Children of War: Using Play and Play Therapy with Migrant Children and Families

The number of migrant children and families is increasing worldwide. This situation imposes on a range of childhood professionals reflections and concrete actions that can ensure effective psychosocial care. 

Cassina and Mochi, mental health professionals specializing in play therapy and expressive arts who have worked in high-risk settings internationally, will begin this experiential training by introducing the fundamentals of the migration process, commonly used terms, the Avalanche Metaphor, and the Castle Metaphor to establish a common ground with participants. 

Then the concept of “Recovering lost play time” will be explored, and the rationale and main stages of the homonymous project implemented within the Swiss Red Cross reception centers will be presented. The role of the therapeutic powers of play and the professional trained in play therapy will be emphasized; in particular, it will be shared how and when to include play and play therapy in a multilevel intervention targeting migrant children and families. 

Participants will be involved in a series of considerations that emphasize the benefits and limitations drawing on personal work experiences: where to begin our intervention in the face of the many difficulties presented? How to involve caregivers in the process? How to manage language barriers and ensure respect for possible cultural differences? How to manage personal feelings in the face of life stories shared by children and their parents? The training day will be enriched by playful and introspective activities, videos and case examples.

Cassina and Mochi’s work in crisis and migration contexts is available in the book Play Therapy and Expressive Arts in a Complex and Dynamic World: Opportunities and Challenges Inside and Outside the Playroom (Cassina, Mochi & Stagnitti, 2023) and in a series of publications in 2024.

A workshop organized by the Canadian Association for Play Therapy (CAPT).

Register here: https://capttraining.com/