Expository Final Draft Paper – Joeli Valerio FIQWS 2019 Puppetry

Expository Essay Final Draft

Joeli Valerio

FIQWS

Professor Ewan

8 April 2019

Research Proposal: Puppetry in Child Therapies

Puppetry is an art form many believe is just for kids, foolish, and not associated with mature content. Therapy is a topic very different from puppetry. When you mix both together you get an extensive amount of creativity that can be debatable. Can having these two very different topics combined together can change the experience of the person in therapy?

Puppets are pieces of art that have all the creativity you can imagine. I assume many people might believe having puppets in therapy is beneficial. Many believe having puppets in therapy will allow the child to concentrate more since the therapist could use the puppet as a technique to make the kid be focused. Additionally many might see puppets as a way to boost a child’s confidence. Puppets in therapy is a technique that I believe many see as a benefit to younger kids.

However, in contrast, many might claim puppets aren’t for all the age groups and aren’t beneficial in any sort. Many might ask themselves, are puppets really relevant for a serious issue like therapy? Others would see that children will be dependent on the puppet causing negative effects to the kid after the therapeutic sessions are over.

Furthermore, this topic continues to be interesting and has a lot you have to dig deeper to figure out it’s reasoning of use. When did the start of using puppets in therapy become established? Was this practice of using puppets in therapy approved by any organizations making it eligible? Have there been experiments involving therapist that use puppets vs. those that don’t use them? Has there been any controversy when using puppets in therapy? Were they originally only for kids or has it expanded? Are puppets limited by the issue the child might have? Is it a have to be a limited age group? What are the good and bad effects of having a puppet in therapeutic sessions? Overall I am very curious about this topic.

Puppets in therapy is a topic that I find intriguing and captivating. Looking at my sources will allow me to learn more about this topic and let me see the connection between therapy and puppetry. I will be able to learn the importance of puppetry in child therapy and its total relevance. Overall I will see both points of view of puppets in therapy. My research question is, what are the impacts of puppetry in child therapies?

Research Essay: Puppetry In Child Therapies

Children on many occasions don’t focus during therapeutic sessions, can feel tedious, or feel insecure. Puppets being inserted in child therapy can be effective to grasp the child’s attention since they are mainly used for entertainment. Additionally, by using puppets in child therapies, the child has the advantage to express themselves. Therefore with this advantage, the therapist can find a solution for their problem. The question answered throughout the essay is: what are the effects puppetry has on child therapies?

Puppetry in narrative therapy allows the child to express there issue with the use of puppets. Sue Butler et al. “Using Puppets with Children in Narrative Therapy to Externalize the Problem.” describes puppets as an advantage for therapists. Therefore the therapist will figure out the child’s issue since they begin to express their problem due to the puppet (Butler et al. 226). Butler et al. give us an insight into how narrative therapy can use the art form of puppetry to externalize the child’s problem (ibid.). A case example in, “Using Puppets with Children in Narrative Therapy to Externalize the Problem.” talks about an 8-year-old boy named Eric that has serious behavioral issues in school due to his lack of control (229). The therapist allowed, “Eric to choose the puppet that most closely represented his annoyance…, the annoyance became a thing, an entity in effect, an objectification of the problem which, in turn, enacted the externalizing process.” (230). In the final therapeutic session, “Eric’s anger had dissipated. His coping skills were markedly improved, and he also improved his social skills.” (232). Eric is an example of the effectiveness puppets are in narrative therapy. Puppets in narrative therapy allow kids to confide their issues to the puppet and allow children to express themselves to the therapist thus showing the need puppets are for kids in therapeutic sessions.

Moreover, Puppetry is beneficial for kids who undergo surgical procedures. According to Eftychia Athanassiadou et al. ,“Preparing the Child Facing Surgery: The Use of Play Therapy.” it states that, “Anxiety, anger, rage, and revenge feelings on the one hand and masochistic submission, guilt, and depression on the other are experienced by the child according to their interpretation of painful procedures…”( 92). It can be difficult for children to face these procedures which is why puppets change a child’s perspective of the surgical procedure. Jose Ronaldo Soares Da Silva et al. “Using Therapeutic Toys to Facilitate Venipuncture Procedure in Preschool Children”, explains how therapeutic toys such as puppets are favorable for both children and the doctors. The child will express their fears and anxieties and the will allow the doctors to have a better understanding of the child’s behavior ( 63). Children will always have a fear when undergoing scary procedures and puppets are there to comfort them and be a friend.

