Evidenced Based Positive Outcomes
Children and teenagers learn to communicate with others, express feelings, modify behaviour, develop problem solving skills, and learn a variety of ways of relating to others. Even the most troubling problems can be faced in play therapy and lasting resolutions can be discovered, practiced, mastered, and adapted into lifelong strategies.
Child Centered Play Therapy - An Evidenced Based Approach
POINTed practice child-centered play therapy. It is a systematic evidence-based approach to counselling children. This form of play therapy has been used for over 60 years and has a long history of efficacy in therapeutic work with children. It is well supported by extensive research.
The following well known authors and practitioners in the field may give you deep insight into the neuroscience and biology of the body and mind. Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, (2014) Peter A. Levine, PhD (2015), Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD, and Maia Szalavitz (2017), Judy Atkinson (2015) Paris Goodyear-Brown (2019), Stuart Brown, MD and Christopher Vaughan (2020), Daniel J Siegel, MD and Tina Payne Bryson, PHD (2021). The titles of these books are listed on the reference page.
Analytic reviews as powerful evidence can also be sourced. Evidence-Based Child Therapy is a play therapy research portal that may support your interests or concerns. For further information click here Evidence-Based Therapy Research
Trauma, Transgenerational Effects and the Healing of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Self, Others and Systems Around the Child
It is well understood that experience shapes the brain. There is scientific evidence that shows how emotional, social, cognitive and physical development can be either enhanced or limited. Trauma in many cases is unavoidable. Such as the loss of a parent, medical episode, loss of a pet, moving away from close family or friends. These affect individuals differently but have an impact all the same.
There is also the more serious impact of short or long-term dysfunctional behaviours, such as fierce dysregulated behaviour, poor anger management, substance or alcohol misuse, domestic violence, emotional and physical harm, child-sexual abuse or more extremely witnessing intense sociopathy such as murder or rape.
When a developing mind is subjected to prolonged or overwhelming stress, it is likely children exposed are traumatised and often need treatment for their own dysregulated behaviour to support their window of tolerance for stress. Play Therapy provides a natural medium for children to process their experiences, giving them hope by building their strength and mastery, self-efficacy as well as improved life-long health outcomes.
Play Therapy Works with the Spectrum of Behaviours
Play Therapy is effective with neurotypical and neurodiverse (all) children. Once the therapist establishes an atmosphere of safety, acceptance, and encouragement and the child and family are given opportunities to normalise their experience (with time) there is likely to be healing and growth.