ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author explains the process of play therapy and the rules of the playroom; the puppet-client asks many questions that the child may be thinking, which are answered by the puppet-therapist. Puppets are a staple in children's toys worldwide and are commonplace in the tools of play therapists. Puppets allow children to express themselves in an active yet nonverbal manner, fostering communication of the unspeakable. A child can be engaged and participate in the play therapist's manipulation of a puppet-client at any age. Puppets come in several forms: hand puppets, Muppets, marionettes, and ventriloquist dummies. The role of the play therapist as narrator creates an empathic witness to the drama unfolding within the story, the puppet's reenactment, and within the child. Emily proceeded to reenact "Mr. Fox Is Sad," directing the author's role as Mr. Fox and interacting sequentially with the other puppets one by one.
