Who's listening?

The voice of the traumatised child

Abstract

This paper outlines ways in which traumatised children remain invisible and argues that play is one means of giving children a voice in the therapeutic environment. It begins with a discussion of the ways in which children's trauma often remains invisible. It outlines briefly the impact of trauma and offers an alternate construction to the dominant discourse, arguing that each child's experience is unique and that his/her voice must be heard at each stage of the process if therapy is to be effective. The relevance of play in therapeutic work with children is then discussed, drawing on research and clinical experience to illustrate the significance of play in giving children a voice and achieving positive therapeutic outcomes. In the final section, the implications for adults' interaction with children in other contexts is outlined and the implications for adult psychotherapy are also explored.