Separation Anxiety Pocket Hearts

Separation Anxiety Pocket Hearts: Young children often have trouble separating from their caregivers.  It sometimes helps for them to carry transitional objects (ex. a photo) with them to help manage their anxiety during time apart.

1. The caregiver can make these hearts for their child on their own, or the dyad can create them together (Click here for a tutorial).  The hearts can be substituted by any other handmade or personal items the family desires. 
2. Just before each separation the caregiver gives the child a heart representing their love and assures the child that they will be reunited.  The hearts are not a substitute for taking time with the child to process their anxiety (do not “sneak out” of the house).  They can tell the child that if they begin to miss them then they can take out their heart and know that their caregiver loves them, is thinking of them, will come back, etc.  Sometimes it might help for the parent to carry around a heart as well representing that their child is always in their thoughts and they are connected (kids like this).
3. If possible, take baby steps.  Initially, a child might use a heart for a brief separation when the parent is in another room, and then move on to short outings that get progressively longer as the jar gets fuller.
4. Each time they are reunited they place their heart in a jar.  Children may have trouble recalling all the times their caregivers returned and this provides a nice visual.  Looking at their jar will help to assure them that their caregivers always come back.
5. Ideally, separations will become easier and they will look to the heart for support less and less until they no longer need it.  At this point just thinking about their jar back at home should become enough to assuage any remaining anxiety.
6. These hearts are a supplemental intervention.  It is more effective when caregivers commit to building trust, following through with what they say will do, and continue to talk to their children about separation and encourage self-expression.
7. I have also known children who used a calm bottle to help self-regulate after their caregivers leave (click here)
8. More suggestions for dealing with separation anxiety and promoting independence can be found here.

DIY Dollhouse Furniture

Click the links below to view directions on how to create each of the furniture pictured (numbered from left to right, top to bottom).

1. Matchbox Drawers
2. Yarn Rug
3. Wire Chair
4. IPhone Box Fridge
5. Cardboard Bed
6. Block Kitchen
7. Plastic Toilet
8. Bottle Cap Stools
9. Cardboard Sink

Yet another FREE book.  

I have a PDF of School-Based Play Therapy by Drewes and Schaefer.  It has a lot of information and is 526 pages long.

Just E-mail me if you want me to send a copy over to you (uclasocialworker@gmail.com)

Therapeutic Games

Therapeutic games are great but usually pretty expensive.  Children and teens disclose and express a lot more during games than if I were to just ask them questions.  One way I keep the cost down is by buying low cost regular games and give them a therapeutic twist (see jenga and feelings tic-tac-toe posts).  

Bare Books has really cheap blank game boards, books, puzzles, etc.  A professional looking blank board game is just $3.95.  They have flat rate shipping so I suggest getting together with a couple people to place your orders.  Click here to check it out.

Free Mental Health Powerpoint Presentations

Many School-Based Mental Health practitioners do presentations or in-service trainings for teachers and parents surrounding mental health issues.  This website provides free powerpoint presentations that may be helpful.  Many topics apply to practitioners working in non-school settings as well.

Subjects include adolescent development, anxiety disorders, disruptive behaviors, the IEP process, depression, anger management, and more.

Click here

Therapeutic Toys

Here is a list of therapeutic toys that are used in play therapy.

1. Nurturing/Family Toys

• Purpose: Build and explore relationships
• Dolls, baby bottles, blankets, diapers, doll house (furniture and doll family), puppet family (people and/or animals), miniatures, kitchen set (food, dishes, etc.), doctor’s kit.

2.  Fantasy/Pretend Toys

• Purpose: Express feelings, and play out roles/scenarios
• Dress-up clothes/hats, costume jewelry, puppets, miniatures, mirror, masks, play money, magic wand, vehicles (cars, trucks, rescue vehicles, planes), doctor’s kit, communication toys (phone, microphone, mailbox, etc.)

3.  Expressive and Construction Toys

• Purpose: Express feelings, mastery, problem solving and creativity
• Arts supplies (markers, crayons, paint, paper, etc.), craft supplies (stickers, pipe cleaners, beads, popsicle sticks, tape), water, play dough, clay, building blocks, legos, cardboard bricks.

4.  Acting Out/Aggressive Release Toys

• Purpose: Expression, processing and mastery of fear and anger; Control
• Monsters and villains, heroes, plastic soldiers, dinosaurs, spiders, snakes, aggressive looking puppets and miniatures (ex. dragons, animals with teeth showing, etc.), rope, handcuffs, bop bag, toy guns/knives, dart gun.

5. Movement and Motion Toys

• Purpose: Mastery, emotional outlet, and self-regulation.
• Balls, basketball/hoop, bubbles, ring toss, bean bags, target games, jump rope, hula hoop, music.

Van Fleet et. al (2012). Child Centered Play Therapy.