Treatment
Modality: Individual/Group/Family
Population: Ages 3 to adults
Treatment Phase: Beginning/Working/Termination
Treatment Goals:
1. To practice making positive self talk statements
2. To increase the client’s sense of competence/mastery of the
environment.
3. To increase overall self-esteem.
Props:
-
a can of Playdoh for each participant
-
treasures (glass stones, coins, colored baubles)
Procedure:
Open a can of Playdoh for each participant. Begin by instructing the
client to take one little chunk of Playdoh and put it to the side.
Roll the rest into a ball. Then press both thumbs into the middle
(to begin to hollow out a center) and mold it into a shape that looks
like a cup or a nest. Then take the leftover Playdoh (that which was
put aside) and place it in front of the client. Instruct the client
to roll it into a ball and then flatten it into the shape of a pancake.
Invite the client to create facial features for the flat circle of
PlayDoh using stones, coins, etc. from the treasure chest. When the
face is finished, have the client fill up the rest of the PlayDoh
(shaped like a cup or nest) with treasures. Put the lid/face on top
of the cupped piece, covering up the treasures. The client has now
created a rough Playdoh person. The therapist points out that the
Playdoh person doesn’t look very interesting from the outside.
Since you can’t tell a lot about this person from the outside,
she has to be opened up. She has to tell us about all the things that
make her special. Model pulling out one treasure at a time from the
PlayDoh person’s body while making a statement that begins with
“I am good at...”. The therapist should model statements
like “I am good at laughing”, “I am good at dressing
myself”, “I am good at listening.” It is important
that client begin to realize that skills and abilities that she may
take for granted are part of what make her unique and special. The
child then has a turn to make a “Good-At” Statement for
each of the treasures in his/her Playdoh person.
Processing Questions:
What could you tell about the Playdoh person from the outside?
What was inside the Playdoh person and how is that like the things
inside you?
Was it hard to think of things that you’re good at?
How did it feel to say nice things about yourself?
Homework Assignment:
Ask three different safe adults (this could include the therapist,
teachers, parents, clergy, etc.) to tell you one thing that they think
you are good at. Be prepared to give the list to the therapist next
session. The number of people that the children should consult may
change depending on how many, or how few, positive influences the
child has in her environment.
Special
Considerations:
I have not yet found a client who didn’t enjoy some version
of this game. However, clients may have such low self-esteem that
they can’t think of anything they are good at. If this is
the case, the therapist must voice true positive statements about
the clients until the clients begin to believe them. Moreover, clients
with severe speech delays or cognitive deficits may need modifications
(see below).
Applications and Modifications:
This technique is particularly useful in a group setting because
children who cannot think of many (or any) things that they are
good at, can have their positive qualities reflected by other group
members. This allows other members to feel important at the same
time that the client becomes aware that not only is she “good
at” many things, but other people notice and appreciate her
skills and abilities. For children suffering from speech delays
the therapist can invite the client to draw pictures for many different
skills (or cut them out of magazines). Young clients can choose
from the pictures and store the ones that match their abilities
in their Playdoh people. These pictures can then be produced when
it is their turn to share their “Good At” statements.
This technique can be adapted to almost any population and setting.
Often, when I give workshops, I give all the participants an opportunity
to experience the technique. However, we use Smarties as the prop
and for every Smarties, you have to say one thing that you are “Good
At”. Workshop participants often give feedback regarding how
awkward it feels to say nice things about themselves. They report
that it feels like bragging and that they can’t think of many
things that they are good at. If adults have this much difficulty
with highlighting their positive qualities, how much more difficult
it must be for children.
