Local Professionals Learn about Play Therapy
February 8, 2010
On Friday, Feb. 5, Dr. Risë VanFleet presented a full-day professional conference, Play Therapy: Working with Children Through Creative Expression, to 130 professionals at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.
Dr. VanFleet is a licensed psychologist and the founder and president of the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center, a clinic and training center in Boiling Springs, Pa. Her presentation highlighted the importance of play, its use in therapy and a wide range of play therapy interventions for use with children and adolescents. She included various forms of child-directed, therapist-directed, expressive and dramatic play therapies, as well as Filial Therapy and other family-oriented methods.
More recently-developing approaches, such as canine-assisted play therapy, were covered briefly. The presentation included theory, research summaries and applications to a wide range of child and family presenting problems. The power of play was revealed through lecture, video illustrations and small group activities.