Traditional Dollhouses: Unnecessary and Perhaps Contraindicated KEVIN O’CONNOR, PHD, ABPP, RPT-S
Dollhouses have long been considered a basic playroom requirement However, I have gradually reversed my position and concluded that having a dollhouse creates two potential problems. One the inclusion of a dollhouse as contraindicated when
working with certain populations.
possibility for a child to stage dramas on an acceptable play stage: a safe and small space within which to create narratives that somehow interfere with children’s ability to project their thoughts and feelings and to represent to their world in their play. As a result, the content and variety of the child’s dollhouse play may be limited by, rather than enhanced by, a traditional dollhouse.
standards the dollhouse represents are inconsistent with realities of the population being served. Drewes (2005) commented on the incongruity of including very elaborate dollhouses in playrooms serving low income clients. The vast majority of dollhouses are built to resemble single- family homes and range in complexity
COUNTER POINT
from simple wooden structures to fantastic, multi-story mansions. Although 80% of Americans would prefer to live in a detached, single- family home (O’Malley, 2013), only 70% of white, non-Hispanic families and even fewer families of other ethnicities actually do (United States Census Bureau, 2000). When the only dollhouse available to the child symbolizes an unattainable goal, the child may unconsciously experience it as a microaggression. This compares to providing only Caucasian dolls when the client population comprises children of other ethnicities. In these situations and settings, the inclusion of a traditional dollhouse seems contraindicated.
The simplest solution to both problems is to eliminate the dollhouse. However, there are several ways to create a more inclusive atmosphere and to better facilitate both projection and pretend play. One option is to include several different types of dwellings consistent with those inhabited by the client population being served. Unfortunately, there is little variety among the commercially dollhouse. The simplest commercially available modular dollhouse consists of six wooden cubes, each open on one side. These can be by side to represent condominiums, or even stacked to represent an apartment building. Finally, an even more flexible alternative is to provide a large supply of wooden blocks. These allow children to create houses, condominiums, apartments or even just simple outlines of floor plans with as many or as few rooms as they want to include.
In conclusion, while dollhouses can be a useful tool for implementing necessary when there are options that create a more inclusive atmosphere and better support children’s pretend play.
they appear similar
to the child’s own home in some cases. The
child (and therapist) can see every room from above, rooms can be deconstructed and reconstructed as needed. The block play dollhouse is also flexible, and children may identify it as any building, such as an this style of dollhouse proves to be therapeutically effective with some hurricanes, tornadoes). My block play dollhouse survived Hurricane Ike in 2008 and has been used numerous times to play out the process of rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey struck in 2017.
Alternatively, a dollhouse is not absolutely necessary for children to be able to process these adversities. Instead, they may decide to build their own structure using blocks, choose to play with the baby dolls sandtray to create the boundaries they need. Children are adaptable they will manipulate toys into what they need for healing. This is one reason why play therapists try not label toys before the child has done so. Offering a variety of family/nurturing toy options may negate the need for a dollhouse in the playroom. Ultimately, each play therapist must decide for themselves what is essential in the playroom based on their client population and theoretical orientation. As long as a variety of toys are available to the child client, they will have the ability to therapeutically express themselves in the playroom.
www.a4pt.org | June 2020 | PLAYTHERAPY | 27
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