Therapeutic Responses In Play Therapy

A key component of play therapy is the counselor's ability to provide therapeutic responses that come through play in the form of reflecting and tracking what the child expresses, both verbally and non-verbally. The therapeutic relationship between the child and the therapist helps the psychologist to accurately reflect and tract the behaviour of the child.

Tracking takes place when the therapist understands the actions of the child by oraly explaining what is being detected. This approach sends a message of concern to thetherapists interest for the child. Tracking also lets therapists immerse themselves in the kids and their environment, helping kids know their counsellors are involved in the process.

Ray (2011) identified three modes of reflection: material reflection, emotional reflection, and broader sense reflection. The therapist paraphrases the child's verbal communication to reflect substance. It encourages children to feel valued and helps them to understand themselves through their understanding of their experiences and feelings.

Reflection of emotions is when the therapist reacts verbally to the child's emotional gestures. It may take the form of facial expression, body language, and verbal communication to express emotions in play. An example of this would be a child drawing an image in the playroom of her grandmother and expressing love for her grandmother.

The therapist may answer, 'She's got to mean a lot to you. I would say that you have to have a very special relationship with your grandma and that you love her. ' The counselor must be attentive that expressing emotions can be dangerous to a child and should be carefully used and expressed. Reflection of feelings, however, can help children become conscious of their emotions, allowing them to learn the proper recognition and communication of feelings. A psychologist considers expressing emotions to be a higher-level ability, while monitoring and reflecting are considered to be some of the most basic skills in play therapy.

The psychologist pays close attention to the activity of the child for the expression of greater meaning and verbalizes perceived patterns. For example, at the end of each session , after the child puts back the toys where he / she found it ,the counselor may give respond such as ‘Once you finish playing with toy, you should put it back where it belongs’. Reflection of the greater meaning allows children to understand the point of their play along with the empathy and understanding of the therapist.

Landreth (2002) explained that therapeutic reactions to the play of a child would flow fluently without interrupting the speech of the child. Brief and active response with the child should be a therapeutic response. Both the advisor and the child travel as one in the playroom; the advisor is guided to what the child feels and communicates. So, the psychologist must pay more attention to the words of the children, tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language in order to get a clear understanding of the child's expression of emotions.