Additionally, puppetry in therapy allows children facing cancer to communicate with doctors. Amanda Mota Pacciulio Sposito et al.” Puppets as a Strategy for Communication with Brazilian Children with Cancer.” explain how the use of puppetry in play therapy lets kids discuss the illness they are facing. At the same time rather than the adult normally in control at the medical centers the use of puppets will give the child a voice in there issue (30). What’s important when using puppets in therapy is how the researcher must behave or react. An interviewer/or researcher with one of the kids with cancer “wore a customized apron ( 32) with the objective of creating a playful and interactive data collection environment.” (32) The results collected while analyzing the benefits of using puppets to communicate with cancer patients states that puppets are, “relevant for clinical practice…the use of the puppet was a way for the child to escape from the challenging situation of dealing with chemotherapy treatment in the hospital.” ( 35). This lets us see that children facing difficult issues such as cancer become expressive as well confident with the help of a puppet.

However, Puppetry also helps kids with emotional and behavioral disorders. Rosario Anthony Caputo in, “Using Puppets with Students with Emotional and Behavioral” explains how puppetry in therapy is a strategy which helps students with social issues and to rationally think. It is discussed in this article different types of puppets for each age ranges. It states that “Hand puppets would be most appropriate for presentation to preschool and elementary-grade students, while marionettes would be effective for middle and secondary school students” (Caputo 26).Therefore this piece of evidence agrees with the usage of puppetry in therapy by any age since there is a variety of puppets that can be used. Puppetry in child therapy is a technique that helps kids, “to better understand irrational thinking patterns… puppets can dramatize the dilemmas of these characters while encouraging class participation in problem identification and rational problem-solving (27). This evidence suggests that by the student beginning to rationally think it allows them to, ” define problem issues… help students suggest a possible solutions….” which the teachers want the students to accomplish (27).

Furthermore, the use of puppetry for kids with emotional and behavioral disorders puppets encourage students to self express themselves. “Once this problem-identification process has been grasped…puppet characters and students together explore alternative ways of working through crises…The special educator can take the projected fears and concerns of children in the audience and through the puppet characters provide structured and appropriate opportunities for problem-solving… (27-28)” With the children identifying there issue with the use of the puppet will positively allow them to move forward in sessions since they feel comfortable discussing. Puppetry in therapy allows students according to the evidence feel comfortable in an environment chaotic like school or home. Puppetry in therapy is an effective psychoeducational tool that has a positive impact allowing students to think rationally when finding solutions for the issues they have appeared at home or in school (29).

In contrast, although puppetry can be effective for children it has its limitations.Sue Butler, et al., states that “The counselor might assess that narrative therapy will be more effective and efficient without puppets, or that puppets might be contraindicated. Some children might be distracted, fearful, or otherwise not amenable to using a puppet for externalizing the problem.” (232). However, according to Lillie Pope et al. “A Puppetry Workshop in a Learning Disabilities Clinic.” says that “no major memory demands are made on the child with memory problems; and flexibility is permitted to the impulsive child, the restless child, and the child with a brief attention span. Restlessness and brief attention span no longer destroy the child’s attempts to be involved in a cohesive and well integrated project” (464). There will always be limitations. Limitations are beneficial for child therapists since they will see the evolvement of the child and the child will understand what is wrong and what’s correct.

In conclusion, puppets being inserted in child therapy can be effective to grasp the child’s attention since they are mainly used for entertainment. Additionally, by using puppets in child therapies, the child has the advantage to express themselves. Therefore with this advantage, the therapist can find a solution for their problem. Butler et al. explain how puppetry in narrative therapy allows the issue of the child to be externalized. She gives a great case example to understand the positive effects of using puppets in narrative therapy on a child. Da Silva et al. comments the necessity of puppets being part of the procedure since it could positively help the child express their concerns of the surgical procedure. Sposito et al. explain the importance puppets are for kids with cancer. These puppets allow the children with cancer to develop communication skills in order for them to have a voice on the illness he or she is facing. Caputo points out how puppets help students rationally think. All these sources give positive effects on both limitations that can be found in these therapeutic procedures. Many questions that I informed in my proposal weren’t able to be answered and there are many reasons why. One of my questions were, “Has there been any controversy when using puppets in therapy?” This question couldn’t be answered since no source I looked into had no controversy on puppetry in child therapy. To add on another question that I tried very hard to answer but wasn’t capable is,“ Was this practice of using puppets in therapy approved by any organizations making it eligible?” When reading my sources there was a pattern which was this technique doesn’t have an abundance of issue which doesn’t allow us to answer whether this technique is eligible or not according to organization The last question was, “ Are puppets limited by the issue the child might have?” The last question, puppets are not limited because of the issues because as we see in the previous paragraphs this technique can be sued in any therapeutic issues. Puppets can be inserted in the session to help. They aren’t limited it depends if the child really wants to use it or the therapists adds it to the session. Moreover, these sources have explained the effectiveness of puppetry in child therapies since it helps kids become more confident, having a voice as well as making the child feel comfortable. Puppetry in child therapy has its limitations but its effectiveness is very apparent.

