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The Traveling Toy Bag… Off to the Dominican Republic!

Though traveling used to be an enormous part of my life, I haven’t been overseas since I had my children. That’s why yesterday was so significant. I booked a flight for the Dominican Republic, and to say I’m excited is an understatement. I’m thrilled.

I’m going with Children of the Nations (COTN), a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to serving impoverished children in Haiti, “the DR”, and Africa.

The purpose of the trip is to find out if one of the COTN schools is interested in pioneering a new program that would provide play-based support services to the students. The program would train lay leaders in filial therapy, which means they would learn how to have playtimes with young children that mimic clinical sessions done by play therapists. Basically, we would set up a playroom at the school and teach lay counselors how to use it.

Despite the anxiety I feel about leaving my two small children for several days, I am so excited to be able to share play therapy with children who would never receive it otherwise. It’s easy to forget that counseling services are a luxury that few can afford. What a joy it will be to help impoverished children receive them. Stay tuned… as the trip gets closer, I’ll be sure to share more!

Source: Amy Wickstrom, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. The play therapy blog at More Than a Toy (www.morethanatoy.com/blog)