Family Therapy Dichotomy

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In this discussion, the focus will be on how play therapy with children and family therapy can be used simultaneously as well as what the benefits are of doing so. Willis, Walters, and Crane (2014) discussed that there is limited past research on “process-oriented studies” (p.1) based on family therapy with young children. In this research discussion, family-based, outpatient, and inpatient therapy will be examined on how family therapy interacts with play therapy. Children in the past have been treated as “passive participants” (Willis, Walters, & Crane, 2014, p.2) during family sessions; however, in play therapy they are often the focus. This dichotomy deserves to be explored in a counseling context. Besides a general lack of previous research about the role of children in family therapy, there is also a lack of research on how different multicultural issues are involved in play therapy with the …show more content…
Within play therapy, the role of the parent is essential as they apart of the therapeutic process (Brumfield & Christensen, 2011). The researchers discuss that there are four basic premises of parent work in play therapy: (1) parents are a main figure in the children’s life, (2) the parents psychological health is key to their parenting, (3) children’s difficulties have impact on their families, and (4) the relationship between a parent and child has a great impact on what type of change can occur in therapy (Brumfield & Christensen, 2011). The counselor should get to know the parents so they can understand how the parent’s influence their child’s behaviors and emotions (Brumfield & Christensen, 2011). Many parents are in favor of play therapy as it puts the child in the forefront of the counseling