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Welcome from the editor

When my dad taught me to play cribbageÌýa few weeks ago, I relearned threeÌýthings. One, that play is still appropriateÌýfor all ages (he’s 96); two, that creativeÌýstrategies are useful for helping me workÌýout how to count my hand accurately; and three, thatÌýdoing something totally different and out of the blueÌýfrees up all manner of other ideas, playfulness andÌýmutual enrichment. My inner counsellor was all agog.

So how is this relevant to Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ CYP journal in 2014?ÌýIt seems to me that there has grown up (in all senses ofÌýthe phrase) a yawning gap between currentlyÌýrecommended therapies and the age-old idea ofÌýchild-like learning by being creative, imaginative andÌýplayful. As in the learning of a new game, learning toÌýadopt new thinking and behaviours can be fully andÌýwell mediated by experimenting, moving out of rigidÌýboundaries (including those of manualised therapies?)Ìýand allowing the unconscious space to stir and play.ÌýNone of us has forgotten that, I’m sure. But we do needÌýto keep reminding ourselves – when faced with anyÌýclient with any supposed diagnosis – that play andÌýcreativity have their place, even in a serious andÌýrisk-ridden scenario.

For this reason, you could call this the creative issue.ÌýI have asked experts in a number of fields to write for usÌýon various topics within this focus. Our lead articleÌýaddresses the roles that young people sometimes getÌýstuck in and demonstrates creative ways of talking withÌýthem to bring awareness of their previous repertoire ofÌýroles. We also take a closer look at play therapy, clayÌýtherapy and sandtray therapy; and how to workÌýcreatively with issues such as separation and divorce,Ìýand low self-esteem. I commend the latter to thoseÌýwho sink amid the general ‘self-esteem’ and ‘self-anything’Ìýtalk that surrounds us, because here we haveÌýa clear way of working with the foundational elementsÌýthat will inevitably build up solid self-esteem.

We also have a lightly written but subtly thought-provokingÌýarticle on those endings that do not goÌýaccording to plan, and an important piece on usingÌýassessment time to be sure we are not jumping toÌýconclusions about nature or nurture in the client’sÌýpresentation. Both these issues require a flexible,Ìýcreative approach in our thinking.

And if we do nothing else this summer, we need toÌýreinvest in the Ethical Framework values of (1)Ìýenhancing the quality of relationship between peopleÌý(in this case, our young clients) and (2) increasing ourÌýpersonal effectiveness¹ – for both of which it is essentialÌýto gain and maintain a healthy sense of creativity. I’mÌýcurrently boosting my imagination by taking a course inÌýchildren’s book illustration (because cribbage isn’tÌýquite my thing). I hope you, too, find your own inventiveÌýway of enhancing counselling play and productivity,Ìýwhatever your age.

Eleanor Patrick
Editor

Reference

1 Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ. Ethical framework for good practice in counsellingÌýand psychotherapy. Lutterworth: Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ; 2013.

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