ABSTRACT
In this chapter, authors discuss how processing the creative product often generates somatic experiences for clients, in addition to emotional expression. Authors discuss how to assist clients in safely letting the body express suppressed emotion stored from prior emotional wounds and traumas. Special attention should be paid to the client’s emotional safety with the experience and client empowerment to choose how to proceed. Authors discuss steps to guide clients through a body scan. Helping clients label the somatic expression through skillful open-ended and closed questioning is addressed; example questions are provided. Verbal prompts are also suggested to assist the client in expressing the somatic experience. Mirroring is discussed as a helpful technique. Ideas are presented in the context of sample dialogue from a case example.
The Creative Play Therapy approach has seven phases which are displayed in Figure 9.1.
