Play Therapy Explained

Play Therapy Explained (Added: March 29, 2011)

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Dr. Kenneth Mccperson, an Augusta psycholgist, has been in the headlines for the past couple of weeks for charges of child molestation...using "play therapy" with his clients. WJBF News Channel 6's Cory McGinnis spoke with a local psychologist who explained what play therapy is and how this type of therapy can be effective...

By: Cory McGinnis | WJBF News Channel 6
Published: March 29, 2011

Augusta, GA --

Dr. Dan Hillman is executive director of the Child Enrichment, Inc. in Augusta. He's been in the business for 37 years, and says "play therapy" is a good way to make children feel more comfortable when they have to talk about traumatic events.

Dr. Dan Hillman, executive director for Child Enrichment, Inc.: "Alot of drawings, we do some play therapy involving sandbox type settings, where there's characters, where they move them around and they create houses and living rooms and spaces, and sometimes when they design those, it's easier for them to explain what may have happened in those..."

According to the Georgia Association for Play Therapy, children are able to demonstrate through their play what they are thinking and how they feel about people and events.

Dr. Hillman says adults need to do a better job recognizing the signs of abuse in children and teens...

Dr. Hillman: "If we can just protect the children to begin with, we can prevent all of this unnecessary trauma."

He says his peers do a good job protecting children after the abuse. He compares it to a cocoon.

Dr. Hillman: "They're protected from that point forward, but we failed at preventing the abuse from the beginning."

But, what about when a child or teen is abused by someone they trust? Like a teacher, family member or pychologist...

Dr. Hillman: "It is more traumatic when a child has been abused by someone they trust and that is often a person who convinced them to not tell, by threat, or intimidation, or fear...

Dr. Hillman says his counseling center offers a lot of services for abused and neglected children. His hopes are helping children muddle through their past.

Dr. Hillman: "Helping children understand what has happened to them and to cope with it."

Meanwhile, Dr. McPherson is being held at the Richmond County Jail without bond, and is still registered as a play therapist under the Georgia Assocation for Play Therapy.