Modern Day Play Therapy Case Study

Axline principles outlines modern day play therapy. It was established by Virginia Mae Axline who became a pioneer in non-directive Play Therapy in the 1940s when she developed and established the following eight basic principles following Carl Roger’s person centric approach to psychotherapy.

Principle 1: “The therapist must develop a warm, friendly relationship with the child, in which good rapport is established as soon as possible.” (Axline 2012 pg. 73)

Principle 2: “The therapist accepts the child exactly as he is.” (Axline 2012 pg. 73)

Principle 3: “The therapist establishes a feeling of permissiveness in the relationship so that the child feels free to express his feelings completely.” (Axline 2012 pg. 73)

Principle 4: “The

Client P was already in the midst of processing and I felt taken aback in his eagerness and need to ‘let it out’. We exchanged a brief weak smile as i quickly position myself as a ‘mirror’(Principle 4). Tears welled up in his eyes and i fought back the emotions surging within me at the knowledge of his mourning a loss (Principle 1). It was an unspoken understanding that he needed personal space and privacy to express his grieve (Principle 3). I strongly believed that if it was just us in the room, he would have cried. His hungry dinosaur had been stomping on sand looking for food whereas his snake was buried, trying to hide from hungry dinosaur. A childhood play with his brother perhaps as he had used simplistic childlike language giving the impression of age regression (Principle 2). His sand tray had been populated by objects that bore an aura of masculine darkness. It gave me a sense of doom and blood - black and red. Watching the commotion was a red eyed man who needed shelter and somehow is ‘stuck in sand’ trying to reach for shelter and becoming prey to a ‘big black bat bird’ (Principle 6). The need for shelter became more desperate; he searched my eyes for help and answers as his play actions became more deliberate and forceful (Principle 5). There was a sense of finality when “man is safe” hiding in shelter (Principle 7). Client P is in a sticky situation; he is clearly expressing his sense of loss and being lost and unsure of his next steps with the idea of running and hiding being very pervasive in his play. It is possible that sitting alongside client P would allow me to view his world better and be engaged with him and his play as a therapist instead of planting myself as a mirror. A focus on client’s actions rather than verbal affirmation could possibly draw out more emotional self expression from the