FREE ESSAY ON DIBS IN SEARCH OF SELF

DIBS IN SEARCH OF SELF

In most cases, play therapy is used to observe the acts of a child. Doctor Axline used
play therapy with Dibs to help him feel more comfortable. In the room she could have
observed him and how he interacted with the items. If she were in her office, she might
not have had any luck in helping him. The environment of a play therapy room must be
familiar to the patient. The room would have to contain materials for the child to play
with. The room described in the book had a sandbox, dollhouse, paints, and various other
toys. The dollhouse was used to simulate Dibs' home life. He could speak through the
dolls without having to entirely open up. The paints let him express his feelings without
having to use words. 
Before Dibs was in play therapy he did not have a good relationship with his parents.
Doctor Axline immediately picked up on that when she met with Dibs' mother. His mother
identified him as being "mentally retarded." Doctor Axline discovered how Dibs'
insensitive parents treated him when he was playing with the dollhouse. He observed that
all the doors and windows on the house were closed. He began to repeatedly say "No closed
doors," in a harsh voice. Doctor Axline later understood that Dibs' father would send him
to his room and lock the door. This was Dibs' punishment for not being able to act and
talk like a "normal" child. Dibs' father was very impatient with him while his mother
tried her hardest to help him. When Dibs' was in play therapy he had more freedom than he
had at his home. Doctor Axline let him be himself without being disciplined for it. This
made him open up to her. She was no longer a stranger to him. She was someone he felt
that no matter when he did around her, he would never get in trouble for doing it. This
helped Dibs in becoming more open about his feelings and emotions. He was more enjoyable
at home. His parents commented on how he would talk with them without throwing a fit. 
Dibs was shy when he first met Doctor Axline. The whole play therapy experience was new
to him. When they first met alone, Dibs did not converse with her. He walked around the
room touching and examining every object. Their conversations didn't begin until he began
to name every object that he picked up. If Dibs picked up a ball and said, "ball," then
she would reply, "yes that is a ball." She never asked him questions that would disturb
him. She never tried to pry information out of him. As the weekly sessions progressed,
their conversations became more intense. Dibs would voluntarily give information about
how he felt. He would reenact events that happened in his house using the dolls. Doctor
Axline soon found out how intelligent he was. Dibs liked his time with her. He soon
became sad when their hour-long visits would end. 
Dibs' parents were very skeptical about the idea of the play therapy sessions. They
suggested that doctor Axline come to their house and have the therapy in his playroom.
She would not agree to this. After some time passed by, the parents agreed to have the
sessions. After the first few meetings, Dibs' mother scheduled an appointment to meet
with doctor Axline. She poured all of her feelings and emotions out to her. She was very
emotional when describing the time from when Dibs was born to the time at which the
sessions began. Doctor Axline then realized how Dibs' parents' actions affected him.
After many play therapy sessions occurred, Dibs' parents noticed how much he had
improved. They were very appreciative of the work doctor Axline had done. Since Dibs had
improved, his parents paid more attention to him. This made Dibs very happy.