Play as an Approach to Children with Behaviour Problems

Igra je biološki, psihološki i socijalno nužan fenomen u životu svakog pojedinca. S obzirom da je igra za svakog pojedinca različita, ona zadovoljava dječju znatiželju, pruža osjećaj zadovoljstva i koristi se u terapijske svrhe (Klarin, 2017). Većina djece rane i predškolske dobi koja su uključena u predškolske ustanove manifestiraju ponašanja u skladu sa svojom razvojnom i kronološkom dobi. Međutim, dio djece se ipak izdvaja po određenim specifičnostima. Unutar tih specifičnosti nalazi se niz emocionalnih i bihevioralnih problema. Takva ponašanja su štetna i/ili opasna za osobu koja ih manifestira i za njezinu okolinu, te samim time iziskuju dodatnu stručnu pomoć radi uspješne integracije (Mikas, 2007). Jedna u nizu pristupa za rad s djecom s problemima u ponašanju je i terapijska igra. Ovo istraživanja za cilj ima ispitati iskustva odgojitelja u primjeni terapijske igre unutar ustanova ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja. Respektirajući navedeni cilj, artikulirana su četiri istraživačka problema: ispitati subjektivni doživljaj odgojitelja o edukacijama iz područja terapijske igre, identificirati i razumjeti čimbenike primjene terapijske igre u odgojno- obrazovnim skupinima, steći uvid u razmišljanje odgojitelja o mogućnosti primjene ovog pristupa u radu s djecom s problemima u ponašanju te steći uvid u doživljaje i reakcije odgojitelja i djece tijekom procesa primjene terapijske igre. Instrument provedbe ovog istraživanja je polustrukturirani intervju, a rezultati su obrađeni tematskom analizom. Rezultati pokazuju iznimno zadovoljstvo sudionika uključenošću u edukacije iz područja terapijske igre. Sudionici ovog istraživanja u velikoj mjeri smatraju da je primjenjivost terapijske igre u odgojno-obrazovnim skupinama moguća sa svom djecom, uz određene probleme koji se odnose na uvjete rada. Kao najkorisnije elemente edukacija koje su pohađali, sudionici ovog istraživanja ističu primjere iz prakse te module o suradnji s roditeljima i terapijskoj igri. S obzirom na ispitivanje subjektivnih doživljaja odgojitelja, saznali smo kako se pri primjeni terapijske igre najčešće služe empatičkim reflektiranjem u individualnoj ili simboličkoj igri. Aktivnosti i materijale odabiru prateći djetetove potrebe i interese. Primjenom terapijske igre u svom svakodnevnom radu, sudionici ovog istraživanja postigli su mnoge pozitivne ishode. Na posljetku, sudionici ovog istraživanja ističu da su na samom početku primjene terapijske igre i oni i djeca bili nesigurni i pomalo začuđeni, no vremenom su se razvili jako dobri osjećaji za ovu metodu rada, s obje strane.Playing is a biological, psychological and socially essential phenomenon in an individual’s life. Considering that play is different to each person, it satisfies children’s curiosity, provides s sense of pleasure and can be used therapeutically as well. Majority of toddlers and preschool aged children which are included in preschool educational institutions more often than none manifest behaviors in appropriate and harmonious timing in regards to their developing and chronological age. However, some of the children can exhibit different behaviors and progress due to specific conditions. Within these specifics there are a plenty emotional and behavioral problems. These behaviors are damaging and dangerous for both the individual suffering and their environment, due to this reason it requires an additional professional help to manage a successful social integration (Mikas 2007). One of the method of working with children suffering from these issues is play therapy. This research, which aims to examine the experiences of educators in the application of play therapy within the institution of early and preschool education. Respecting this goal, four research problems were articulated: to examine the subjective experience of educators about education from play therapy, to identify and understand the factors of application of play therapy in the educational group, to gain insight into educators thinking about the possibility of applying this approach in working with children with behavioral problems and gain insight into the experiences and reactions of educators and children during the process of applying the play therapy. The instrument for conducting this research is a semi-structured interview, and the results were processed by thematic analysis. The results show the exceptional satisfaction of the participants with their involvement in education in the field of play therapy. Participants in this study largely believe that the applicability of play therapy in educational groups is possible with all children, with certain problems related to working conditions. As the most useful elements of the education they attended, the participants in this research point out examples from practice and modules on cooperation with parents and play therapy. With regard to the examination of the subjective experiences of educators, we learned that when applying play therapy, they most often use empathic reflection in individual or symbolic play. Furthermore, activities and materials are selected following the child’s needs and interests. By applying the play therapy in their daily work, the participants of this research achieved many positive outcomes. Finally, the participants in this study point out that at the very beginning of the play therapy, both they and the children were insecure and a little surprised, but over time, very good feelings for this method of work developed, on both sides