whether a puppet’s involvement is welcome, I check with the child. “Is it all right if I talk to Sammy while you’re playing?” Or: “Is it ok if Rachel and I watch while you play?”
Terminating If a puppet played a significant role in a child’s therapy, that puppet is certainly present in our termination session, as “the three of us” recall the child’s favored or disliked activities, summarize progress, enjoy simple treats, and I (we) give the child a small play or art material that reflects our time together. In a colorful letter, I summarize the child’s progress, highlight the child’s positive qualities, and wish the child future success. But there’s one more thing – another small envelope. Children are delighted to find inside a portrait photo of Sammy or Rachel, on which is written in indelible ink: “Good luck in all you do! From your friend, Sammy.”
Summary Puppets, as therapist assistants and child allies, have functioned significantly in my play therapy work. Puppets can bridge the child’s entry into the world of therapeutic play; ease initial communication; add color, humor, nuance, and depth to therapeutic reflection and dialogue; enrich and enliven the metaphor in which the child is working; contribute degrees of freedom in clarifying and developing feelings and issues; ask key questions; offer gentle interpretations; serve as protagonist standing up for the child, or constructively as antagonist; help explore difficult feelings and topics; and create a less threatening triadic rather than dyadic atmosphere for the therapy to unfold. Thank you, Sammy and Rachel, for your steadfast assistance.
References Butler, S., Guterman, J. T., & Rudes, J. (2009). Using puppets with children in narrative therapy to externalize the problem. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 31(3), 225-233.
https://doi.org/10.17744/ mehc.31.3.f255m86472577522
Drewes, A. A., & Schaefer, C. E. (2017). Puppet play therapy: A practical guidebook. Routledge.
Gil, E. (2016). Play in family therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. Hartwig, E. K. (2014). Puppets in the playroom: Utilizing puppets and child-centered facilitative skills as a metaphor for healing. International Journal of Play Therapy 23(4), 204-216.
https://doi.org/10.1037/ a0038054
Irwin, E. C. (2002). Using puppets for assessment. In C. E. Schaefer & D. Cangelosi (Eds.), Play therapy techniques (2nd ed., pp. 101-113). Jason Aronson.
Landreth, G. L. (2012). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (3rd ed.). Routledge.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shoshana Levin Fox, EdD, LP, RPT-S maintains a private practice in Jerusalem, Israel, where she specializes in the play therapy treatment of young children. She has presented and published in the fields of play therapy as well as her other clinical specialty, autism.
sholevfox@gmail.com
GARRY
LANDRETH "Deeper Issues in Child
Centered Play Therapy" September 11th and 12th, 2020
12 Continuing Education Hours Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Sponsored by: Brighter Futures Counseling, PLLC training @
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Register:
https://brighterfuturescounseling.org/play-therapy-training/ APT Approved Provider # 19-599
www.a4pt.org | March 2020 | PLAYTHERAPY | 13
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