Family Play Therapy: A Creative Approach to Including Young Children in Family Therapy

Journal of Systemic Therapies. Vol. 19. No.3. 2000

Although the field of family therapy was created to address whole family functioning. young children have historically been excluded from actual family treatment sessions. Family therapy models were primarily designed to work with adults and usually are inappropriate for the active involvement of young children. The integration of play and play therapy techniques with family therapy, however, allows for a creative solution to this problem. In this article, a rationale for and the benefits of a family play therapy approach to working with families with young children are delineated. Basic family play therapy theory. techniques, and materials are presented. The importance of the ability to play and having a playful attitude for therapi.~ts

and clients is stressed, and ideas for overcoming resistance to play in therapy are suggested. A case study illustrating family play therapy is included.

The field of family therapy was originally created to address whole family functioning. Although it has been 30 years since Nathan Ackerman (1970) expressed his concern that most family therapists were in fact excluding young children from family therapy sessions, existing anecdotal and empirical evidence indicates young children are still either largely excluded from family therapy sessions, or if physically present, they are relegated to a nonparticipatory role (Busby & Lufkin, 1992; Cederborg, 1997; Chasin & White, 1989; Cox, 1997; Dowling & Jones, 1978; Gil, 1994; Johnson & Thomas, 1999; Korner & Brown, 1990; Zilbach, 1986, 1991). A typical scenario in a family therapy session consists of the young children playing in a corner of the room while the therapist and parent engage in conversation, that is, if they can hear each other over the noise the children are making. Thus, although the field of family therapy advocates for a systemic conceptualization of the assessment and treatment of all members of the identified family system, in practice we have continued this pattern of excluding the youngest family members from active participation.

Address correspondence to Darla Botkin. Ph.D., Department of Family Studies. 315 Funkhouser. University of Kentucky. Lexington. KY 40506-0054. E-mail: [email protected].

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FAMILY PLAY THERAPY: A CREATIVE APPROACH TO INCLUDING YOUNG

CHILDREN IN FAl\ULY THERAPY

DARLA R. BOTKIN University of Kentucky

32 Botkin

This exclusion of young children from family...