Tonight in class we learned all about therapeutic puppetry. We began class with an instructional video on proper puppetry skills with the Kids on the Block puppets. These puppets are designed to teach kids about disabilities, medical conditions and social issues. I learned that being a puppet master isn't as easy as someone would think. It actually takes a log of practice and skills to learn all of the techniques.
After the video we did a class discussion and learned how different types of puppets can be incorporated with many different populations. One great example is how puppets can be a very effective tool used by a child life specialist. A child life specialist can use puppets as a part of medical play and allow children to interact, ask questions, and "preform procedures" on the puppets. It was also interesting to consider that puppets can be used when working with individuals who have experienced sexual and physical abuse. The puppets may allow the individuals to open up and discuss things that they wouldn't feel comfortable talking about directly to someone else. Puppets can be a great tool to use when working with a variety of populations. Although many clients may benefit from the use of puppets, they aren't for everyone. Some clients may not like interacting with puppets and many therapeutic recreation specialist may not feel comfortable using them.
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