharpee pen. As each player pulls out a block, they must tell the other players in three sentences about a situation that caused that emotion, what thoughts surrounded the emotions, and what they did in response to that emotion. Example: a child pulls the block labeled "fear" and tells the other players "Two years ago my daddy went to jail. I was afraid that he would never come back home. I did not talk to anyone for a week." It is a good ice breaker for new clients and as a tool to get both children and adolescents to open up.
Thanks to Lauren Fera for submitting. Children who enjoy this game might also enjoy Totika, where players answer questions to promote personal growth, self-esteem and life skills while trying to keep the stack from falling over. The game comes with five decks of question cards allowing you to expand the game to cover a wide variety of domains and issues.
A great use of an inexpensive store-game is as follows:
Use a Jenga or generic Jenga set (Big Lots sells one for $6.99). On each of the blocks, write the name of an emotion with a Sharpee pen. As each player pulls out a block, they must tell the other players in three sentences about a situation that caused that emotion, what thoughts surrounded the emotions, and what they did in response to that emotion. Example: a child pulls the block labeled "fear" and tells the other players "Two years ago my daddy went to jail. I was afraid that he would never come back home. I did not talk to anyone for a week." It is a good ice breaker for new clients and as a tool to get both children and adolescents to open up.
Thanks to Lauren Fera for submitting. Children who enjoy this game might also enjoy Totika, where players answer questions to promote personal growth, self-esteem and life skills while trying to keep the stack from falling over. The game comes with five decks of question cards allowing you to expand the game to cover a wide variety of domains and issues.
Quantifying the Success of Play Therapy Intervention
Play Therapy UK recently released the results of a ten-year research program aimed at an estimate of the effectiveness of play therapy intervention. The report is called 'An Effective Way of Alleviating Children's Emotional, Behaviour and Mental Health Problems - the Latest Research' and it's comprehensive approach and important results make it well-worth mentioning in a blog post. With useful charts and uncomplicated language, the report sheds light on the impact play therapy intervention is having on the lives of individuals receiving the therapy, as well as society as a whole. As you will read, the results are encouraging, showing a 74-83% positive change in children referred for the therapy. It also considers such factors as age, gender, length of treatment, type of treatment (group, sand tray, puppets, etc.), and nationality. It even does a cost-benefit
analysis of play therapy, analyzing the money put into play therapy
programs and the return received by society. This is a must-read for any practitioner. What do you think of the results? Share your opinions in the comments section.
My Conflict and Solution Book
A couple months ago we announced an opportunity for readers to submit their own play therapy ideas, interventions, or articles to the blog. Those chosen will be posted to the blog and the author will receive a $25 gift certificate to ChildTherapyToys.com. They will also be eligible for a $100 gift certificate for the public agency or program of their choice. (Read more here.)
Without further ado, here is a very useful activity submitted by Mayra Arreola, a Bilingual School Psychologist:
My Conflict and Solution Book
Activity Goal: Assist children to develop the skills necessary to identify a conflict, think of solutions, and select the best solution to the conflict.
As an introduction to each counseling/therapy session, the child is asked to share a conflict they encountered and brainstorm about solutions. Once the best solution is selected, the child is asked to fold a sheet of paper in half. On one half they draw the conflict and on the other half the solution to the conflict. They write a sentence about the problem and a sentence about the solution under each drawing. Once there are 10-20 drawings/sheets, a book cover can be made with construction paper, and a book can be created by stapling or using yarn to bond the drawings together inside the cover. The child learns the skills and acquires a sense of accomplishment by creating their own book.
Thanks, Mayra.
All entries are only accepted by email. Send to gary@childtherapytoys.com.
Without further ado, here is a very useful activity submitted by Mayra Arreola, a Bilingual School Psychologist:
My Conflict and Solution Book
Activity Goal: Assist children to develop the skills necessary to identify a conflict, think of solutions, and select the best solution to the conflict.
As an introduction to each counseling/therapy session, the child is asked to share a conflict they encountered and brainstorm about solutions. Once the best solution is selected, the child is asked to fold a sheet of paper in half. On one half they draw the conflict and on the other half the solution to the conflict. They write a sentence about the problem and a sentence about the solution under each drawing. Once there are 10-20 drawings/sheets, a book cover can be made with construction paper, and a book can be created by stapling or using yarn to bond the drawings together inside the cover. The child learns the skills and acquires a sense of accomplishment by creating their own book.
Thanks, Mayra.
All entries are only accepted by email. Send to gary@childtherapytoys.com.
September Play Therapy Wrap-Up
Hello everyone. I found more great news articles and resources this month that I wanted to share. Here is a smattering of highlights. For all of September's Play Therapy news, go to our news section at MyPlayTherapyPage.com.
-This newsletter from the New England APT includes a great short article by Laurel Hemmer, a recap of a presentation by Linda Lowenstein, and more. Speaking of Linda Lowenstein, as usual she has posted more great articles to her site this month. The first takes a thorough look at Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and the second deals with child abuse.
