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Five analogies between a King's Speech treatment and contemporary play therapies
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA. Scott.terrmd@sbcglobal.net
Objective:
Psychiatric patients frequently respond positively to play therapy, which may rely on psychoanalytic, Jungian, cognitive-behavioral, familial, school-based, or other theories. I wished to determine if there were unifying principles that tie together these various types of play treatments.
Methods:
The fact-based film, The King's Speech, vividly illustrates play utilized by Lionel Logue in his speech treatment (1926-1939) of the future King of England. In the film I found five analogies to the play therapy I employ in office practice.
Results:
The play scenes in The King's Speech point to five unifying principles among contemporary play therapies: (1) the crucial nature of the relationship, (2) the centrality of having fun, (3) the occasional reliance on others, (4) the interjection of pithy talk, and (5) the usefulness of a little drama.
Conclusion:
No matter what theory a play therapist ascribes to, these five unifying principles should be kept in mind during treatment.
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