Therapeutic or Traumatic: An Exploratory Study of Play Therapists’ Perceptions of Toy Guns and Aggressive Toys in the Playroom

Description

Mass shootings and gun violence are becoming more and more commonplace in theU.S. Gun control continues to be a controversial topic in America. This controversyextends to the playroom and play therapy literature, as play therapists grapple with thedecision to include or exclude toy guns from the playroom. Within thisphenomenological study, play therapists considered and defined their decisions toinclude/exclude guns within the playroom. Themes identified included the influence ofpersonal and theoretical beliefs on inclusion and exclusion, child development, toys asmetaphors, and boundaries and limit setting around toy guns in the playroom. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are explored.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
• Special Topics

Learning Objectives:

• Identify their person beliefs regarding toy guns in the play therapy room
• Recognize their personal tolerance for toy guns and as a result, when they would set limits surrounding toy guns in the playroom (complete exclusion, people are not for shooting, I am for shooting tummy and below)
• Discuss their rationale for their inclusion/exclusion of toy guns in the play therapy room

Speaker(s):

• Mary DeRaedt, MS, LPC
• Courtney F. Glickman, MA, LPC
• Maggie M. Parker, PhD, LPC, RPT-S
• Quinn Smelser, MA, LPC, RPT, Loyola University Maryland