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Play Therapy Options
For a 7 year old child whose parents are divorcing, a school counselor has many option of group and play therapy to help the child to process through and make meaning from the divorce. Sand tray therapy, art therapy, and bibliotherapy are three different types of play therapy that the child could benefit from. Many children going through parents divorcing will have behaviors as a result of the complexities of the situation.
In a study completed by Poltkin (2011), results indicate that children who participated in sandtray play therapy after the divorce of their parents, showed significantly less behavior problems when compared to children who did not participate. To prepare for sand tray therapy, the counselor would provide a tray with dry sand and one with wet sand. Toys for them to use can include miniature people, building toys, animals, structures, natural objects and symbolic objects. The child can be invited to play while the counselor observes. The counselor may see the child experience chaos, struggle and resolution while playing. If the child completes a creation, the counselor encourage him/her to tell a story about it (Vernon, 2012).
In an article by Loges (2000), the author completed a study with children of divorce in the public school setting and the use of art to express feelings. The results of the study concluded that art therapy benefitted the children both educationally and therapeutically. To prepare for art therapy, the counselor should provide options of mediums and a variety of different projects to complete. The counselor should encourage the child to choose his/her project and medium and let the child know that the end result is not of importance and what matters the most is the process. The artwork may initially focus on the pain, and later on it should show growth. The counselor should decide if they will be nondirective, partially directive, or directive, depending on the needs of the child. For the child that needs direction, many counselors will encourage the child to draw a house, tree and person. After the drawing is completed, the counselor can discuss with them, what they see, and if there is a story behind the drawing (Vernon, 2012). When working with a child going through divorce, when the child draws a picture of their family, the counselor will be able to see through the drawing what the child is experiencing at that time with his family, without him/her having to verbalize it.
When the counselor uses bibliotherapy with a child of divorce, the counselor would use a story in which the child can relate to one of the characters. The goals of bibliotherapy are to help teach positive thinking, expression of problems, analyze behaviors and attitudes, find alternative to problems, and provide the perspective that the child is not alone with his situation. When starting with bibliotherapy, the child should be given a few choices of books. It may be a book about divorce, families, or feelings. After the child chooses the book, the counselor should prepare the child and give a brief overview of the story (Sridhar & Vaughn, 2000). The counselor can read the story to the child or have the child read it. After this, the counselor should talk with the child about the characters and issues in the book. When the child is ready, the focus can then shift to the child's situation and how this can also be related to the story. Different endings and alternative solutions to the problem may also be discussed. After this is completed, some counselors may use writing or art to further explore and express thoughts and feelings (Sridhar &Vaugh, 2000).
These are a few of the several play therapy techniques that can provide helpful in working with student going through the divorce of parents.