Discussion of the methods used by the play therapist to encourage a silent child to share his traumatic experiences

Abstract

Play therapy is a method of effective communication with a child in a play setting and it can help the child who is under stress. It allows the child to express his feelings, communicate his anxieties and frustrations. Moreover it helps the child adapt to certain situations in life e.g. bereavement. Non Directive Play Therapy is probably the most common form of play therapy used. It was devised by Virginia Axline from the therapeutic work of Carl Rogers. Axline's work is based on her theory that the child's innate drive to achieve maturity must be given the optimum- facilitating environment to achieve that goal. She highlights that '"the therapeutic value of non-directive play therapy is based upon the child experiencing himself as a capable, responsible person in a relationship that tries to communicate to him two basic truths: that no one ever really knows as much about any human being's inner world as does the individual himself, and that the responsible freedom grows and develops from inside the person" (Axline 1964a:57-58).