POINT


Dollhouses: Necessary as the Air We Breathe SHAROLYN WALLACE, PHD, LCSW, IMH-E®


, RPT-S


A play therapy playroom without a dollhouse is like playing checkers without a board: It can be done, but is it really checkers, and is it really  the dolls’ house, with its walls and roof, represents the child’s inner           witness the totality of the child a dollhouse must be available in the playroom. It does not seem possible to fully understand the world of the child without the tangible involvement of the dollhouse.


Erik Erikson (1937) notably expressed how a child demonstrates the experience of body and internal sphere through the creation of houses. A total transformative encounter can be detected within the walls of dollhouse play. Symbolic representations of the child’s life are revealed as the child allows the play therapist to observe dollhouse play. Children reveal symptomatic manifestations through the dollhouse (e.g., Mooney, 2016; Nilsson, 2000) that can be addressed both through directive and nondirective play.


Play therapists may observe cultural considerations as well as the roles of family members in the home. Forman-Burnell and Whitney             the understanding of history. Multiple houses can be utilized to demonstrate possible transition issues during divorce and separation from parents, through foster care and adoption, for example. Having multiple houses allows for metaphorical changes from trauma in one house to healing and safety in another house. Without the dollhouse, we would be deprived of the perspective of the child’s circle of life.  therapy.


   view of children’s experiences and feelings when children are playing with the dollhouse. Children become one with the fabric and structure of the house. Every detail, every secret, every joyous moment, and every tragic event are displayed within those hallowed walls. Children and adults are drawn to those miniature representations of their lives.


Heljakka and Harviainen (2019) noted that contemporary dollhouse play reveals either realistic representations or the fantastical, wishful world of the person. Mystique, intrigue, and novelty become center point as one studies the dollhouse. Through the dollhouse, the play suddenly transforms familiarity into the playroom. Children become focused and immersed in the dollhouse play. These occurrences tend to represent the inner experience of the child and the humanity around them.


In my playroom, the physical structure of the dollhouse has endured           dog did not survive, all enacted at the hands of the child. The dollhouse has experienced yelling, crying, and domestic violence among its inhabitants. The house has experienced meticulous birthday parties and family picnics. Laughter, love, warmth, and encouragement also resonate throughout the rooms. For all of these reasons, and ones yet untold, the dollhouse in a playroom is a necessary as the as the air we breathe.


THE MIDDLE GROUND


Children Find Purpose in the Toys Provided 


As play therapists, the decisions about which toys to offer in the          and intentionally provide toys for our child clients that we feel are         for their therapeutic value and allow children to freely express themselves in whatever way necessary (Landreth, 2012). Depending on one’s theoretical orientation, play therapists may provide toys    


26 | PLAYTHERAPY | June 2020 | www.a4pt.org


nurturing toys, and in Adlerian play therapy, they are categorized as family/nurturing toys. Family/nurturing toys enable a child to express family and relationship concerns and build a relationship with the play therapist (Kottman, 2011). While most play therapists would agree       cost, availability, playroom size, portability, and durability. Size of the dollhouse, accessibility, and frequency of use can also play a major factor in deciding whether or not to include a dollhouse in the playroom. Play therapists will need to explore the needs of individual children they serve in order to decide about toys that are not frequently used (Ray et al., 2013).


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