The Unexpected Purpose of Technology in the Playroom: Catharsis
| TIFFANY MCNARY, PHD, LPC, NCC, CPCS, RPT-S; ERIN C. M. MASON, PHD; & GALINA K. TOBIN, MED, APC, NCC
“C
an I bring my laptop into the playroom today?” Many play therapists struggle with this question when asked by their clients. When children inquire if they can bring something into the playroom for their session, play therapists should pause for a moment of
internal assessment, reflecting on the purpose of the child’s
question, the purpose of the item in the child’s world, and the purpose of how the child will use or share the item in the playroom. Some children of artwork, a trophy, a medal, or an award they have earned, or even a photograph. With each item, children present a piece of their past and
4 | PLAYTHERAPY | September 2018 |
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invite the play therapist into their world. Notwithstanding one’s personal inclination, can bringing technology into the playroom really offer the
therapy for two years, the purpose for wanting her laptop in the playroom for her, if not critical. Zoe needed her laptop in the playroom to access her virtual Minecraft™ world: the world where she began to process her recent diagnosis of a rare childhood cancer and ultimately her 4% survival rate. Although this request was initially met with mixed feelings
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