About this resource
Knowing who to go to is a key protective step for children. The child names a helper for each finger, across home, school and friends, plus someone they can call. This builds a clear support network and gives you a natural way to talk about safety and telling someone when something is wrong.
Purpose
Children fill a big colourful hand with five people who can help them, at home, at school and beyond.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Counsellors and therapists. Also relevant for psychologists, social workers, educators and school support staff.
Client or participant group: Children aged about 4 to 10, working with a counsellor, play therapist or psychologist.
Practice setting: Play therapy, counselling and school wellbeing rooms.
Suggested uses
- Individual play-based sessions
- Building a relationship with a child
- Talking about feelings without pressure
- Sharing ideas with parents or carers, with the child's agreement
Instructions for practitioners
- Ask the child to trace their own hand if they like, or use the big hand.
- Write or draw a helper on each finger.
- Check each helper is a safe person the child would really go to.
- Practise what they could say to a helper.
- Follow your child safety procedures if the child cannot name a safe adult or discloses harm.
Accessibility considerations
Big pictures and few words. Read it aloud, let the child draw or point, and use their own words for feelings. Print in colour if you can, or let the child colour it in.
Scope and limitations
A play-based activity that supports therapy. It is not a stand-alone treatment, a clinical assessment or a validated tool. Follow the child's lead, stop if they become distressed, and follow your child safety procedures if the child discloses harm.
Research basis
Meta-analyses suggest play therapy and child-centred play therapy have positive effects on children's behaviour and wellbeing, although researchers note limits in the quality of some studies. These activities support play-based work and are not validated treatments.
- Bratton, S. C., Ray, D., Rhine, T., & Jones, L. (2005). The Efficacy of Play Therapy With Children: A Meta-Analytic Review of Treatment Outcomes. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36(4), 376–390. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.36.4.376
- Lin, Y., & Bratton, S. C. (2015). A Meta‐Analytic Review of Child‐Centered Play Therapy Approaches. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2015.00180.x
- Phillips, R. D. (2010). How firm is our foundation? Current play therapy research. International Journal of Play Therapy, 19(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017340
- Ray, D. C., Armstrong, S. A., Balkin, R. S., & Jayne, K. M. (2015). CHILD‐CENTERED PLAY THERAPY IN THE SCHOOLS: REVIEW AND META‐ANALYSIS. Psychology in the Schools, 52(2), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21798
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Illustrations and activities were created for Practitioner Plus; no third-party worksheet or image was used.
