The educational activities in the hospital environment. : A study on the needs of children and the playtherapists work in the hospital environment

We want to immerse ourselves in what playtherapy means and how it can ease the hospital visit for sick children. We have chosen to investigate what opportunities the educational environment provides to support and stimulate children's play in hospitals. We want to investigate how the playtherapists reflect on the educational activities and how they plan the game and the environment in which it occurs. We have chosen to focus on three questions that will be answered in this essay: How does the environment promote children's play in the play therapy? How can the educational environment and the play support children in the play therapy activities? How does the play therapists reflect on play within play therapy? To investigate and get answers to our questions, we chose qualitative survey methods wich consists of interviews and observations. We find that these survey methods are the best way to gain relevant answers to our questions. We have chosen to use the psychoanalytic theory based on Maare Tamm's research in our theoretical starting point. In order to understand the importance of play for the individual's psyche and development we have also chosen to bring up the psychoanalytical theory witch many play therapists use in practice. In our result, we have come to the conclusion that the environment is one of the most important components in play therapy. The playtherapists method conducting the play sessions proved to be a developing factor in the development of children