Virginia M. Axline (1911-1988) was an American psychologist. She was a student of Carl Rogers (1942), who is the founder of non-directive therapy and today referred as person- centred therapy. Axline developed non-directive play therapy, which applied Carl R Roger’s person-centred therapy principle in play therapy. It based on theory that the child’s behaviours is constantly caused by drive for self-realization. In Axline’s books, Dibs in Search of Self (1964) and Play Therapy (1947), she demonstrated different cases of using play therapy. In summary of non-directive play therapy, child chooses the theme, content and the process of the play and the therapist follows and does not make any decision for the child. The objectives of the non-directive play therapy are promoting children’s self-awareness and self-direction. The Eight basic principles by Axline (1969), can serve as a guide for therapeutic contact with children in practice of play therapy: 1) Develop a warm and friendly relationship.
2) Accepts the child as she or he is.
3) Establishes a feeling of permission in the relationship
4) Reflects back the feelings that the child is expressing
5) Respect the child’s ability and responsibility to make choices and institute change. 6) The Child leads the way, therapist follow
7) Do not attempt to hurry the therapy.
8) Establish few limitations that anchor to the reality
1) Developing warm and friendly relationship is essential for building rapport. It is a structuring process. The relationship building should start not only when the therapy session begins, but also when introducing and inviting child to participant the therapy. In the initial contact, Smile, gentle voice tone, open-ended question, greeting conversation to show interests on the child, as a person can help on developing rapport. In the session, to maintain warm and friendly relationship, by showing full attention on the child, instead of distracted by the behaviour/ seeking for the meaning of those behaviour. Constantly look at the child’s face, stay the focus on the child. Constantly giving the message for the child that
they can make their own choice in the room. Sit along side with the child with a reachable distance.
2) Accepting child completely can be shown by the therapist’s attitudes and the way to develop and maintain a steady, calm and friendly relationship with the child. Never showed impatient, against any critics or comment on child behaviour. Constantly pay attention on child’s face, not the behaviour. Never comment on child’s behaviour, focus on the process, only reflect the feeling if needed. Sit with the child, mirroring, reflect feelings, reminded them that they can do whatever they needed in the room, and implied that their needs were accepted.
3) Feeling of permissiveness can be established though assurance sentence like: “Everything you need are in this room, you can do whatever you needs in here ”, thus the child can spend the therapeutic hour in his own way. Permissiveness also implied choice to use and not to use according to child’s wishes. Therapist should stay focus on the child himself, and not suggesting to use any toys or engage in any activities, as respect the child’s wish to be silent at the play room, by reflecting their behaviour by mirroring or to be there for them.
4) Therapist should be alert to child’s feeling, recognize and reflect back. Try to saying with child’s word, referring to the play context, e.g. child holding a puppet, Mike the monkey, hiding Mike behind the other puppet. Therapist can reflect “ Mike seems to be shy and anxious today. He wants to hide himself.” As long as the child needs to use the toys as a medium to express his feeling, therapist should respect and follow. In role-play exercise, reflect back to the child that she thinks she has finished her sand play before the session end, by simply response her back “You are done.” Instead of giving suggestion to tell the child keep playing or reminding she has plenty of time left.
5) Maintaining responsibility for child to make choice during the session. In role-play, child can choose to continue playing with the sand tray or stop play. Stay with the child, giving the space and time for child to do
whatever he needs at that moment. The basic theoretic belief of non-directive play therapy is promoting self-awareness and insight within the individual, so as to manifest change in behaviour. Placing the child as the focus of the therapy, tried to help child to realize his responsibility for himself. The whole therapeutic sand play session (10 mins) become child’s time to do whatever he needs to. Therapy remain with the child though the whole 10 mins, even child stated that he finished what he needs to do. No objection nor suggestion from therapy. Keep quite; stay calm, close and interested to the child. 6) Child leads
During the therapy, Therapist does not attempt to direct child’s behaviour or conversation, or not even tried to interrupt what the child’s had done in the sandy tray. Therapy waited for child’s decision on what materials he chose and his decision about how to play with it. Follow the child, when he decided to stop, respect his decision. Reflect his decision and follow him, allow him to get into sand play again. Not intrude to the child’s play. Therapist became a very unique person that help the child to realized what he is. Therapist keeps her own feeling, opinion, guidance away in the session, and follows the child. 7) Therapy is the gradual process; therapist should not attempt to hurry the therapy. Wait for the child, interested in him, stay with him, let him alone, let him takes his time, not questioning about his behaviour or his silent moment. The patience of the therapist helps the child to gain the readiness to aware and express his feeling. By creating an astrosphere for the child that he is being accepted, even included his own pace of the process. The child himself is more important than the pace of the therapy. No one will understand as well as the child knows about himself. Changes can only take place with individual’s participation and change come from within.
8) Setting up few limitation and boundary are important for non-directive play therapy, in order to anchor and link with the world of reality. Letting the child knows the time limit of the therapy session, by reminding the time and count down. Boundary also help child to differentiate the behaviour in play therapy and real world. Limitation of keeping the child safe is necessary, “ whatever he says and whatever he does will keep inside the play
room, help child to recognized the confidentially and prevent to feel guilty by doing “unacceptable” behaviour in the playroom. Reminding safety issue may also important, especially for child protection, if suspected the child is in danger. To give rein for expressing negative behaviour in the therapy session, as well as helping him to realise limitation in reality and learn, thus, boundary of safety to the tools kit, the therapy and the child need to be put in place.
8 principles like gearwheels, engaging and working with one another. Therapy is like the engineer to design and put gearwheel in good place, right order, waiting the child to press the button and once the child is ready to move on, change will happen and machine can move. Non-directive play therapy makes no harm for child. Chang is a graduate process, stay at the same pace with the child.
Reference:
AXLINE, V. M. (1969) Play Therapy, The Random House Publisher. AXLINE, V. M. (1990) Dibbs in Search of Self, New York, Penguin Books. LANDRETH, G.L. (2002)Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship, New York, Brunner-Routledge.
