TY - JOUR
T1 - “Time for Tony the Turtle”: Experiences with the use of a hand puppet in a program for young children in domestic violence shelters
T2 - Experiences with the use of a hand puppet in a program for young children in domestic violence shelters
AU - van der Hoeven, Mara L.
AU - Widdershoven, Guy A. M.
AU - van Duin, Esther M.
AU - Hein, Irma M.
AU - Lindauer, Ramón J. L.
N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by Stichting Kinderpostzegels [grant number 12021365 , 2017]. The funding source had no involvement in the actual data collection, analysis, and writing process. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - A support program ‘Time for Tony the Turtle’ has been developed for young children residing in Dutch domestic violence (DV) shelters. With hand puppet ‘Tony the Turtle’, the program aims to develop self-regulation skills for children, while increasing the sense of safety and addressing children in a personal and playful way. As the use of the puppet is a distinct aspect of the program, this study aims to explore the experiences of children, mothers, and professionals with a hand puppet in three Dutch organizations providing shelter services. We conducted in-depth interviews with 11 children, 15 mothers, and 18 professionals involved in the program. We used thematic analysis for interpretation. We derived three themes from the interviews with the interviewees: ‘Tony is nice and funny’, ‘Tony is just like us’, and ‘Tony invites us to ask questions and give advice on sensitive topics’. Overall, the use of a hand puppet in DV shelters seems beneficial for children living in DV shelters. It offers a trusted figure who experienced similar things. Children can use the puppet to project their own problems onto and to find solutions for their problems and concerns, by advising the puppet and asking it questions.
AB - A support program ‘Time for Tony the Turtle’ has been developed for young children residing in Dutch domestic violence (DV) shelters. With hand puppet ‘Tony the Turtle’, the program aims to develop self-regulation skills for children, while increasing the sense of safety and addressing children in a personal and playful way. As the use of the puppet is a distinct aspect of the program, this study aims to explore the experiences of children, mothers, and professionals with a hand puppet in three Dutch organizations providing shelter services. We conducted in-depth interviews with 11 children, 15 mothers, and 18 professionals involved in the program. We used thematic analysis for interpretation. We derived three themes from the interviews with the interviewees: ‘Tony is nice and funny’, ‘Tony is just like us’, and ‘Tony invites us to ask questions and give advice on sensitive topics’. Overall, the use of a hand puppet in DV shelters seems beneficial for children living in DV shelters. It offers a trusted figure who experienced similar things. Children can use the puppet to project their own problems onto and to find solutions for their problems and concerns, by advising the puppet and asking it questions.
KW - Children
KW - Domestic violence shelter
KW - Play therapy
KW - Puppets
KW - Qualitative research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111245303&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2021.101840
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2021.101840
M3 - Article
SN - 0197-4556
VL - 75
JO - Arts in Psychotherapy
JF - Arts in Psychotherapy
M1 - 101840
ER -