Puppets in the Playroom: Utilizing Puppets and Child-Centered Facilitative Skills as a Metaphor for Healing

This article presents the use of the child-centered approach with children who choose to use puppets in the playroom. In the context of play therapy, therapists can provide and use tools in the playroom, such as puppets, in directive or nondirective ways. Although much of the literature on puppets describes directive approaches for using puppets, this article presents the use of a nondirective, child-centered, approach for communicating with children using puppets. This article explores the therapeutic value of puppets in play therapy, how to choose puppets for the playroom, the basic principles of child-centered play therapy, and 5 facilitative skills used in child-centered play therapy. The child-centered facilitative skills that are described include acknowledging nonverbal behavior, reflecting content, reflecting feeling, facilitating decision-making and responsibility, and facilitating esteem-building. Illustrative examples with puppets are provided to demonstrate each child-centered facilitative skill.