by Simon Wong

The concept of "play is useless" is obviously outdated. Nowadays, most educators and psychologists believe that "play" can not only help children grow, but also stimulate children's positive emotions through play , vent negative emotions, correct and improve Children's deviant beliefs become tools for counseling, upbringing and therapy. Children can learn to respect others and fully affirm themselves from "Play", have a strong and enterprising spirit, and do not need to build psychological qualities under vicious competition. (1992 Joe L. Frost) "Puppet Education and Therapy" is a branch of "Play Education and Therapy". Before introducing puppets, it is allowed to introduce the functions and characteristics of play education and therapy.

Play has many categories

“Play" has many different categories including the categories based on the attitude of the participants, that is, children play individually or in a group participation state, including: individual play, parallel play, supplementary play, cooperative play, co-creation play etc. These plays are not only the difference in the attitude of participation, but also the relationship between the plays, the gradual change of the wonderful attitude, from the "self" to the cooperation and co-creation state. This process is the key to the educational and therapeutic role of "play". The second categories is classified by different types of play activities, that is, the way of "playing", including: acting play (symbolic game), building object play, physical action games, table games, competitive games, etc. (1992 Joe L. Frost)

Through designed actions, various kinds of play guide children to master knowledge, attitudes, and skills, and to obtain the necessary abilities from them for the needs of future growth, carry out preparatory work, and achieve educational functions, which is play education.”（2004 蔡淑苓 ）Establishing a good relationship with children's service objects through play, supplementing their information deviations, achieving children's symptom relief based on psychological principles, causing children to discover the cause of the problem, relieve and eliminate it, and gain personal change and recovery motivation, which is "play therapy" ". （1995 梁培勇 ）（2008 鄭如安 ）

Puppets are part of play education and therapy

“Pick up objects and become puppets" is a part of children's natural , so puppets have always been a part of children's play. Because of the "safe distance" behind the puppet, the "puppet" has more room for psychological maintenance for the participants. Coupled with the emotional channel of "playing fake and real", and the affinity of "cute" appearance, "doll" can use the instinct of listening and dialogue when accompanied by any friends with "no obstacle". From watching, dialogue, puppet making, acting to appreciation, it has a comprehensive coverage of diversified performances, making it easier for young people of different ages to learn through puppets. If it can be confirmed that there is no difference in the effect of "counseling and dialogue" and "play therapy" with "playing puppets", it is obvious that the "group counseling" work is more attractive to young children, easier to carry out, and can be used in the teaching process. It has been possible to develop from the state of individual puppet manipulation to the impromptu complementation with the "worker", and gradually to become a group cooperation, taking the initiative to advance and retreat together with friends, and the educational function of "playing puppets" can already be very clear.

Can "puppets" change the attitudes of participants towards groups?

Children are usually easy to perform personal play through "puppets" under "no pressure" to meet their inner psychological needs. They often "accidentally" have parallel time-space encounters with other people, and go through an impromptu complementary process between "intentional and unintentional". , because of the joy of the "interactive process", and then "transformed" into a happy experience of cooperating with others, becoming the enterprising mentality that requires cooperating with others the most in the preschool stage. This "gradual participation" play process has been It is a process of "growth", and it is already a process of "education". If this gradual process is deliberately "intervened" and "induced" by the "worker", it is education to lead the "served" to achieve the ability to cooperate. If this deliberate intervention involves establishing a friendly relationship and assisting, improving, and recovering from psychological deficiencies, it is already "puppet therapy".

The "play" nature of "puppets" makes it easy for service users to trust "staff" the "worker”

Can "puppet education and therapy", commonly known as "applied puppetry", become a separate system like "play education and therapy" and "drama education and therapy"? "Applied Puppetry" is based on the characteristics of human play nature, so that the "served person" is based on the happy emotion of play, there is no right or wrong brave attempt, and it is easy to have a trust and cooperative relationship with the "worker", especially when young and expressive. Insufficient vulnerable groups (eg: SEN, elderly dementia, etc.) are conducive to the establishment of a therapeutic relationship with each other and the production of therapeutic effects. （1992 Joe L. Frost ）、（1995 梁培勇 ）、（2004 蔡淑苓 ）If you understand "Applied Puppetry" from this perspective, it is already a good play healing tool.

