The power of play

By Anne White, Christian Lewis Trust Play Therapist, Cardiff

From diagnosis, through every aspect of treatment, the play therapist has a key role to play. Whereas most people can put their shopping in the boot of their car, Anne has no room for anything else. Its full of toys, puppets, a doctor’s kit, sand and lots more – the tools in her playtherapy kit. 

Anne describes a typical day: 
No two days or sessions are the same. The day starts at 6 year old Ella’s home. Ella relapsed recently and is finding it very hard having to start a new course of chemo. She remembers what it was like last time and is feeling sad and angry about having to go through it all again. She is sitting on the sofa and tells me the nurse has just been and taken blood. She’s ready to play, so out comes the vet kit. We use dogs to go through different aspects of the treatment – blood taking, giving vincristine, going into hospital. We work hard treating all the dogs. Ella tells me when something might hurt and if the dog might feel sick or need tablets. Ella tells me to keep an eye on the dog with the port needle still in, and then I wave goodbye and I’m off to see Sam.

Sam is 14 and nearly at the end of his first year of treatment. Sam loves to draw cartoons and we have been working on a cartoon strip using some characters he created. The story is about a tiny man who discovers he can be a super hero in the face of great adversity. Today tiny man has to battle through the kitchen, but everything is so big and it seems impossible. There are lots of big obstacles along the way. Will he sink or swim….that’s next week’s challenge. The time has flown and its time to say goodbye. Then I’m back in the car and off to see Rory.

Rory has just returned home from a week long hospital stay. He immediately sorts out my bag of puppets, and tells me they are preparing for a jungle party. But the giraffe starts to feel ill and has a temperature and has to go to the doctor, who takes lots of blood and then prescribes some special medicine to make him feel better. The giraffe has to go to hospital. Then the animals go and visit him and tell him they are planning a party for when he comes home. The giraffe starts to feel better.



Last visit is Penny, whose brother is in hospital. She is with her Granny today, but has spent the previous four nights with her Auntie. Now her Gran has her until the weekend when hopefully her brother will be out and she can go home with him and Mum. Everyone who visits Penny’s house comes to see her brother but I go and see her and she plays and talks which helps her. Penny loves to draw and create pictures, today she is making a monster which gets into trouble in school and the teacher was cross. The monster story continues until its time for me to go.

As I drive home I contemplate my day. I have been allowed into the world of some amazing children, all facing extra challenges. The time spent with them
gave them opportunities to tell their stories, conquer some fears, make sense of the treatment regime, gain a little more confidence, be angry, be sad and have some fun. And it is all through play, the most natural thing for a child to do.