استفاده از شعر در بازی درمانی: ادغام منطقی

One of the greatest challenges that face child psychotherapists is to find an effective way of working with the many pre-adolescent children who come for treatment. Young children arrive at mental health settings with a tremendous array of emotional and behavioral problems, and the clinician must learn to help these children as well as their typically frustrated and perplexed adult caretakers. A traditional solution has been to place the children in psychodynamically-oriented play therapy. In this type of treatment the patients are typically seen on an individual basis once or twice a week. The parents are then seen periodically for child guidance work or are referred to another therapist for assistance (Weisz and Benoit 1989).

Jason’s case clearly supports the work of other theorists, such as DeMaria (1991), Mazza (1981), and Mazza et al (1987), who have described the usefulness of poetry therapy with children and adolescents. Although many of Jason’s sessions were spent in play, his poems clearly facilitated the therapist’s understanding of his inner life and the development of a more empathic connection between Jason and his mother. In particular, Jason’s poetic descriptions of “the stupid ball” that is “kicked around and around” helped to create a healthier mother-son relationship. Upon hearing this poem Mrs. P could no longer view Jason simply as a bad, aggressive boy or as the unfortunate product of her union with a violent and destructive man. Jason’s thinly-veiled description of himself, via the ball, forced Mrs. P to see her son as the frightened and vulnerable child who desperately needed greater protection. It was the author’s experience that Jason’s poetry writing was similar to the work that Winnicott (1971)and so many others have described with the drawings of children. Like a revealing picture, Jason’s poems portrayed a crucial aspect of his damaged self in a vivid manner that facilitated the empathy of others. For many young children like Jason, the use of poetry can be an enriching component in their therapeutic experience.