Safe distance allows clients to express themselves and reduce negative risks

On the other hand, "Applied Puppetry" prepares the "acting" function of "educational drama and drama therapy" at the same time, but the "served person" can protect and hide behind the "puppet", resulting in a "safe distance" effect. Therefore, the negative situation of psychological shock and emotional outburst may be triggered during the acting process, but because the "served person" does not need to play the role directly, but instead uses a "puppet" to carry out his worries and fears. By hiding yourself behind the puppet, the shadow of damage can be minimized. （2008 Edi Majaron & Livija Kroflin ）、（2012 Livija Kroflin）、（2019 Terry Kottman , Kristin Meany-Walen）Triggering emotional shock helps the “worker” to grasp the psychological state of the client and the root cause of the problem, but the problem is that the “worker” needs to have rich experience in order to avoid and reduce the chance of secondary harm to the “served” caused by emotional conflict. "Puppets" can create this controllable safe distance, so that only "workers" who have received basic training can do the job. "Applied Puppetry" can already play a popular and safe role in the process of counseling and rehabilitation.

It is easier for clients to repair and soothe their wounds through puppetry

"Applied Puppetry" is not only "play" and "acting", but also "performing" and "creating" activities. In addition to using ready-made puppets to create mutual trust and cooperation with the "served person", the "worker" reveals the situation behind the "served person" and the cause of the injury through acting, and further cooperates to make the "served person" inadvertently through acting. They can understand their own troubles and fears, find out problems without pressure, and try to replace and change through puppets, so that “workers” and “servees” can interact and cooperate to work together to repair trauma and reduce negative emotions. （2011 Buffy Serene Quintero）、（2018 Athena A. Drewes & Charles E. Schaefer）As long as the "worker" can regain the instinct of childhood play, the professional ability and experience of psychoanalysis in puppet therapy can also be competent without the high requirements of other "art therapy" systems.

Puppets can run simultaneously "cases" and "groups"

The advantage of "Applied Puppetry" is that "workers" can operate simultaneously with "cases" and "groups", so that "servees" can cooperate in " Self-healing puppet performance “.The production process of puppets, story creation, music, writing, visual arts and other comprehensive arts in the theater, and the nurture in the process of cooperating with others, have given a new "transformation and sustenance" to the spiritual outlook of the "served person". （2005 Matthew Bernier & Judith O’Hare）The cost and technical aspects are lower than those of "drama and dance", and the effect is more impactful than that of "visual arts and music". The psychological process and growth and development can be completed in a single course of treatment without referral. "Applied Puppetry" should be a "cost-effective" "expressive art therapy" program.

High cost-effectiveness and high probability of penetration

Because "Applied Puppetry" is a combination of the advantages of "play education and therapy", "educational drama and drama therapy" and "expressive art therapy", it has become a counseling, rehabilitation and education system. High chance of popularization. From cost-effectiveness to easy popularization, it has become the advantage of "Applied Puppetry", which has attracted the attention of psychological rehabilitation treatment systems around the world and has become a system of rehabilitation, counseling and education.

27/9/2022

Reference books and Articles ：

2022 王添強 百變偶法 http://www.mingri.org.hk/doc/2912

2019 Terry Kottman , Kristin Meany-Walen 著 程翼如等譯 遊戲中的夥伴

2019 Johanna Smith Puppetry in Theatre and Arts Education

2018 Athena A. Drewes & Charles E. Schaefer Puppet Play Therapy: A Practical Guidebook

2012 Livija Kroflin The Power of the Puppet(UNIMA Education Commission)

2011 Buffy Serene Quintero Puppetry and Art Education: a personal journey

2008 鄭如安 學校遊戲治療實務

2008 Edi Majaron & Livija Kroflin The Puppet-What a Miracle(UNIMA Education Commission)

2005 Matthew Bernier & Judith O’Hare Puppetry in Education & Therapy

2004 蔡淑苓 遊戲理論與應用

1995 梁培勇 遊戲治療-理論與實務

1992 Joe L. Frost Play and Playscapes