Spieltherapie in Kindertageseinrichtungen – Konzept, Praxis, Wirksamkeit

Abstract

Playtherapy in Kindergartens — Concept, Practice, Outcome. How can interactive person-centered play therapy be realized in the everyday life of kindergartens and which effects does it have on children’s behavior in this context? The concept IPSA (Integration of Person-centered play therapy into the everyday life of kindergartens) is presented, which aims at the needs of preschoolers in kindergartens. Single child play therapy is broadened step by step to dyadic, triadic, and small group work, finally the play therapy takes place in the complete regular group. The project was tested during 5 months and the experiences of parents and educators were documented. 5 Children aged 4.7 years in average took part. Parents and educators experiences and as well the systematic documentations of the play therapist identified divers positive tendencies including attachment behavior, group integration, assertiveness, creativity, attention, self-esteem and emotion regulation. Further test of this concept could be performed with other symptom groups, other transition from single to group work, or less structured group regulations.