THE REFERRAL PROCESS
Children can be referred by a parent/guardian, a teacher, a doctor or anyone
else who feels a child could benefit from play therapy. If the referral is
coming from outside the family, written consent from the parent/guardian must
be sought before referral.
THE THERAPY PROCESS
Before commencing therapy , an initial consultation is carried out. This
meeting is used to determine the suitability of the referral. This will be
followed by an intake phase where treatment planning will be explored. There
is a set of pre-therapy considerations that will be explored in the intake
assessment. This is to support treatment and strengthen initial phase before
the child enters the playroom. There will be periodic reviews with
parents/guardians and other relevant professionals throughout the therapy
process.
Treatment involves 3 phases:
Intake Phase: Intake phase includes meeting with parent’s/ guardians and
other professionals in the childs life to explore the childs current emotional
state, their coping skills and the reasons behind their referring behaviour.
This may also involve observations in school or other environments.
Psycho-education can be offered.
Therapy Phase: This is where the child is attending play therapy on a weekly basis.
Throughout this part of the process, review meetings are held with parents
/guardians at regular intervals, approximately every 5/6 sessions. These sessions are
used to help support the parents in regulating the child and discussing any issues
that may be emerging throughout the process.
Closing Phase: In this phase concerning behaviours have diminished, and have
been replaced by healthier alternatives.
Maria's Playroom
