By Kaanchana Suppayah | Child Care Manager
When a child has been abused, how can they begin to overcome what they've been through?
At our Child Care Centre, we believe that it all starts with play. When children arrive at our shelter for the first time, they may be anxious. But we help them feel safe by providing adequate care and support (which your donations enable!).
When a child feels safe, they will start to use play to mirror their own experiences. Children have an incredible capacity to heal, to be creative, and to think of new ideas. Through play in a safe place, they’re able to tap into that creative part of their brain, and start to recover from the impact of abuse.
When 6 year old Sally first came through our door, she walked with her eyes down and refused to talk or play with anyone. We immediately engaged our play therapist, Chian Lan, to work with her, and enrolled her into preschool. We wanted to ensure that Sally could go to school, and have friends.
In the play sessions, Sally and Chian Lan played out a story about a princess who had been tricked by a witch. The witch trapped the princess, and made her eat poisonous food. For Sally, this was a safe way for her to communicate the sexual abuse she had suffered.
Chian Lan helped Sally create a wise wizard character in her story. The wizard explained to the princess that she was a good person inside, that the witch was wrong to trick her and hurt her. Chian Lan helped her realise that it was not her fault.
One day during the session, Sally picked up a magic wand. Chian Lan suggested that when the princess held the wand, the power of the magic came from inside the princess. When Sally held the wand, she realised she was good on the inside, and a very strong person.
Over time, Sally’s stories began to change. Instead of being tricked by the witch, she put a magic spell on her so that if she tried to hurt anyone else she would turn into a frog.
After 10 sessions and by the end of Chian Lan’s time with her, Sally would arrive at the Child Care Centre with a big smile and chat with the staff, other children, as well as volunteers there. She didn’t feel like she had to hide anymore.
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