Dark Houses of the Forgotten Prison is a dark place and houses the forgotten of society. I became acquainted with this dark place and the forgotten who live within those walls initially through working with a family in my practice. As I researched further, I found other stories of Dads wracked with guilt and shame who struggled to reunite with their children, often lacking the skills necessary to restore and sustain relationship with their children through play and  of play to rebuild the relationship between a father and his children and to repair himself. This feeling expanded when I read the statistics concerning the lack of mental health care in prison, but particularly        important elements of a successful re-entry into civilian life. I inquired  process to become a volunteer.


Through play, one can rewrite a narrative of past behavior and


shift perspective from a negative, self-loathing view to one of hope and self-acceptance.


Conceptualizing the Role of Play in Self-Development


and Relationship Building Self-development encompasses many elements, from self-knowledge and self-worth (Harter, 2016),


to self-regulation and self-forgiveness


 self, as well as being in relationship with others and the surrounding world in order to “go forward” (Leipold, 2020, p. 1). Incarcerated fathers face several risks to self-development, such as being isolated from children and partners, a lack of a sense of control, and a loss of identity (Pajarita  the greatest potential risk to self-development for incarcerated fathers is condemned isolation, which refers to the repeated pattern of broken attachments and feeling “locked out” of potential human interaction 


These feelings correspond with the personal accounts of fathers I have met in prison, many of whom report feeling paralyzed in reconnecting with children and partners on the “outside” due to the feelings of distance that accompanies being incarcerated. It should be noted that   members and the incarcerated person due to not being allowed to


CLINICAL EDITOR’S COMMENTS: When incarcerated fathers connect through


play, the forgotten parts of themselves can feel safe and loved again.


touch and staying six feet apart in plexiglas cages. Many of the fathers, particularly those with young children, told their families not to come due to the stress that younger children experienced from not being able to exchange physical touch. Despite the evidence of the importance of self-development throughout the life span, few programs are available for those incarcerated that seek to affect change at such deep levels 


  as facilitating communication, instilling self-regulation and empathy, enhancing social relationships, and increasing personal strength through creative problem solving and resiliency. Play also creates pathways for self-knowledge and self-worth (Hull, 2021), changing maladaptive           Through play, one can rewrite a narrative of past behavior and shift perspective from a negative, self-loathing view to one of hope and self-acceptance. A few researchers have studied play therapy with incarcerated persons and have shown it to be effective for relationship building and repair between fathers and children (Landreth & Logaugh, 


Case Example: The Power of Group and Play in Action The model used for this project is based on relational-cultural play therapy (RCPT). RCPT emphasizes the importance of connected, nurturing relationships found in relational-cultural theory combined with the therapeutic powers of play (Vicario et al., 2013) that create pathways for self-development in the form of self-examination, self-forgiveness, and self-repair. Due to the relational nature of RCPT, my role as therapist was expanded in order to connect deeply with group members and hear their stories. Recognizing the importance of trust in the therapeutic relationship as an agent of change (Schore, 2015), I shared what led me to create the project, as well as my personal experience of the dark and lonely place of parental alienation. Mindful of the theme of condemned isolation, current social justice issues, and the disparity between members being incarcerated and my being an “outsider,” (i.e.,


www.a4pt.org | December 2021 | PLAYTHERAPY | 5


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