Experiential play therapy was born out of child-centered play therapy. It focuses on children's understanding of the world not from the cognitive level, but through their experiences. Through play, children express their experiences as well as their feelings. Since children cannot express their emotions cognitively, they use toys and metaphors. The toy is the language of the child.
Experiential play therapy is a play therapy model that relies on the child's potential for recovery. The child is the person who has the most accurate information about the difficulties and dilemmas in his life. The game should also be under the guidance of the child. In this process, the child revives his experiences by using the imagination and symbolism from toys.
In the playroom, the child chooses the toys he wants. The game continues under the leadership of the child. Children experience their emotions over and over again through play. Thus, the child learns to cope with their emotions and to regulate them. The therapist provides a secure relationship for the child. It establishes a basis on which to study therapeutic problems. The therapist focuses on the relationship. It also mirrors the child's emotions. In these reflections, the therapist observes the child's experience and uses metaphors. The child reviews his problems and rebuilds them as he can tolerate.
The child regains the lost power thanks to the environment provided by experiential play therapy. Both the child and the therapist are in motion in the game. It makes use of motion to relieve the stress caused by life and to gain strength in the child's healing process. The therapist assumes the roles given by the child. It supports and strengthens the child during the child's recovery.
As the relationship between the child and the therapist is important, it is important to understand the different stages of therapy. If the therapist does not provide appropriate reflections and mirroring, progress is impossible and hinders therapy. The therapy process includes five stages. 1) Exploration stage 2) Testing trust stage 3) Addiction Stage 4) Therapeutic growth stage 5) Termination stage
The issues that experiential play therapy helps;
- Mood disorders (Depression) , Anxiety)
-Attachment problems
-Developmental problems
-Separation anxiety
-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
p>-Divorce process i
-Confidence issues
-Social problems
-Selective mutism
-Perfectionism
-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
-Anxiety Disorders
-Behavioral Disorders
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