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My two
part-time jobs are both located in the education sector. I work as part of a
Behaviour and Education Support Team (BEST) and for a Behaviour Support Team
(BST) across 5 primary schools. Like many of my colleagues I am a travelling
Play Therapist with a (heavy) transportable playroom.
In schools
I work with children who are likely to be excluded due to their behaviour
and children whose emotional needs have a serious impact on their learning
experience and social interactions. Hence the caseload is very varied and
cases are often complex. Referrals for Play Therapy are usually made by
teachers.
Besides the
direct work with children I also liase with their parents/carers, teachers
and other professionals involved in their care. Furthermore I offer
consultations to teaching staff and team members and act as a link to the
local CAMHS. And sometimes, I am just a listening ear to staff members or
raise awareness of children’s emotional needs amongst them.
Although
the majority of my time is taken up by individual Play Therapy sessions, I
also work with a whole class, using therapeutic methods or with a parent and
child together. Parents also find it helpful to be offered parenting
training.
In therapy
I work in a person-centred way, which involves direct but more often
non-direct approaches. Narrative methods are also used when children explore
their perceptions of themselves and their world. However with large groups
of children I employ structured activities.
Since I am
working over five different sites no day is the same. But wherever I go I
have to set up the playroom. Most of my days are taken up with Play Therapy
sessions. But I also hold review meetings with parents/carers and teachers,
contact other professionals involved in some cases, and meet the SENCO or
LBP. Writing up my notes and tidying up the room are usually the way my
working day ends. Finally the toy bag will be carried to another school for
the next morning.
At the end
of any intervention, review meetings will be held with child, parents and
teacher. Whereas the child rates a written form in regards to her/his
reasons for referral, (which will, with the child’s consent be shared with
the parents and teacher) the adults evaluate the therapy verbally. I also
use HoNOSCA (Health of Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents).
And no, I
haven’t got the same holidays as schools. In particular the summer is the
time for report writing, catching up with other professionals, reading and
research.
My interest
in child therapies developed during my teaching career. I repeatedly met
children who struggled to interact with their peers and to engage in
learning processes. Having been very lucky to receive supervision from a
Child Psychotherapist at this point, I not only enhanced my understanding of
children’s expressions, but also decided to pursue training in child
therapy. I applied for a Play Therapy course as I believed (and still do)
that play and art are elemental parts of childhood through which
children explore, discover, and learn.
Therefore integrating the processes and the medium
of play in a
relationship based therapeutic intervention
seemed for me the most developmentally appropriate method in the work with
children and young people.
I think it
is essential for a Play Therapist to have very good interpersonal
communication skills with people of different ages and walks of life and
being receptive
towards their expressions. I always thought my ‘train station interest’ in
observing people is another helpful tool in therapy, as is being able to
play and to use your imagination. Patience and trust are further qualities
required of a therapist.
For me
being a Play Therapist is a never-ending story: meeting people along their
way through life, sharing their stories, their pain and delight and seeing
them move on before meeting other children, parents and professionals. Play
Therapy is a profession for life-long learning, which also makes it very
exciting.
And to
anyone considering becoming a Play Therapist, this is my advice: Training in
Play Therapy is like mountain trekking. It requires careful planning of the
route you want to take and the day you want to set out considering your
mental and physical condition. You need at least standard equipment,
including a pair of robust shoes (you never know how rocky the trek can
get), a compass (you need to know the direction), a strong rope (for hanging
on), a helmet (loads of things might fall on your head), water and food (to
keep you refreshed and going), a torch (it might not dawn when you expect it
to), a guide (you can’t talk to maps and ask for advice), a sleeping bag
(you might at times get very tired and prefer to hide), a cooker (for
stirring things up and letting them boil a little), and a pack of cards (for
entertainment).
And then
you imagine yourself standing on top of the first mountain: “What a sight”
you might cry and feel like you have conquered the world. But you soon
realise that to get anywhere, you need to take a route down and when you
have reached the valley, the next mountain stands there ready for you to
climb. But as it is with mountains, they are not all of the same height and
difficulty and when you grow stronger and more experienced they will be
easier to scale. |