13: Using Photography in Play Therapy
Note: Play Therapy Across the Lifespan is created to be heard. If you are able, we strongly encourage you to listen to the audio so that you are able to appreciate the emotion and emphasis that cannot be captured by text alone. Transcripts may contain errors and differ slightly from the audio. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting it in print.
Resources and Links
solarium photo pack
https://crustore.org/soularium-new.html
Prologue
Today’s expressive art is really a subcategory in the field of art therapy. But because it is fairly accessible, already used frequently by many clients, and has some interesting applications, I wanted to dedicate an entire episode to it. It may even be an expressive art that you’ve never considered using before.
Our theme for this episode is… photography! As my age is ticking towards the half-century mark, I remember carefully taking photos to not waste film. I remember the expense of getting a 12-picture role of film developed and later taking a class to learn how to develop my own in a darkroom. And I remember waiting days or weeks to get developed prints back.
My how times have changed. This time last year, I was on a sabbatical trip where I took thousands of pictures on my phone. I used those photos for a family blog, a coffee mug Christmas gift, and an inexpensive calendar. I took and assembled the photos while on a trip in an RV with just the very few electronics we took with us.
I don’t have any special talent in photography, but the technology is so good now, that I can take pretty decent photos. If your clients have phones, they do, too. Combine a photo with art or an easily downloaded photo editing app, and you have wealth of possible photo techniques at the click of a digital camera.
Speaking of wealth, I do want to acknowledge that I am assuming that you work with clients with enough financial resources to have a phone. Not all clients do. Yet most people these days have a phone on their person when in a counseling session, even increasingly younger children, and here in the United States, we have government programs to provide cell phones for those who struggle to afford them because, collectively, we now consider them to be a necessity. So, maybe you’ll get some ideas for using photography techniques in your play therapy.
Photography in Therapy
PhotoTherapy (not to be confused with light therapy) is sometimes called therapeutic photography. At least for now, it is credentialed under art therapy. I think – and secretly hope – that this might catch on and explode into its own field of creative counseling with its own professional organization and credentialing, but I am not aware of any yet. That is probably because still images are used in art. Sometimes the photo is the art, and sometimes the photo is artistically altered, so it makes sense that is part of the Art Therapy field.
What Is Photography in Therapy?
Using photos in therapy includes the final photo image, but it may also include what happened before and after the photo, what the photo represents, and the meaning attached to the photo.
Psychologist and art therapist Judy Weiser teaches workshops on five types of photography techniques. These might give you some ideas about how to use photography in a therapeutic way. Weiser’s five categories are: photos which have been taken by clients, photos taken of clients by other people, client self-portraits, client family albums or other biographical photo collections, and photo-projective interactions, which dives into the meaning created while setting up and taking the photo.
Photos visually record of a moment, and sometimes we take them just so we won’t forget. But how they are framed, the object of focus, even the tones and colors, along with the memories all shape the meaning of the photos. They can have a strong emotional impact, which makes it a great option for incorporating in therapy.
What Materials Are Needed?
You obviously need a photo capturing device. That could be a single-lens reflex camera, but more likely these days, it will be a phone, a tablet or other electronic device that takes pictures.
You need a photo or a selection of photos. These could be digital or print and there are advantages to both. I like to physically touch photos and tangibly rearrange them, but digital is highly convenient and easy to access. This convenience can make the sheer number of digital photos overwhelming, though.
If you plan to use techniques that alter the appearance of the photo, then you will need an app or software to digitally edit. Or, you’ll need scissors and maybe grease pencils, paints, brushes or other materials.
Next, you might want to use techniques that include a collection of photos, so you’ll need albums, poster board for timelines, a canvas surface for collages or other ways to display the photo collection. Scrapbooking supplies might be helpful here.
If taking the photo is part of the technique in session, not as part of homework, you might need to consider lighting, backdrops or a confidential space to walk outdoors. But, using photography techniques doesn’t need to get too complicated. Photos don’t have to be eligible for National Geographic.
Photography in Counseling Across the Lifespan
Children
Very young children are familiar with their caregivers taking photos, documenting their lives. They know how to touch the circle on the screen to hear the photo click sound . “Selfie” is probably part of their vocabulary. Some children have their own personal phones. Toy cell phones are often included in playrooms, allowing children to “talk” to people who aren’t in the playroom. Toy phones are part of the real life toy category, and phones are so prevalent, that it makes it an important toy to include.
2. Adolescents
Most adolescents have only experienced life with a phone camera, even if it was a flip phone, within easy reach. They also live in world that documents all kinds of events on cameras. They see photos and videos going viral, and are probably posting and passing them along to help them go viral. They also know of or have experienced poor boundaries around appropriate photos and cyber bullying with digital images. Asking adolescents to take a few photos to show you what an experience or emotion is like for them could be a natural way for them communicate with you.
3. Young Adults
Most young adults have a phone in their pocket or purse right now. Instead of taking notes, students might take a photo of a whiteboard or assignment or presentation slide. They routinely take a photo when adding a contact or text a photo to share a memory. Some start business that rely heavily on documenting life in photos on blogs, vlogs (that’s video logs for those of you who are older adults), and social media. This group may feel a pressure to “be vulnerable” but they also may have experienced “haters,” so exploring confusing and opposing messages using photography might be an appropriate technique. It also might open doors to explore issues around social connection through non-human devices.
4. Older Adults
While younger adults use digital photography frequently, you might find a range of comfort and preferences for technology with older adults. Some adults may be the family historians, so collecting and assembling photo albums or photo histories might be important. This may include culling through and printing digital photos, but also preserving older, more historical photos that have been passed down to them. While clients of any age may struggle with grief and loss, older adults may be the ones putting together photo presentations for funerals, selecting photos to capture a relationship, and nostalgically reviewing photos from the past. Photos offer a tangible way to explore losses, a way for clients to show you their experience.
Finally, before I interview my guest, I want to leave you with a caution. For some clients, photography is part of their trauma narrative. That might make it an excellent toy or tool for healing for some, but for others, it might be very difficult or even re-traumatizing. Be sensitive about using photography techniques, and, in these cases especially, I’d recommend letting the client be the photographer.
Conclusion
Thank you to our Photography Technique guest, Niamh Rawlins.
I hope this episode gave you some interesting new ideas for incorporating photos and photography into your therapeutic work. Here’s an idea for you to try out on yourself. Go take 5 photos that capture your life right now. See what kinds of themes and patterns emerge. Also, check out the photo pack that Niamh mentioned called soularium.com
