Using Recreational Games in Counseling

Experiential Activities and Multicultural Counseling Competence Training

“…Games can be defined as activities with specified rules and rewards that are engaged in for amusement. The use of games in the field of counseling, and particularly as a tool to positively influence the counseling process, has a relatively long history (e.g., Crocker & Wroblewski, 1975;Flowers, 1978;Johnson & Chatowsky, 1969;Varenhorst, 1973). Crocker and Wroblewski pointed out that using games during counseling offers six helping functions: (a) to sensitize a person to previous behaviors of which he or she has been unaware; (b) to allow a person to confront feelings of powerlessness; (c) to offer opportunities to deal with the rules of the game as an analogy to living by norms of society, norms that may be different from personal norms; (d) to allow childlike playfulness to emerge, which may lead to some forms of risk taking; (e) to create a safe and permissive climate to experiment with new behaviors; and (f) to help a person learn effective coping behavior.…”

Activity Therapy: An Alternative Therapy for Adolescents

“…Most activity therapy researchers suggest the use of games, arts and crafts, and building materials with groups of preteen children (Claman, 1980;Crocker & Wroblewski, 1975;Gardner, 1971;Ginott, 1961;Nickerson & O'Laughlin, 1982;Schiffer, 1984;Schnachter, 1979;Varenhorst, 1973). We believe that toys, equipment, and other materials should be selected to stimulate encouragement, involvement, and creative development, not solely to amuse.…”

Development of the child’s ego strength scale: An observation-based assessment of the board game behaviors in play therapy in Korea

“…32,38,39 Because of these projective features, clinicians who actively use games in play therapy have argued they can obtain diagnostically valuable information from a child's game attitude. 40,41 For example, Gardner 42 used the game of checkers as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool, 36 and Fried 35 used chess as an analysis tool. In addition, Bow and Quinnell 43 identi ed a number of socio-emotional characteristics such as cognitive strategies, response to feedback, drive for mastery, and a sense of competency, all of which were observable while playing ne motor skill games with children.…”

“…Thus, children with low ego strength are overly immersed in the game's outcome 63 and have di culty withstanding frustration and anxiety. 9,40,52,53 Since enduring loss and frustration is important skill needed to accept and face reality, 64 ego strength is de ned based on frustration tolerance from a perspective focusing on inner ego function.…”

“…Therefore, the child's reaction to the therapist's feedback during the game are important observation variables. 40 In addition, how a child asks for necessary help while playing a game 54 is also an important assessment opportunity for therapists.…”