Group Play Therapy

Group play therapy requires a level of commitment to children and to the process of play beyond what is required in individual play therapy. Group play therapy employs the advanced skills of experienced play therapists. Individual play therapy allows the therapist the freedom to control many variables of the therapeutic process. The most effective method of determining appropriateness for group is to facilitate an individual session with a child prior to decision making. The following issues are considerations when deciding a child’s match to a group intervention: age, aggression, attachment, sexual abuse, and social and relational issues. In group play therapy, the therapist does not structure for cohesion, primarily for two reasons. The first reason for an individual focus within group is that child-centered group play therapy is grounded in personcentered theory. A second reason for the lack of focus on cohesion is the developmental nature of children who have a propensity to be self-focused.