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Children
express themselves fully and more directly
through self-initiated spontaneous
play than they do verbally, as they are
more comfortable with play.
For children to play out their experiences
and feelings is the most natural dynamic
and self-healing process in which children
can engage. (Landreth, 1991:10)
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Young
children usually do not have the verbal
or emotional ability so as to verbalise
a traumatic experience, but are able to
do so through the process of play - indeed
this is their natural medium of communication.
Rather than having to explain what is
troubling them, children use play to communicate
at their level and at their pace, without
feeling interrogated or threatened as
play allows them a safe psychological
distance from their problems. It is a
healing process which provides children
with a nurturing environment in which
to express themselves.
In addition, the therapeutic relationship
is often curative in itself.
The aim of Play therapy it to assist children
to cope with emotional stress, to improve
their level of emotional maturity and
to allow them to understand muddled feelings
and upsetting events.
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Who
can benefit from play therapy?
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Play
Therapy can be useful for any child of 4
years and above. It can help your child
to become aware of feelings and how these
feelings manifest in behaviour.
Play therapy can address issues related
to:
• Self concept & self esteem
• Social interaction difficulties eg. sibling
rivalry, bullying.
• Relationship with family members and friends
• Adapting to new situations (such as a
new school or family set-up)
• Symptomatic behavior (stomach or headaches,
anxiousness, depression, bed-wetting etc.)
• Trauma (such as divorce, sexual abuse,
the death of a parent, burglary etc.)
• Fear, anxiety & nightmares
• Aggressive behaviour
• Shyness
• Grief
• ADD & ADHD
Treatment focuses on facilitation of high
self-esteem, emotional awareness, expression
of emotions, assertiveness and communication
skills. Parents are also assisted to be
part of this treatment. |
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How
can play therapy help my child?
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Play
therapy will help your child:
• deal with painful emotional issues,
• achieve some congruence with regard to
thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
• feel good about themselves.
• accept their limitations and strengths
and to feel okay about them.
• change behaviours that have negative consequences.
• function comfortably and adaptively within
his/her environment.
• maximize the opportunity to pursue developmental
milestones. |
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How
can parents participate in play therapy?
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parents or caregivers play a very important
role in therapy as they are such an important
part of the child’s world. They are able
to support the child in his process of becoming
a stronger person. The therapist works closely
with the parents or caregivers and empowers
them by means of guidelines to understand
and deal with the child. |
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What
is the process?
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therapist begins by meeting with the parents
(first consultation FREE) so that she can
get a sense of the child's history and an
understanding of their concerns. The meeting
will also provide her with a picture of
the kinds of stresses the family have been
through and this will help her to understand
the context in which the child's difficulties
have formed and allow her to help the child
make sense of it all. The meeting will also
allow the parents to get a sense of the
therapist and to decide if they feel comfortable
with choosing her as their child's play
therapist. The therapist also provides the
parents with more information as to how
play therapy may be employed to help their
child. |
MORE
ABOUT THE THERAPIST
Mari Corbin obtained
her Honours degree in Psychology in 2005
and her Masters degree in Play therapy in
2007. She worked voluntarily for 4 years
at the Tygerbear Social Work Unit for Traumatised
Children and Families and is currently practising
as a Play Therapist in private practice
at Jan van Riebeeck Primary School and St.
Cyprians Preparatory School in Cape Town.
She is registered with the Health Professions
Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Counsellor
and Psychometrist in Independent / Private
Practice. Mari is also a member of the Play
Therapy Association of the Western Cape.
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Educational
/ Intelligence Testing
A scholastic evaluation is indicated when
learning difficulties are experienced, such
as when a child is not concentrating adequately
in class; when there are difficulties with
reading, spelling, mathematics, handwriting,
comprehension, etc; or when parents and
pupils are dissatisfied with academic results,
struggling with homework management, or
suspect a learning problem of some kind.
Such an evaluation seeks to uncover the
nature and extent of these problems.
A further important benefit of intellectual
assessment, even when no learning problems
exist, is to facilitate the selection of
school subjects, thereby enabling the child
to fully exploit his or her interests /
strenghts.
Intelligence is tested as this investigates
not only verbal and practical skills, but
also speed of reading, writing, concentration
and attention span, long and short term
memory skills, vocabulary, general knowledge,
attention to detail etc. The IQ profile
therefore provides a basis from which to
calculate the skills levels we could expect
from the child concerned.
Each assessment is tailored to answer the
specific concerns involved. It is not about
“labelling” a child, but about ensuring
that the child receives the most appropriate
support and assistance in order that they
reach their fullest potential. |
CONSULTATION FEES
Registered
with the Board of Health Care Funders (BHF)
Costs of treatment are claimable from standard
medical aid schemes |
For
an appointment or more information, contact:
Mari Corbin at 083 234 3851 or email
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