A Workshop on Therapeutic Play Techniques by Dr. Sherin Anil

3 August 2017

The Department of Psychology, School of Sciences, Jain (Deemed-to-be University) organized a workshop on ‘Therapeutic Play Techniques’ by Dr. Sherin Anil for MSc Psychology students. The workshop was held in the college premises on 2 August 2017.

The workshop focused on introducing the audience to an aspect of child psychotherapy which is Therapeutic Play Technique. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss the following:

Status of child mental health in India
Spectrum of needs among children
The phases of intervention
Axline’s Principles
Learning through Activities

Explaining about Play Therapy techniques, the speaker said that it mainly focuses on providing a ‘me-time’ which is an integral in engaging in self-reflection and gives the opportunity to look within.

During the session, she conducted an activity wherein the students had to perform. The activity was designed to evaluate how we have formed a self-concept around our names, the feelings our name evokes in us and the meaning we associate with it.

She further elaborated that play therapy involves recollection of past experiences, reconstruction of effective elements, re-experiencing the congruent elements and resolution of challenges and on the other hand, it is a chosen method to deal with specific challenges in children which become a primary means of exploring feelings and emotions among children. She concluded that play is an important means for conflict resolution in children and hence has a therapeutic value attached to it.

In her talk, while explaining the Axline’s Principles, she emphasized the importance of practitioner being able to use a comprehensive ‘Play Therapy Tool-Kit’ which will enable the therapist to follow the child's lead. She also explained the measures to be taken by the therapist to understand the child’s behavior.

During the session, learning activities were also performed by the psychology students. To conclude, this workshop opened a new dimension of thought process among psychology students providing them a great opportunity for learning.