Mmaskitlane as an example of play therapy for use by eduational psychologists

Abstract

Play is one of the effective ways of assisting children to deal with their emotional problems in therapy. There are many methods and techniques that are scientifically proven that are used in play therapy. There are some indigenous types of play that have not yet been scientifically proven to be therapeutically effective. Mmaskitlane is one of these indigenous plays. The motivation of this study was firstly, to make a literature study against which Mmaskitlane was compared to commonly used play techniques. Then an empirical study was done to explore the therapeutic effects of the play. It was used in combination with the Children Apperception Test (CAT), Draw a Person (DAP) and the Rational Emotive Therapy (RET), during play therapy with learners experiencing emotional problems. The findings from this study indicate that the use of Mmaskitlane may be a valuable therapeutic tool in supporting learners with emotional problems.