Faculty Forum

TL;DR: Play therapy involves the therapist and child separating to allow the child to grow independently.

Abstract: develop a mutual trust about interrelatedness. Although these findings were not the result o fa controlled experimental situation, careful observation led to the following projections. Therapy engenders closeness. The student needs to be made aware that one does not always have ready defenses to provide personal protection from the hurt and pain of a close relationship. Supervisors should emphasize the naturalness of these feelings and try to make their students feel more comfortable in experiencing termrnation anxiety as a potentially healthy part of the play therapy process Student therapists must realize that separation is necessary to give the child freedom to grow independently. A time should come in the therapeutic process when the child does not need the therapist. Typically in the early to m ~ d d l e stages of therapy the child relies heavily on the therapist for emotional support. Eventually the child must assume a more independent role and should not maintain the same close relat ionship with the therapist. Thus the therapist, as well as the child. must be willing to accept separation as a positive, integral part of the play therapy relat lonshi~. References Allen F H Psychotherapy wtth ch~ldren New York iuorton 1942 Axl~ne V M Play therapy (Rev ed ) New York Rallant~ne Book. 1969 Colm H A f~eld theory approach to transference dnd ts partlcul,: dppl~cat~on to ch~ldren In M R Haworth (Ed ) Child psychr: ogy New York Bas~c Books 1964 Fox E F Nelson M A & Bolrnan W M Thetermir~atioli p ro~es,~ A neglected d~mens~on 1i-i soc ~3 work Social WorA 1969 53-63 Ginott H G Group j~sychotiirrd~, uttbi I htlr:rt,i %ow i 1 1 McGraw Hill 1961 Haworth M R (Ed) Chtidnsycncl~-terapv New YorC sic 8ocr~ 1964 Husband D & Scheunernann n 13 Ttie bse ot yroub procebt 1 ' teach~ng term~nat~on Chtld Weitare 1972 51 505-5'3 Moustakas C E Psychotherapv with chtldren New fork Harvflb and Row 1959 Siavson S R & Sch~fter M i ~ t o u p sychotherapie~ 1 , t i f l l r New York lnternat~onal Univers~t~es Press 1971 Swanson f I Psychotherapi5t, i n d ~ ' i l ( J 7 r ~ ~ NPW \r* P I ~ ~ T I i 1970