Chronic Illness and Play Therapy

This 1 hour workshop explores play therapy techniques for working with ill children and their families. The presenter discusses the differences of chronic illnesses, serious illnesses, critical illnesses, and terminal illnesses. Development of a child’s concept of death and how children might process their own life-threatening illness in play are discussed. Play therapy activities and interventions to attend to attend to physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and practical needs of ill children are provided. The presenter discusses how to navigate family issues involving ill children and how to support families through psychoeducation and family play therapy activities. Finally, the presenter discusses self-care for clinicians working with ill children.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this workshop, the participant will be able to:

• Identify the stages of when a child faces a life-threatening illness and how these stages may present themselves during play.
• Apply play therapy activities and interventions to attend to physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and practical needs of ill children.
• Demonstrate ways to incorporate guardian and family support through family sessions and family play therapy sessions.

Presenter:

Samantha Willis, M.Ed., LPC (AL), NCC, Registered Play Therapist

CE Hours:

1 non-contact hour

APT approved provide number 18-527

References:

ASCO. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/advanced-cancer/caring-terminally-ill-child

Daneker, D. (2006). Counselors working with the terminally ill. VISTA. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/Resources/Library/VISTAS/ vistas06_online- only/Daneker.pdf

Erikson, E. (1963). Childhood and society. New York: Norton.

Fingeroth, D. (2004). Superman on the couch: What superheroes really tell us about ourselves and our culture. New York: Continuum Books.

Hirsch, L. (2015). Caring for a seriously ill child. Kids health. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/seriously-ill.html

Kübler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying.

Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. New York: Norton.

Rubin, L. C. (2007). Using superheroes in counseling and play therapy. Retrieved from http://lghttp.48653.nexcesscdn.net/80223CF/springer-static/media/samplechapters/9780826102690/9780826102690_chapter.pdf

Sawyer, J. K., & Horm-Wingerd, D. M. (1993). Creative problem solving. In C. Schaefer (Ed.), The therapeutic powers of play (1st ed; pp. 81–105). Northvale, New Jersey: Aronson.

Serwint, J. R., Bostwick, S., Burke, A. E., Church, A. Gogo, A., Hofkosh, D.,...Rivera, F. (2016). Resilience in the face of grief and loss: A curriculum for pediatric learners. Constance Baldwin pediatrics, 138(5) doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-0791 Retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en-us/ Documents/Understanding%20Grief%20and%20Loss%20in%20Children %20Discussion%20Guide.pdf