Role play in counselling
In psychotherapy and counselling, an empathy doll can stand in for somebody: a parent, a brother or sister, a friend the client misses. Children frequently lend the doll their own voice and let it say what is on their mind. You and your client steer the role play together as the session unfolds.
Dolls a child can hold
In a therapist's hands any Joyk doll can be used, and older children can hold and carry the dolls themselves. Toddlers are another matter: most Joyk dolls weigh too much and bend too little for them. The bendable set and the treasure basket of ten small soft-bodied dolls are light enough.
Which doll for which session?
Several figures for one scene
The bendable dolls set ‘best friends’ contains four dolls with a wire core in their joints. Bend them and they sit, hold hands or turn their backs on one another. They show children from different backgrounds, and their clothes and shoes come off and go back on. Joyk recommends the set for children from 12 months.
Billy and Brando as conversation openers
Billy the cat and Brando the dog are soft toy and hand puppet at once. With your hand in the opening at the belly, the animal can ask a question or give an answer. Without a hand inside, it lies across a lap. Two bags come with it: one of granules for extra weight, and an empty one to warm up once you have filled it, say with cherry stones. Both animals can also take the heartbeat simulator.
A newborn to look after
Elias, Lilly and Emma are modelled on newborn babies and are anatomically correct. When you lift one, the head needs supporting, just as with a real newborn. Occupational therapists use them to demonstrate how to lift and hold a baby safely.
A child for speech and play
Emelie, Johan, Nelly, Antonio and Sofia represent a child aged about three to six; Naomi and Mia are smaller, lighter dolls made the same way. They sit, lie flat and take a few steps when led by the hand, and real baby clothes fit them. In speech and language therapy the doll can be the listener: a child tells it about breakfast, a day out or a falling-out with a friend. In occupational therapy, dressing a doll is a task in its own right: the wind & weather jacket closes with Velcro, while the denim-look shirt has real buttons.
When boy or girl is left open
Sam, Tom, Mandy, Simon, Simone and the child doll Marco have no genitals. Your client can make any of them a boy or a girl.
Accessories for the session: heartbeat simulator and aroma bags
Many Joyk dolls have a pocket in the body; the product details mark them ‘with Human Touch’. The heartbeat simulator sits in that pocket and produces a quiet, even beat that can be felt as well as heard. It can run continuously or switch itself off after an hour. You will need two AAA batteries for the simulator; they are not supplied. Aroma bags come five to a pack with nothing inside, ready for a scent that reminds your client of someone or somewhere. Both accessories are sold separately.
Equipping a therapy room
Start with the roles your sessions call for most: a newborn for nappy-changing and bedtime scenes, a child doll as a listener, Billy or Brando to open a conversation. Weight counts when a client keeps a doll on the lap for a whole session. The large child dolls weigh far more than Mia, Sam or Billy, and each doll's product details list its weight. Invoice payment is available to clinics, counselling services, therapy centres and schools after a credit check.