Play Therapists’ Vulnerability Play therapists are especially susceptible to developing compassion fatigue. There tends to be an inherent desire to protect and nurture children because they are viewed as precious, vulnerable, helpless, innocent, and fragile. Young children have not developed the cognitive and verbal abilities to express their feelings and experiences, therefore play therapists must approach children from a developmentally appropriate perspective, letting go of verbalization and moving into the expressive world of children’s play. In play therapy, children can safely project threatening feelings, attitudes, and experiences without words through self-chosen toys, drawings, and activities.


Children literally and symbolically reenact or replay their traumas, providing play therapists an opportunity to experience the child’s  hearing details of traumatic events, play therapists continuously watch children act out their traumatic experiences, giving them a more concrete, visual idea of the trauma and allowing them to experience the inner dimensions of the child’s world in a personal and interactive way. Witnessing a child’s trauma reenactment increases play therapists’ susceptibility to compassion fatigue because of the intensity of their empathic response.


Protective Practices Due to play therapists’ increased vulnerability, it is especially important for them to implement self-care and protective practices. To do so, play therapists can develop self-care strategies related to physical wellness, social support, and spiritual wellness, and participate in supervision. Making positive changes in these domains can increase resiliency (Portnoy, 2011).


Physical wellness. Physical wellness is a crucial factor in preventing compassion fatigue. In a study conducted by Meany-Walen and colleagues


(2018), play therapists emphasized the value of a


maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough sleep and rest, and participating in physical activity. Seventy-one percent of the play therapists surveyed noted that a lack of exercise and poor diet contributed to compassion fatigue. Because play therapists’ job can be  engage in physical wellness activities.


However, using various cell phone applications may be an easy, practical way for play therapists to foster physical wellness. For example, Sleep Cycle and Pillow are free apps that track sleep patterns and wake the user in the lightest phase of sleep to avoid morning grogginess.  Stretching. Hydration is another important aspect to physical health. Dehydration acts as a physiological stressor and disrupts cognitive functioning and alertness (Popkin, D’Anci, & Rosenberg, 2010). It is vital for play therapists to remain hydrated. My Water Balance is an app that reminds therapists to drink water at regular intervals.


Social support. Research shows that social support is vital for those who work with child-based trauma. Michalopoulos and Aparicio (2012) predicted a decrease in vicarious trauma symptoms with high levels of


26 | PLAYTHERAPY June 2019 | www.a4pt.org


social support. According to Harrison and Westwood (2009), positive personal relationships help counselors view their helping roles as less depleting. Friend and family support and comfort of help play therapists experience joy and happiness by separating themselves from the  call or video chat to an encouraging friend or family member is a simple and effortless way to disconnect from traumatic content.


Spiritual wellness. Spiritual wellness also may attenuate compassion fatigue, including practicing mindfulness or faith-based activities to counter isolation and despair (Harrison & Westwood, 2009). Decker, Constantine Brown, Ong, and Stiney-Ziskind (2015) showed that high levels of compassion fatigue were associated with lower levels of mindfulness. Those who engage in appropriate mindfulness and  ability to handle work stressors, allowing them to remain in helping professions longer than those who do not maintain spiritual self-care practices (Decker et al. , 2015). Clinicians are comforted by the belief that they are part of something larger, meaningful, and good, and that they are not alone (Harrison & Westwood, 2009). Play therapists have recommended the practice of mindfulness to ensure wellness and prevent compassion fatigue (Meany-Walen et al., 2018). Headspace, a free phone app, is a simple and effective way for play therapists to engage in mindfulness and meditation.


Supervision. Supervision provides an outlet for therapists to share their frustrations and feelings that arise from working with traumatized clients. Seeking personal counseling and receiving supervision are the cornerstones of a play therapist’s support system (Copley, 2013). Fifty-one percent of play therapists surveyed recommended having relationships with colleagues and engaging in supervision as viable methods to preventing compassion fatigue (Meany-Walen et al., 2018). Supervisors can emphasize the positive aspects of play therapists’ work and encourage engagement in self-care. Through peer support groups, play therapists learn about others’ strategies for addressing and coping with compassion fatigue (Harrison & Westwood, 2009). Participating in peer support groups helps circumvent compassion fatigue by enhancing play therapists’ self-awareness skills, strengthening peer relationships, and decreasing isolation.


Other practical suggestions. There are some other simple ways for play therapists to engage in self-care. For example, watching a short video of something beautiful or funny, taking a quick walk, or looking at pictures of people and scenery we love between sessions or during a break can increase mood and remind play therapists that there is good in the world. Going to a park to see happy children playing reminds us that healthy children are out there.


Conclusion Play therapists constantly witness traumatic experiences unfold through vulnerable children’s play. After recognizing the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue, they need to engage in self-care activities to ensure overall physical and mental health and to remind themselves of the positive aspects of the world. In addition to engaging in physical and spiritual activities and tending to social relationships,


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56