Therapeutic Health and Play Work

Matthew 18:2-6

' And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]. Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and accepts and welcomes Me. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in and acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin [that is, who entices him or hinders him in right conduct or thought], it would be better (more expedient and profitable or advantageous) for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be sunk in the depth of the sea.'

Therapeutic health and play work involves using play as a tool to support children and young people in healthcare settings, helping them understand their illness, cope with procedures, and reduce anxiety and fear. This can include preparing children for medical treatments, distracting them during procedures, and providing opportunities for them to process their experiences through play. The goal is to promote emotional resilience, make healthcare more normal, and ensure a better health outcome.  

What it involves

• Preparation for procedures: Health play specialists use play to explain what will happen during a procedure in an age-appropriate way, helping to alleviate fear and stress. 

• Distraction during procedures: Activities like playing a game, reading a book, or using art materials can provide a positive focus and distract children during a painful or difficult experience, such as a blood test or scan. 

• Post-procedural support: Play helps children make sense of what they have gone through after a procedure or treatment. 

• Emotional support: Health play specialists use various techniques to help children express their feelings about their illness and treatment, which can aid emotional regulation. 

• Normalizing the environment: Providing opportunities for normal play in a hospital setting helps children feel more in control and less isolated. 

• Working with families: This role also includes supporting siblings and other family members who may be feeling anxious. 

Where they work

Hospitals (inpatient and outpatient departments), Hospices, Community-based settings, and Children's homes. 

How to access the service

• Speak to a member of your medical team to ask about a referral. 

• In some hospitals, you may be able to self-refer through a specific contact, such as an email address. 

Therapeutic health and play work use play and creative activities to support children, adolescents, and sometimes adults, in managing stress, overcoming trauma, and coping with medical procedures or emotional difficulties. The approach can be applied in various settings, from hospitals and clinics to schools and nurseries. 

Core principles

• Play as communication: For children, play is the most natural form of self-expression. They use it to communicate unconscious feelings, thoughts, and conflicts that they may not be able to verbalize.

• Therapeutic relationship: A core component is the trusting, safe relationship developed between the client and the practitioner.

• Child-led activity: In therapeutic play, the child is often in control, choosing their own activities and setting the pace, which can help them gain a sense of control over their situation. 

Types of therapeutic play professionals

Play Therapist

A highly qualified mental health professional who uses play to help children and adults with significant emotional, social, or behavioral problems. 

• Training: Requires a master's-level qualification in play therapy and clinical supervision.

• Clinical focus: Addresses complex conditions like abuse, trauma, anxiety disorders, and depression.

• Scope: The most intensive form of therapeutic play, requiring a clinical, supervised relationship. 

Health Play Specialist

A qualified member of a healthcare team, often working in hospitals to help children and young people cope with illness, injury, and medical procedures. 

• Training: Requires a Foundation Degree in Healthcare Play Specialism.

• Role: Uses play to prepare children for procedures (e.g., surgery), as a distraction during treatment, and to support their overall well-being.

• Scope: Works within a hospital setting, from inpatient wards to outpatient clinics. 

Therapeutic Play Worker

Adds a therapeutic element to play work, but does not establish the same deep, clinical relationship as a Play Therapist. 

• Training: May involve specific courses in therapeutic play skills, often building on existing experience in childcare.

• Role: Can be used to alleviate mild, one-off emotional situations that are hindering a child's progress in a care or educational setting.

• Scope: Works in early years education or community settings. 

Therapeutic play in practice

The specific tools and techniques used are adapted to the client's age, developmental stage, and needs. 

Activities include:

• Expressive arts: Drawing, painting, and sculpting with clay to process emotions.

• Symbolic play: Using dolls, puppets, and sand trays to create miniature worlds and act out experiences.

• Preparation and distraction: Using medical play with dolls and toy medical equipment to help children understand and master stressful procedures.

• Storytelling: Using stories to help children communicate their fears, desires, and traumatic experiences.

• Mindfulness: Techniques to help children manage anxiety. 

Common applications:

• Reducing anxiety: Therapeutic play helps reduce fear and distress related to hospitalization, medical treatments, and other stressful events.

• Developing resilience: It supports the development of coping skills, emotional regulation, and self-esteem.

• Managing trauma: For children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or bereavement, play offers a safe way to explore and process difficult memories.

• Improving communication: It provides a bridge for communication with children who struggle to express their feelings verbally due to developmental stage or trauma. 

Therapeutic Health and Play Work will involve comfort zones or discomfort zones.

Within these zones there will be:

• Theme park

• Retail and Entertainment Destinations

• Visitor accommodation e.g hotels, and camping, caravanning

• Conference and Convention Spaces for indoor and outdoor rides, attractions, games and pools.

• Events spaces for parades, shows and displays, entertainment venues are set to include theatres, cinemas as well as (sports, recreation, leisure, spa, nutrition and holistic) therapy facilities.

• Entertainment venues with music and dance venues, nightclubs, dayclubs e.g youth clubs, youth centres.

