        attributes of play through literature reviews: • positive affect • non-literality (the “as if” quality) •


flexibility


• process oriented (means over ends) • voluntary, inner control (internally driven) • active involvement, and •


intrinsically motivated.


These are the pieces of activities or interactions that make the moments  present to be a true play moment, but the more that are present, the closer the episode is to a pure play experience (Schaefer & Nash, 2011). Smith  flexibility are seen in a play episode, adult raters more consistently agree  an activity characterized by a suspension of reality, positive affect, and flexibility (Schaefer & Nash, 2011).


Therapeutic Powers of Play  four primary categories: facilitates communication (i.e., self-expression, access to the unconscious, direct teaching, indirect teaching), fosters emotional wellness (i.e., catharsis,


abreaction, positive emotions,


counterconditioning fears, stress inoculation, stress management), increases personal strengths (i.e., creative problem solving, resiliency, moral development,


accelerated psychological development, self-


regulation, self-esteem), and enhances social relationships (i.e.,            spontaneous play, and can also be prompted or guided by a play therapist  a solid understanding of his or her theoretical orientation and view of how and why play heals, interventions and techniques can be chosen to create therapeutic situations for a client to achieve optimal growth by prescriptively matching and utilizing the therapeutic powers (Kaduson et al., 2020).


Core Tenets of Seminal Theories It is important to identify the common tenets of the seminal theories of play therapy (Association for Play Therapy [APT], 2021) to see how these aspects work together with therapeutic powers of play to effect change. The following descriptions are brief overviews of the core tenets of each theory, and the reader is referred to original sources as well as the Play Therapy™ Magazine for further information.


In Adlerian play therapy, therapists believe that children are socially  feelings of inferiority, are goal-directed and creative with purposeful          Therapists take an active and directive approach to help children build an egalitarian relationship, gain insight into their lifestyles, and make


necessary changes through four phases of treatment (Kottman, 2001). In child-centered play therapy (CCPT), children are seen as innately capable   acceptance and empathy to help clients strive for self-actualization and healing the sense of self, as the therapeutic relationship is the primary    an extension of CCPT, wherein parents are educated on the primary principles of CCPT, effective responses to their children, and how to 


A play therapist utilizing cognitive behavioral play therapy (CBPT)


understands that new learning is necessary to achieve behavioral and cognitive changes, and that negative behaviors are often byproducts of faulty thinking patterns (Knell, 2011). Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning are key tenets of CBPT and lead    developmental play therapist helps clients to more solidly develop their  of grounding and awareness, and creates a dialogue between child and  Within the ecosystemic model of play therapy, the importance of the impact of multiple systems affecting children and their development is key, and play therapists assess developmental functioning across  their development and functioning by effectively and appropriately getting needs met (O’Connor, 2015). Managing optimal levels of arousal and self-regulation, developing therapeutic alliance, and advocating for the client through activation of systems are also core tenets of 


Gestalt play therapists work to develop a mutually engaging relationship with their clients while helping clients to an integrated sense of self,  analytical play therapy, therapists help clients through regulation of the ego while working through unconscious materials of dreams, symbols, metaphors, and archetypes in the symbolization of play (Lilly & Heiko,      material in the unconscious that is expressed through dysregulation  to help clients to determine and transform arrested or distorted object relations, which impact their ability to establish a secure attachment base (Benedict, 2003). Play therapists following the Theraplay® and attachment theory help caregivers and children replicate healthy


model www.a4pt.org | December 2021 | PLAYTHERAPY | 27


CLINICAL EDITOR’S COMMENTS: Prescriptive use of theory, characteristics of


play, and the therapeutic powers of play will help play therapists achieve desired outcomes.


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