Annotated Bibliography:

Athanassiadou, Eftychia, et al. “Preparing the Child Facing Surgery: The Use of Play Therapy.” Psychoanalytic Social Work, vol. 19, no. 1-2, 2012, pp. 91–100. SocINDEX , DOI: http://10.1080/15228878.2012.6664891 Access Date: 4. April. 2019

Athanassiadou et al, explains the importance puppets are for kids getting ready to face surgery. Additionally, Athanassiadou et al, article seven helpful procedures when using this technique to calm children facing surgical procedures. It explains the impact by giving a case example of a little girl named Christine. This case example gives the positive impact puppetry in therapy has on children just like Christine. This source is relevant in my research essay because it gives s case with relevant information for the positive impacts puppets have in child therapies.

Annotated Bibliography:

Butler, Sue, et al. “Using Puppets with Children in Narrative Therapy to Externalize the
Problem.” Journal of Mental Health Counseling, vol. 31, no. 3, 2009, pp. 225–233. http://SocINDEX, DOI: 10.1080/15228878.2012.666489 Access Date: 03/23/19

Butler et al, informs in this article the usage of puppetry in narrative therapy. He provides us with a case it support this usage. This case was about a 8 year old boy by the name of Eric which is having serious issues in school due to his lack of control. Using this puppet showed positive results in Eric. Eric lack of control diminished and became more social . This useful source for my topic because it explains the positive results in a child’s behavior when using a puppet.

Caputo, Rosario Anthony. “Using Puppets with Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.” Intervention in School and Clinic, vol. 29, no. 1, 1993, pp. 26–30. SAGE, DOI: http://10.1177/105345129302900105 Access 23. March. 2019

Caputo discusses the use of therapeutic instruments such as puppets when teaching troubled children. Caputo explains puppets will help troubled kids think rationally and kids with emotional and behavioral problems will begin to identify their own problems and will learn how to solve it by using strategies. She explains further each child personal identifies with the puppets which is a way special educators will use the puppets for problem solving. This source will be very reliable for my topic since it will answer my question if using puppets in therapy has a limit due to the age.

Da Silva, Jose Ronaldo Soares, et al. “Using Therapeutic Toys to Facilitate Venipuncture
Procedure in Preschool Children.” Pediatric Nursing, vol. 42, no. 2, 2016, pp. 61–68, CINAHL URL: http://ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=114664997&site=ehost-live .
Access 23. March. 2019

Da Silva et al, discusses the necessity puppets have on sick children in the hospital. These puppets allow the kids to accept the medical procedure and because of this acceptance, they changed their negative reaction. Therefore this source agrees with the relevance of puppets as a therapeutic technique to positively change a child’s behavior.

Pope, Lillie et al. “A Puppetry Workshop in a Learning Disabilities Clinic.” Academic Therapy, 1974, pp. 457–64. SAGE, DOI: /10.1177/105345129302900105 Access 23 March. 2019.

Pope et al, explains the impact puppetry has in a group of kids in a learning disability clinic.. The workshop functions to allow the kids to construct there puppets and make a story out of it . Additionally this article not only explained the positive aspect of using puppets for therapy but as well it’s cons . This is a useful source for my topic because it will provide information of both points of view.

Sposito, Amanda Mota Pacciulio, et al. “Puppets as a Strategy for Communication with Brazilian
Children with Cancer.” Nursing & Health Sciences, vol. 18, no. 1, 2016, pp. 30–37. Wiley Online Library , URL: https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ccny-proxy1.l br.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/pdf/10.1111/nhs.12222. Access 23. March. 2019

Sposito et al, show the inner view on how puppets helps communication of cancer patience with the medical team. The puppet allows these children with cancer to report their experience of being ill allowing them to become more social and communicate. This source as well discusses the limitations when using puppets for cancer patient which will be an advantage to my antithesis . This source like my second sources to views when using the puppet as a therapeutic tool.