Medical play therapy, provided by Child Life programs can be interpreted and implemented in a multitude of different fashions; however, the rationale is always the same. In the medical field, their priority is to provide play to ill and hospitalized children and their families, with the hope of bringing down anxiety levels and improving emotional and psychological health. “In an environment in which things are threatening and nearly everything is out of the child’s control, helping children achieve and maintain a sense of comfort, safety, and well-being is a major challenge to the child life specialist” (Webb, 1991, p. 296). In order to achieve this difficult goal, child life specialists use different types of play, which often involve medical supplies, surgical tools, and medicinal equipment that may be introduced to the child and family during treatment.
Children do not always have control over what is going on, but when everything is out of their control it is much harder for a child to feel safe. Thus it is one of the many jobs of a child life specialist to help give a sense of control back to a child. By letting a child learn about their illness through play, either by experimenting with medical tools or explaining their conditions through art, a child is able to learn in a way that makes sense to them. Thus a sense of normalcy and order is given back to the child which can lead to very calming outcomes. Although you may not consider how control and normalcy is important for a child, when it is not in their lives, many feel lost and unsure of their world. “Play is children’s way of working out balance and control in their lives, for, as children play, they are in control of the happenings in play, although it may not be possible to actually be in control of the life experiences represented in the play. It is the sense or feeling of being in control in the play therapy experience, rather than actual control that is essential to children’s emotional development and positive mental health” (Landreth, Play Therapy, p. 15).
When most people think of play they think of a child outside, running around, maybe even kicking a ball to a friend. However this is not realistic for the children that are suffering from medical conditions and although they are still in need of play, it must be provided in a more feasible way. Many play therapy sessions with hospitalized children will use medical based play therapy techniques. It has been found: “that after witnessing, and engaging in return, demonstrations on dolls of medical procedures (e.g. applying ECG electrodes, pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, anesthesia masks, and intravenous catheters), children would become desensitized to these potentially stressful situations and acquire a greater sense of control” (William LI, 2007, 322). That is why Child Life Services and medical play therapy have become such a key component to a child’s well being and healing in the hospital.
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