PSYCHODRAMA: A THERAPEUTIC TOOL WITH CHILDREN IN GROUP PLAY THERAPY
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THERAPYAbstract
Psychodrama may be viewed as a specialized facet or component of psychotherapy and as such is best considered m the total context of the psychotherapeutic process.
Initially, play therapy was conceived as a method which, in general, corresponded to the method of psychoanalysis in adult psychotherapy. In play therapy the child expressed himself and revealed unconscious material to the therapist by means of play rather than by verbalization of thoughts. Psychoanalytic theory and Freud's proponents expounded a cathartic theory of play and saw play as the child's attempt to master situations that were difficult for him. However, even the most analytically oriented child analysts began to focus on current interaction despite their intense interest in the events of the child's very early life. The importance of the "here and now" is a significant factor in psychodrama; it is interesting to note that even in the works of Melanie Klein, she "maintained a here-and-now focus throughout the analytic process" (Yalom, 1970). The primary emphasis in child therapy, however, remained the play of the child himself.
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