•  Cosmetic skincare products e.g (foundation, concealer, blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, lip gloss, brow pencils, and setting powder. Skincare products like moisturizers, primers, sunscreens, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, serums, and masks, henna, Laali, make-up, tattoo) parlours and shops.

• Planned indoor and outdoor aas well as traditional and cultural or religion spaces including exhibition spaces, art galleries and museums.

In addition are exploration through:

• (sky diving and sky surfing) through atmospheric fabric

• (water diving and water surfing) through aquatic fabric

• (sand diving and sand surfing) through terrestrial fabric

• (cosmic diving and cosmic surfing) through celestial fabric

Therapeutic Health and Play Work is for all ages before mistakes, during and beside mastering or after and behind perfection is by;

• Play Role

• Communication

• Boundaries

• Calming

• Cooling

• Relaxing

• Punishment

• Acknowledgement

• Praise

• Improvement

• Accomplishment

• Behaviour Management

• Identity

• Religion

• Governance

• Opportunity

• Dialect

Via Zygotology, Embryology, Foetology, Neonatology and Infantology of Mature or Immature  (childhood, adulthood, and elder hood) through:

Elementary Home-Schooling via;

• Nursery,

• Kindergatten

•  Montessori

• Preschool 

Primary Home-Schooling

• Junior School

• Senior School

Secondary Home-Schooling

• Middle School

• High School

Tertiary Home-Schooling via;

• College 

• University

Utilising Early Years Foundation Stage and Therapy e.g Play Therapy etc.

Zygotology is concerned with metamorphosis fusion or division of immature (childhood, adulthood and elder hood) before, during or after play work and therapy and mature (childhood, adulthood or elder hood) before, during and after their fertillization.

Embryology is concerned with study, learning, teaching, reading about development and destruction of immature or mature (childhood, adulthood, elder hood).

Foetology is concerned with investigation and research of immature and mature (childhood, adulthood, elder hood) before, during or after their early years.

Neonatology is concerned with creativity by development and destructivity by evolution of immature or mature (childhood, adulthood, elder hood) before, during and after their late years.

Infantology is concerned with advanced (subconscious past knowledge), (unconscious present wisdom) and (conscious future understanding) of immature and mature or immature (childhood, adulthood, elder hood) as fully developed or destroyed individual, society and community.

Therapeutic Health and Play Work is demonstrated via masculine High Priest's breastplate as old age testament and the feminine Holy City's foundations as new age testament signifying intimacy between husbands and wives e.g the cleavage of thoracic region "eru aya' and cleavage of pelvic region "idi araba" as mountain, rocks and hill buildings of erotic sexual love depicts the relationship between spouses.

Revelation 21:19-21

' The foundation [stones] of the wall of the city were ornamented with all of the precious stones. The first foundation [stone] was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony (or white agate), the fourth emerald, [Isa. 54:11, 12.] The fifth onyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each separate gate being built of one solid pearl. And the main street (the broadway) of the city was of gold as pure and translucent as glass.'

Exodus 28:15-21

' You shall make a breastplate of judgment, in skilled work; like the workmanship of the ephod shall you make it, of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet [stuff], and of fine twined linen. The breastplate shall be square and doubled; a span [nine inches] shall be its length and a span shall be its breadth. You shall set in it four rows of stones: a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle shall be the first row; The second row an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond [so called at that time]; The third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; And the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. And the stones shall be twelve, according to the names of the sons of Israel, like the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.'

The jewels and inscribed names on the High Priest's breastplateand the Holy City's foundations symbolize God's covenant with the twelve tribes of Israel and the establishment of His eternal kingdom, respectively. 

The breastplate served as a continuous memorial, carrying the names before God, while the twelve foundation stones of the New Jerusalem represent both the apostles and the eternal presence of God's people. 

The High Priest's Breastplate

Represents the Tribes of Israel:

The breastplate featured twelve precious stones, with the names of the twelve sons of Israel engraved on them. 

A Continual Memorial:

The high priest wore the breastplate on his heart as he entered the most holy place, acting as a constant reminder of the people of Israel before God. 

Divine Communication:

It also included the Urim and Thummim, stones used to determine God's will, although their exact function is debated. 

The Foundation Stones of the Holy City

Symbols of the New Jerusalem:

In the Book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem, the eternal city of God, is described with twelve foundation stones, each bearing the name of one of the twelve apostles. 

Foundation of Faith:

These stones symbolize the foundational role of the apostles and their teachings, upon which the church is built. 

Epitome of God's Promise:

The precious stones also represent the glory, beauty, and eternal nature of God's kingdom and His fulfillment of promises to His people. 

Connection Between the Two

Foreshadowing and Fulfillment:

The stones of the breastplate are seen as foreshadowing the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem, symbolizing a progression from God's covenant with the tribes of Israel to the fulfillment of His plan in the eternal city. 

Eternal Dwelling:

The breastplate's representation of God's people on the high priest's heart is echoed in the New Jerusalem, where God will dwell with His people forever.