When the children step into one of Fion Yip’s play therapy sessions, they enter a world of colours and fun. There are finger puppets, masks, dolls, musical instruments, and an array of craft materials such as clay, paint and play dough.
During the session, the child gets to call the shots. Fion adopts a child-centered play therapy approach, which lets the children decide how and what to play with. “This creates a non-judgmental and a safe and supportive therapeutic environment that permits the learning of emotional and behavioural self-regulation,” she says.
Often this allows children to express emotions they might otherwise struggle with. A child might bang a drum loudly or make a messy painting to vent their anger, or create a “tumour” with play dough and then destroy it to symbolise their fight with cancer.
Within this safe and empowering environment, the child leads Fion to the source of their emotional disturbance, helping her understand their needs.
“I use developmentally appropriate techniques to help the child let go of the negative or restrictive feelings, and develop coping mechanisms for use in real life,” she says.
She recalls a particular patient who was referred to her as she was withdrawn and reluctant to interact with any of the medical staff. The girl played with a doll in every session, pretending that she was the doctor and the doll was the patient.
Fion says: “The child was able to play out her own medical experience and the therapy helped her make sense of what had happened and addressed her emotional needs. The therapy sessions also showed me what the child was hoping to see and what could help her cope with her situation. In this case, the child hoped that when she was hospitalised, her parents could spend more time with her.”
Ultimately, play helps children to be heard. “Play is the most natural language that reflects the inner voice of children,” says Fion.