When we imagine our childhood years, we remember that play is an indispensable part of our lives for each of us. Play is one of the most basic and important rights of a child; For children, play is a discovery and a tool for learning new things. Play helps the child relax by relieving his energy and supporting his mental and cognitive development. It helps him express his feelings and thoughts. Play has a very important place in children's world; It is a great help in solving children's problems and emotional problems. Our means of communication in adult therapy are words; By talking, we gain awareness and try to solve problems. Children's language development, vocabulary and cognitive skills are not as developed as adults, so we try to solve their problems through games rather than doing therapy by talking to them.
Child-centered play therapy is a type of therapy that helps children between the ages of 2-10 solve emotional and behavioral problems. Play is now a new language between therapist and child; After the child understands that this is a new language, he begins to transfer his problems, traumas and emotions to the therapist in the playroom. This is not just any playroom, it is not like any other games the child plays at home or outside. The child understands the difference here thanks to the bond he establishes with the therapist from the moment he enters the therapy room. This bond is a healing, accepting, understanding bond. This bond is a therapeutic bond that helps the child cope with real-life difficulties and solve problems. The child begins to reflect his inner world deeply in the playroom. For example, let's say a 5-year-old child comes with an anger problem; Most likely, this child will reflect his anger in this way by choosing to play with violent and aggressive toys.
Another important stage when working with children is working with the family. The concept of family is of great importance for children; Parental attitudes, the relationship between parents, the atmosphere at home and many other concepts greatly affect the child's behavior. In the process we work with the family; discuss with parents (or caregivers) the child's developmental, environmental history. We thoroughly evaluate family problems, strategies for coping with crises, and parental attitudes. We provide psychoeducation to the family on issues we deem necessary. We hold up a mirror to parenting attitudes. In this process of raising awareness of parenting skills, we sometimes observe that when parents change their wrong attitudes towards the child, the child's problems are solved. It is important to cooperate with the family while working with the child to solve the problem more radically.
Child-centered play therapy; anger problems, social adaptation problems, impulse control problems, taking responsibility, knowing limits, anxiety and fear problems, bedwetting, fecal retention/incontinence, lying, nail biting, stealing and escape behaviors, parent-child conflicts, tics, depression, divorce It helps in solving many problems such as its effects on the child, gaining study habits, sibling jealousy, self-confidence and self-expression problems, shyness, obsessions and emotional problems. If these problems are seen in children, you can get support from an expert before the problems become deep-rooted and deepened.
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