-This article, posted a day after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, takes a look at our nation's collective post-traumatic reactions to the tragedy, and suggests ways to continue the healing process. This September has seen it's share of traumatic events, as well. Namely with the devastating wildfires spreading across the South Central regions of Texas. Though the devastation has abated, this article provides some excellent advice on how to talk to your children in such intense and terrifying events.
-This article provides 20 of the best resources and search engines for high school counselors.
-Play therapy with autistic children takes many different approaches.This video provides an interesting look at a play therapy session in which the practitioner takes a less restrictive approach in order to encourage a longer attention span. I also came across this very moving essay excerpted from Tom Fields-Meyer's book "Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love From His Extraordinary Son". Great title.
-When it comes to parenting, setting some ground rules is important. But it's also important to acknowledge that every child is unique and your parenting style must be tailored to their specific personality. A recent study suggests that doing so can have profound effects on symptoms of depression and anxiety in children.
-This article is a bit dated, but clearly there has not been a decrease in exposure to movie violence.
-Results from a study performed in 2008 have shown that the neural development of children of low socioeconomic status can be different than that of their more privileged peers. In fact, their brain functioning tends to resemble that of stroke victims. This is one of the most interesting articles I've read in weeks.
-Yoga has been on the rise for years and it looks like it's finally making it's way into the world of play therapy in New Jersey.
-This article is a useful resource for diagnosing and treating mood disorders in children and adolescents.
-Congratulations to the Child Advocacy and Play Therapy Institute at the University of Mississippi for being named an Approved Center of Play Therapy Education by the APT!
-This article isn't new, but it's definitely worth a read. Two Harvard staffers discuss play-based vs. skills-based curricula and suggest that play-based learning teaches empathy, as well as an openness to learning, both of which are crucial to academic and social-emotional success.
-Looking for a practical reason to make a trip to Italy? Perhaps you should attend the Play Therapy Institute in Tuscany next March. I must admit the description is tempting:
"An international play therapy study institute set in a picturesque 14th century villa on a mountainside in Tuscany. Learn about play therapy from American and Italian mental health professionals. Visit ancient Italian cities on day trips including Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Siena, and Lucca. Meet other graduate students and mental health professionals from throughout the United States and Italy."
Visit our articles and resources site for our full list of upcoming play therapy events.
Have a brisk and beautiful October!
-This newsletter from the New England APT includes a great short article by Laurel Hemmer, a recap of a presentation by Linda Lowenstein, and more. Speaking of Linda Lowenstein, as usual she has posted more great articles to her site this month. The first takes a thorough look at Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and the second deals with child abuse.
-This article, posted a day after the 10th anniversary of 9/11, takes a look at our nation's collective post-traumatic reactions to the tragedy, and suggests ways to continue the healing process. This September has seen it's share of traumatic events, as well. Namely with the devastating wildfires spreading across the South Central regions of Texas. Though the devastation has abated, this article provides some excellent advice on how to talk to your children in such intense and terrifying events.
-This article provides 20 of the best resources and search engines for high school counselors.
-Play therapy with autistic children takes many different approaches.This video provides an interesting look at a play therapy session in which the practitioner takes a less restrictive approach in order to encourage a longer attention span. I also came across this very moving essay excerpted from Tom Fields-Meyer's book "Following Ezra: What One Father Learned About Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love From His Extraordinary Son". Great title.
-When it comes to parenting, setting some ground rules is important. But it's also important to acknowledge that every child is unique and your parenting style must be tailored to their specific personality. A recent study suggests that doing so can have profound effects on symptoms of depression and anxiety in children.
-This article is a bit dated, but clearly there has not been a decrease in exposure to movie violence.
-Results from a study performed in 2008 have shown that the neural development of children of low socioeconomic status can be different than that of their more privileged peers. In fact, their brain functioning tends to resemble that of stroke victims. This is one of the most interesting articles I've read in weeks.
-Yoga has been on the rise for years and it looks like it's finally making it's way into the world of play therapy in New Jersey.
-This article is a useful resource for diagnosing and treating mood disorders in children and adolescents.
-Congratulations to the Child Advocacy and Play Therapy Institute at the University of Mississippi for being named an Approved Center of Play Therapy Education by the APT!
-This article isn't new, but it's definitely worth a read. Two Harvard staffers discuss play-based vs. skills-based curricula and suggest that play-based learning teaches empathy, as well as an openness to learning, both of which are crucial to academic and social-emotional success.
-Looking for a practical reason to make a trip to Italy? Perhaps you should attend the Play Therapy Institute in Tuscany next March. I must admit the description is tempting:
"An international play therapy study institute set in a picturesque 14th century villa on a mountainside in Tuscany. Learn about play therapy from American and Italian mental health professionals. Visit ancient Italian cities on day trips including Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Siena, and Lucca. Meet other graduate students and mental health professionals from throughout the United States and Italy."
