Athens County Children Services P.O. Box 1046 Athens, Ohio 45701 Ph : (740)592-3061 Fax: (740)593-3880

Several Athens County Children Services staff met to be trained in the use of Theraplay® techniques. These techniques will help Children Services staff work with families with the goal of helping parents and children build better relationships.

"Locally, Theraplay techniques are beginning to be used with some area children and their families. It is exciting to have an opportunity to offer a new service within Athens County with so many potential benefits."

Theraplay®, established in the late 1960's by Dr. Ann Jernberg, is a method of play therapy through attachment-based play. There is an on-going need for attachment-based therapy to be offered to children within Athens County. This four-day training was the first step in the lengthy process of becoming certified Theraplay® therapists, and although attendance at the training does not certify these professionals as Theraplay® therapists, it does allow them to use Theraplay® techniques in their work with children and families.

Theraplay® is based on several assumptions: the early interaction between parent and child is central to the development of a child’s personality and sense of self; the parent’s responsiveness to the child is essential to the child’s development of self worth and secure attachment; the child’s ability to meet her own needs later in life is dependent on these early experiences; and the child’s sense of what she is like, of what others are like and of what the world is like come from these interactions. Ideally, these things are all present in the first three to five years of a child’s life.

Theraplay® is used to establish or re-establish a connection between a parent and child following a loss, trauma or separation. Parents are actively involved in the therapy because the parent-child relationship is primary, and the goal is for the parent to continue interacting with the child at home as they did when in Theraplay®. In addition, Theraplay® can be used in conjunction with other therapies, or before or after starting other therapies, depending on what is needed.

Theraplay® begins with an intake interview and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM). The MIM is a structured assessment and observation process to identify the parent’s ability to structure the child’s environment, to engage the child in interactions with the parent, to attend to and nurture the child, and to encourage and challenge the child in achieving age-appropriate tasks. It also gives the therapist the opportunity to assess the child’s ability to respond to the parent. The intake interview and MIM are used to evaluate the areas of concern as well as identify the parent’s strengths that can be used to address the areas of concern. Then the Theraplay® begins.

A typical Theraplay® program includes approximately 19 sessions, although more severe problems may take longer. If possible, one therapist is assigned to the child, and another is assigned to the parent to act as interpreter of what is occurring with the child in sessions. Within the Theraplay® sessions, activities are categorized as working on Structure, Nurture, Engagement or Challenge. An example of a structure activity would be the therapist using eye signals to indicate the direction the child should move. In the nurture category, an activity could be singing a lullaby to the child. An engagement activity might be having the child and therapist take turns mirroring each other. An example of a challenging activity is blowing bubbles high in the air, and the child and therapist blowing one of the bubbles back and forth like tennis. Playfulness is central to all four categories.

Over the course of treatment, the parent becomes more and more involved in each session and may eventually run entire sessions. In addition, often the parents themselves receive benefits from the Theraplay® as it may meet some of their own unmet needs from their childhoods. The results can be an improvement in the parent’s confidence and self-esteem, and it may enable them to address their own traumas or losses.

During the four day training, the group of professionals had the opportunity to observe an MIM and a number of Theraplay® sessions with a parent and child who volunteered for the training. Over the course of those four days, a noticeable, positive change was seen in the way the child reacted to the sessions as well as in the relationship between the parent and child. Although their attachment was already strong and very loving, the Theraplay® seemed to strengthen it. It has been reported that the current interactions of the parent and child continue to demonstrate benefits from the Theraplay® sessions.

For more information on Theraplay®, contact Athens County Children Services at (740) 592-3061.

Athens County Children Services Re-launches Website

Athens County Children Services is pleased to present its relaunched website at www.athenschildrenservices.com. This fully revamped site is created to serve as an interactive journey through the services provided by Children Services as well as an educational tool for families and others.

"We want the new website to be a 24 hour a day resource for families as well as a way to help keep children safe."

This redesigned website also contains information on the many community events Athens County Children Services is involved in annually, including Kidfest! and the Heritage Health Fair.

Athens County Children Services hopes you find our new website helpful and please visit us often for updates on what's new at the agency. Any questions or comments regarding this website can be addressed to Andy Ellinger, webmaster at ellint@odjfs.state.oh.us.