Many years ago, while working towards my Bachelor of Social Work degree, I learned to NOT volunteer for public role play exercises.  “Why?”, you ask.  Well, inevitably it would turn in a direction that I really was not prepared for.  I was caught off guard and, therefore, I missed the opportunity to carefully consider my responses—feeling vulnerable and exposed.   As I became a more seasoned clinician, a ready response came more easily AND I continued in my established pattern of self-preservation. 

            Fast forward 25+ years. In 2019, I became a Registered Play Therapist.  In March 2020, I was introduced to and began a deep dive into incorporating digital tools in my play therapy practice.  In fact, it has become a passion! Through this journey of professional growth, I have also been exposed to an unexpected personal growth.  There may be more, but I attribute this shift to two primary factors: 1) healing properties of play and 2) felt safety among colleagues and friends.

Notice the picture above—one side is very tidy, while the other is very messy with a plethora of items on the floor.  These past several months I have had the opportunity to receive training in the therapeutic use of Virtual Reality.  Each training has given me a different, yet equally powerful take-away message.  In the most recent training, we utilized and discussed two games from the perspective of multi-sequential tasks and learning:  Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator.  Clinician hat on and learning brain activated—check. Well, until it wasn’t.  almost immediately my clinician hat and learning brain were replaced; instead, I was a person fully immersed in an unfamiliar setting, attempting to navigate surroundings.  I quickly became frustrated.  I could hear the tantalizing sound of the coffee pot; yet, after multiple attempts, I could not figure out how to dispense the coffee.  The more I looked around, the more things deeply resonated.  Finally, I gave up!  In fact, I became somewhat defiant—throwing things on the floor, putting my head in the copy machine to see if it would actually work (IT DID!!), randomly pushing all the buttons—trying to make sense of SOMETHING.  I quit….again—abandoning the job for a vacation.

Just a game, right? How is it possible that all of my senses could feel like I stumbled into the virtual version of my life??  On the surface, play seems like ‘just play.’ However, when considering the Therapeutic Powers of Play, it is so much deeper than that! For years, play therapists have been advocating for the profession; declaring “WE NEED MORE PLAY!  PLAY HEALS!”  So much so that, at times, I am baffled by the dichotomy.  We have fought so ardently for play therapy to be a recognized and respected modality and, yet, the acceptance of digital play can seem elusive.  In terms of traditional and digital play therapy, one does not replace the other—it is a both-and.  The goal is not for every play therapist to utilize every modality of play, including digital.  Instead, the hope is that we, as a play therapy community, will at least widely entertain the potential and acknowledge the benefits of Digital Play Therapy^TM. We owe it to ourselves, our clients, and our profession to be interested enough in the client’s world, and all it entails, to give consideration —even if it means making referrals.

Fiona Hill is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist in the state of Missouri. She currently works in a group practice as a children-family therapist specializing in working with childhood trauma, attachment disruption, as well as families impacted by varying developmental needs within the family system. In addition, she has a sub-specialty of incorporating digital tools into therapeutic practice. Find more information about Ms. Hill here: https://fionahilllpc.com/

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An interview with Richard Hill of the Science of Psychotherapy https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com/dr-jessica-stone-talks-about-virtual-therapy-tools/?fbclid=IwAR3g1q0a4rZoXeINXDrNHgrBUW0ERqH8uWt1e-Iup0djs2n6dOopZ1jWIfM

Check out their site – it is chock full of information! https://www.thescienceofpsychotherapy.com

The post Virtual Therapy Tools first appeared on Jessica Stone, PhD, RPT-S.

Check it out here: https://www.psychotherapy.net/interview/jessica-stone-on-play-therapy!

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By Fiona Hill, LPC, RPT

The Story

Feeling or being ‘stuck’ is difficult. ‘Stuckness’ can look and feel differently, depending on who you are talking to.  Personally, a common theme has been that I want to run away.  Seemingly, life starts to close in around me and breathing can become very difficult.  Then, my focus is how to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. 

Lately, I’ve been working to improve my Minecraft skills…not to perfection, but to the point I’m not bogged down by the mechanics.  At first, practicing Minecraft wasn’t really something I wanted to do.  Honestly, I would often find the game so frustrating and overwhelming that I clearly avoided playing.  However, I really felt drawn to the game for a couple of reasons: 1) In hearing other clinicians talk about it, I knew that there can be lots of therapeutic value 2) many of my clients talk about, play it, and are very drawn to the game and 3) I really do like a challenge—the best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can’t.  So, I started slowly:  googling how to work various mechanics; watching YouTube videos; informally playing with colleagues and friends; then, as I became more comfortable I began to play more on my own and ‘try things out.’  For me, a turning point away from avoidance of direct play was in playing with a colleague who had graciously volunteered to give me a Minecraft ‘lesson.’  It was described as a ‘sandbox game.’  You mention anything sand related and there is an automatic connection for me.  However, that wasn’t even really the most impactful.  I was getting a tour of the amazing realm, and we were about to cross over some very high planks.  Even though we were playing ‘just a game,’ my fear of heights kicked in and I was immobilized-stuck.  My chest became tight and I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing in that moment.  My colleague’s avatar graciously carried my avatar across the planks.  Immediately, I felt relief.  I felt safe. Now, I was ready to more deeply explore Minecraft, both as a game and as a therapeutic tool.

A few days ago I was playing Minecraft, and found myself stuck underground. It was dark. There was a tightness in my chest because I couldn’t see my way out. I literally turned my avatar in circles and all I could see was pitch black. I wanted out; so, I turned the game off.  Went back another day…same thing. The next day…same thing. Today was different, though. I went into my ‘world’ and I was stuck. My avoidance had served me well—I had forgotten about my situation.  I was more than slightly irritated.  I mentioned to friends that I was stuck in Minecraft and my exact words were ‘I just turned on my Minecraft world and remembered I’m STUCK and haven’t been able to get out…so I just keep turning it back off……#Iwillgetout.’ As I’m turning looking for a way out, I remember ‘OH! I can use a lantern for light!’ Within a matter of a minute or so I was back out into the daylight. I could see the house I had built, and the tightness in my chest was gone.

Clinical Application

What I shared above is a personal experience.  If I were to sum up my experiences in two words, they would be co-regulation and resilience.  Looking at my personal experience through a clinical lens, there are many opportunities for therapeutic work.  The same can be said for many, if not all, of our clients with whom play therapy is our mode of treatment.  Play therapy is more than ‘just play,’ whether it is traditional or digital.  How powerful it can be to immersively partner with clients in providing co-regulation and building resilience through the use of digital tools—and these are only a small glimpse into the therapeutic possibilities! 

Fiona Hill is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist in the state of Missouri.  She currently works in a group practice as a children-family therapist specializing in working with childhood trauma, attachment disruption, as well as families impacted by varying developmental needs within the family system.  In addition, she has a sub-specialty of incorporating digital tools into therapeutic practice.

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