Visit our articles and resources site for our full list of upcoming play therapy events.
Have a brisk and beautiful October!
August Play Therapy Wrap-Up
-The month started out on a sad note with news of the passing away of Hanna Segal, British psychoanalyst and pioneer of play therapy. The New York Times published a this profile of her life and accomplishments in the field.
-One of the toughest things about parenting is trying to enforce a certain amount of discipline without restricting the autonomy of your child. This is an interesting article on the dangers of being the "cool parent."
It is indeed hard to strike a balance, but this article posted to Linda Lowenstein's website provides some simple and effective suggestions.
-Here is an interesting, in-depth article about the writer's discovery of and initial experiences with sand tray therapy. And here's another article on the healing power of sand. And, lastly, a video testimonial by a mother whose daughter was able to express her feelings through sand tray therapy.
-It's always interesting and inspiring to hear about a new way Play Therapy is being used to help those in need. At the University of Tennessee a researcher is using Play Therapy to address speech and language difficulties in children with cleft palates.
-This article emphasizes how important it is for us to keep educating our clients about the benefits of medication and helping the monitor it.
-The practice of using pets and animals in therapeutic interventions is becoming more and more common. For those who are curious, this audio blog with a discussion between Rise Van Fleet PhD, Keri Davis, and Frank Ferrante is worth a listen. If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Van Fleet and her organization visit playfulpooch.org. She's also holding a 4-day conference next June. And, sure, playing with pets can help people, but can the animals get anything out of it? Psychology Today blogger Lee Charles Kelley looks at the human-canine bond as more of a reciprocity in this article about dogs with PTSD.
-With childhood obesity on the rise, many parents are faced with the difficult task of approaching the subject with their children without hurting feelings or risking development of an eating disorder. This is an issue that therapists are going to be dealing with more and more.
-This is a very helpful resource for parents of children with ADHD. I highly recommend signing up for the ADDitude newsletter.
-Here's a well-written summary of Adlerian Play Therapy and how this technique can be used to improve communication among families with ADHD children.
-The debate over the influence of violent video games has been going on for years, but a recent study suggests it's not so much the content of the games that causes aggression, but the competitiveness they arouse between the players.
-An article in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics suggests using the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks as an opportunity to increase the national dialogue on how child clinicians treat children for grief and loss.
For a full list of August Play Therapy news, click here.
Anyone attend any great conferences or workshops lately? There are plenty coming up this fall including the 2011 APT Conference in Sacramento. Check out our resources page for a thorough list of upcoming events.
Best wishes for a happy September!
-One of the toughest things about parenting is trying to enforce a certain amount of discipline without restricting the autonomy of your child. This is an interesting article on the dangers of being the "cool parent."
It is indeed hard to strike a balance, but this article posted to Linda Lowenstein's website provides some simple and effective suggestions.
-Here is an interesting, in-depth article about the writer's discovery of and initial experiences with sand tray therapy. And here's another article on the healing power of sand. And, lastly, a video testimonial by a mother whose daughter was able to express her feelings through sand tray therapy.
-It's always interesting and inspiring to hear about a new way Play Therapy is being used to help those in need. At the University of Tennessee a researcher is using Play Therapy to address speech and language difficulties in children with cleft palates.
-This article emphasizes how important it is for us to keep educating our clients about the benefits of medication and helping the monitor it.
-The practice of using pets and animals in therapeutic interventions is becoming more and more common. For those who are curious, this audio blog with a discussion between Rise Van Fleet PhD, Keri Davis, and Frank Ferrante is worth a listen. If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Van Fleet and her organization visit playfulpooch.org. She's also holding a 4-day conference next June. And, sure, playing with pets can help people, but can the animals get anything out of it? Psychology Today blogger Lee Charles Kelley looks at the human-canine bond as more of a reciprocity in this article about dogs with PTSD.
-With childhood obesity on the rise, many parents are faced with the difficult task of approaching the subject with their children without hurting feelings or risking development of an eating disorder. This is an issue that therapists are going to be dealing with more and more.
-This is a very helpful resource for parents of children with ADHD. I highly recommend signing up for the ADDitude newsletter.
-Here's a well-written summary of Adlerian Play Therapy and how this technique can be used to improve communication among families with ADHD children.
-The debate over the influence of violent video games has been going on for years, but a recent study suggests it's not so much the content of the games that causes aggression, but the competitiveness they arouse between the players.
-An article in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics suggests using the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks as an opportunity to increase the national dialogue on how child clinicians treat children for grief and loss.
For a full list of August Play Therapy news, click here.
Anyone attend any great conferences or workshops lately? There are plenty coming up this fall including the 2011 APT Conference in Sacramento. Check out our resources page for a thorough list of upcoming events.
Best wishes for a happy September!
