Traditionally, play therapy consists of four stages: initiation, resistance, work, and termination. These phases have their own peculiarities that should be considered while working with a client. Thus, play therapy is a potent tool that can be used to work with various issues and assist a client. For instance, anxiety can be addressed by using this approach. During the initiation phase, the relations between a client and a therapist are built. It is a crucial stage as it impacts the following cooperation and introduces its terms (Hicks). I think this stage is vital as it helps to reveal the major causes of anxiety and discuss them in a specific manner. It reduces stress levels and makes a person feel more comfortable.
The resistance phase is characterized by growing stress and dissatisfaction because of the growing complexity of the process. The client should dig deeper to understand the real issues and why they trigger anxiety (Hicks). For me, it is a perfect chance to acquire unique experiences and observe the inner struggle and the growing readiness to understand the factors causing anxiety and frustration. I believe the work phase is play therapy’s most critical and vital stage. A client is fully engaged and invested in the process and does his/her best to acquire the desired result and eliminate the factors causing growing anxiety levels (Hicks). It also cultivates the necessary changes in behavior and coping skills vital for the future.
Finally, the termination stage helps to end the therapy and guarantees a client does not feel frustrated because of the end of cooperation. I think it is vital to ensure that a person is equipped with all tools to continue living without new anxiety episodes. Altogether, I consider play therapy a potent tool to work with various health issues and help patients.
Work Cited
Hicks, Brenna. “Phases of Treatment in Play Therapy.” BrennaHicks, Web.