Containing Play Theme In Play Therapy

In this episode, I start into the category of safety play by focusing on the first theme: containing play. I explore the five themes under safety play, emphasizing their focus on ensuring safety for a child or an identified character, often the child's archetype figure in their play. Containing play involves keeping things inside or outside, represented through creating fences, pens, jails, or boundaries in the play. I explain how this theme can indicate a child's tendency to lock up their emotions, reflect their home environment's secretive nature, or seek power and control. This theme often runs alongside other themes and reflects a child's understanding of safety. Understanding these themes through the lens of safety aids in recognizing a child's perception of safety.

 

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References:

Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley.

VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press.

Landreth, G. L. (2002). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (2nd ed.). Brunner-Routledge.

Bratton, S. C., Landreth, G. L., Kellam, T., & Blackard, S. R. (2006). Child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) treatment manual: A 10-session filial therapy model for training parents. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.