Module 5, Play Therapy

     Play therapy can be something that is formal, done with a professional, but I also think there is types of play therapy that are done in non traditional settings that are just as effective as the formals ones.  There are many therapist that do play therapy with children helping them cope through something difficult, transition through different areas of their life, or work through struggles that they may have been born with, and all these things are ways therapist really help children.  I also however have been involved in play therapy for children on a much smaller scale as a preschool teacher.  During my few years as a preschool teacher I've seen, participated and help with a few different types of play therapy for children with various disabilities and struggles in life.
     Autism has always held a special place in my heart so to sum this module up and what I learned i wanted to show how effective play therapy really can be for a child.  Here is a video that shows the progression of a child with autism learning through play therapy some social interaction skills. 

     The video does a great job at giving you the background on Matthew and his social interaction skills.  I liked how between video clips there were bits of text that helped explain more of Matthew's story and how play therapy was apart of his life in a positive way.  You see by the end how Matthew has really worked with this therapist through the hard lesson of learning about control and how he has improved because of these types of play therapy sessions.  I noted that when Matthew wanted to continue to blow the balloons in the air instead of what the therapist wanted to do, the therapist was very matter of fact about what he wanted him to do and helped him with the transition despite Matthew's resistance.  I think Matthew's emotions stayed controlled through this transition a lot due to how the therapist handled the situation.  There is a lot to be learned by watching therapy sessions like this because you get to see actual interaction, and sometimes watching it take place can be so much more informative than reading about it in a textbook. 
     Each child is never going to take to play therapy the same way.  A play therapist needs to treat each client as an individual and work and play with that child the way that they respond best.  Just as in any therapy there is no cookie cutter way of doing things.  I really could tell that this therapist has spent time with Matthew and knows what works for him, and that makes therapy so much more successful when you build that type of relationship with the child. 
     Play therapy is helpful to all sorts of people dealing with a variety of problems, autism just happens to be one of them.  Play therapy has a great record of helping children through some very tough situations they are going through and coupled with a good therapist to help them sort things out, I think that play therapy is a very effective and useful tool.