Why is play therapy important for your child?
Did you know that the earliest play you facilitate with your child is Peek-a-boo? Peek-a-boo helps your child understand object permanence, meaning the child has an idea that even though they can’t see your smiling face, they still know you exist. There are nursery rhymes for a reason! The music can help the child learn to cope with difficult situations. In addition, music can serve as a de-stressing activity for both child and caregiver. Play can also help the child with social interactions and interactive play. A finding is that children who have engaged in challenging play activities are less likely to engage in social interactions. On the other hand, children who engage in social interactions are more likely to not engage in challenging behaviors. The benefits of play through a social work therapist lens are by observing attachment relationships the child has with their caregiver and by helping promote opportunities for social-emotional development.
Why is the child’s attachment to their caregiver important?
Bowbly’s attachment theory focuses on the idea that the earlier development of the relationship between the infant and caregiver provides a foundation for later development. Attachment is the pattern of emotional and behavioral interactions between the child and caregiver’s interactions. An example of this attachment is that when the infant feels threatened, they will seek out their caregiver for safety and comfort. When a caregiver is present with a loving and calming presence, this can result in a secure attachment between caregiver and child. Other styles of attachment include insecure, such as avoidant, and resistant attachment. The attachment style is crucial to the child’s later development.
Social Work’s Role in Early Intervention:
A social worker is there to work with the family and build a trusting relationship. Social workers are using a strengths-based approach when working with the family. A strengths-based approach means the clinician is using the family’s strengths. The social worker wears many hats; they help the family find outside services and resources to remain supported, provide clinical therapy and support for the child and family who have been impacted by any kind of trauma or mental illness, and help rebuild relationships. Social workers will help guide caregivers on specific behaviors that can help with daily routines and introduce coping skills.
Play can allow the social worker to observe the family while playing, and look at family dynamics. While collecting this data, the social worker can help provide strategies for any situations that may cause the family stress. They can also assess the protective factors and risk factors for the child’s future development. If the family has undergone any traumas, social workers can help support by helping strengthen child and caregiver relationships that have been challenged by trauma. Play can provide numerous opportunities for the child to express themselves, but also can be used as a way to communicate their stressors without even knowing it. Imaginative play and role-playing are play-based techniques to discover any stories the child is trying to tell. Often, children try to share their stories by narrating in the form of play. Every family and child have a story to share and by having a trusting relationship, the social worker is a listener to their story.
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Eyas Landing is a therapy clinic with a mission to provide evidence-based and family-centered therapy services for children, adolescents, and their families. The primary goal is to deliver relationship-based interventions within the most natural environments and to empower families to reach their full potential. To achieve this goal, our highly educated, compassionate staff dedicates time and expertise to create experiences that maximize therapeutic outcomes. The strength, determination, and perseverance of our clients are evident as they succeed in therapy, and ultimately in their daily lives.
Eyas Landing offers a wide range of comprehensive services including Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, ABA Therapy, Social Work, Family Therapy, and Neuropsych testing. Services are provided throughout the Chicagoland area via Telehealth, In-Home, and in our state of the art clinic.
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