Directive Play Therapy uses play to create a strong bond between therapist and child, fostering meaningful experiences. In fact, play represents the innate language of childhood and plays an adaptive and structuring role as the child grows. Through play, the child can express his thoughts, emotions and needs, and the therapist can help him process his difficulties and promote his well-being.
The Play Therapy Directive is inspired by several theoretical and clinical currents that have recognized the value of play as a therapeutic tool. Among them, we can mention:
Is based on the theories of Sigmund Freud, Melanie Klein and Anna Freud, and which uses play as a means of accessing the child’s unconscious contents and interpreting and resolving them.
Is based on the theories of Donald Winnicott, and which uses play as a means to ease the transition between the child’s inner world and external reality, and to strengthen the relationship with the therapist.
Which is based on the theories of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and uses play as a means to teach the child new skills, strategies and ways of thinking, and to modify his or her dysfunctional behaviors.
This approach was introduced by Margaret Lowenfeld in the 1920s and is also called “Sand Play.” The purpose of this technique is to overcome the limitations of verbal psychoanalytic therapy and allow the child to express thoughts and emotions that cannot be communicated through words.
According to Lowenfeld, the need to make sense of experience is present from early childhood but is expressed through images. Children are given sandboxes and shelves with miniaturized, realistic objects. Next, they are encouraged to create a three-dimensional image of their world in the sand.
Lowenfeld believed that the world created by each child reflected his or her problems, and that by commenting on the play, children could express their emotions and become aware of them (nonverbal thinking) (Lowenfeld, 1950). Although the technique is clearly based on psychoanalytic principles, some elements recall the nondirective approach, for example, the therapist’s comments are descriptive and not interpretive
Narrative Play Therapy has its roots in the writings of Ann Cattanach and is based on a model of play therapy that has been influenced by drama therapy and other forms of art therapies. The focal points are the conception of storytelling in relation to the psychology of the self, developmental research on storytelling and play, and the use of story to construct shared meaning (Cattanach 1997, 1999).
Stories and narratives produced in play and constructed together with the therapist are the fundamental elements of the therapeutic process, as well as being agents of change. Shared construction can help to place the story in a larger context, allowing the child to gain a more expansive view, which is also facilitated by the consideration of different endings, the resolution of misunderstandings in storytelling and retelling (McLeod 1997).
Narrative Play Therapy is based on the idea that stories can help children make sense of their experiences, explore their identities, express their emotions, resolve their conflicts, and imagine new possibilities. In addition, the therapist can use stories to convey positive messages to the child, to encourage them to experiment with new roles, and to stimulate their creativity.
This form of therapy through play was devised in America by David Levy in the 1930s. It is a therapy aimed at the “release” of emotional tension, designed to assist children who have experienced a particularly painful or traumatic event to manage the emotions related to it.
In fact, the goal is to use play as a tool to recreate stressful situations, with the intent of releasing the child from associated negative emotions. It is based on the psychoanalytic concept of repetition compulsion, according to which, through reinterpretation and experiencing a specific event, repressed or blocked emotions are released and eventually processed (Levy, 1938).
Gove Hembridge (1955) extends Levy’s work to employ his method in the clinical field, primarily to address problems associated with trauma. The therapist takes a more guided role and deals with reconstituting conflict situations, then allowing the child to interact freely with those contexts.
Adlerian play therapy is a therapeutic technique and approach, of individual psychological origin, that makes use of play in treatment with the child.
According to Terry Kottman (2001), there are four important moments in Adlerian-oriented play therapy. The first moment is to create a cooperative, equal and emotional relationship with the child.
The second moment is to explore the child’s way of life through play. The third moment consists of helping the child understand himself better. The fourth moment consists of guiding and re-educating, providing opportunities to try new ways of interacting.
Play is considered the preferred means of accessing child inquiry and intervention. Through play, the therapist can project in a purposeful way on the child’s structure up to that point, not just as a reflection of the internal world absorbed in past experiences. The goal of play is thus closely related to the possibility of exploring the “unknown” and developing both emotional-experiential and cognitive knowledge.
The therapist directs the child toward constructive goals through incitement, empowerment and relationship building.
Heidi Gerard Kaduson, Donna Cangelosi and Charles Schaefer (1997, 2019) first introduced the concept of prescriptive play therapy. They argue that rigid adherence to a single theory may not be effective in treating children, thus suggesting the use of various constructs. The therapist should possess expertise in more than one theoretical orientation and in various play therapy techniques, both directive and non-directive. In addition, he or she should be able to adapt a specific intervention to his or her personal style, showing flexibility and skill.