A concept company to help parent and child learn to communicate better through a therapeutic playground.

Cocolu is a company which I designed along with a group, to provide a theraplay experience through a therapeutic playground. It is a space when parents and children can learn to better communicate through our activities and programs. By using things such as animals and plants it can help children feel more comfortable with expressing their emotions.

In this collaborative project I functioned as a the Industrial Designer as well as a Project Leader. Created a experience and toy which children can use through out the space to better express themselves. I also created a mindfulness mushroom chair and the map of the space.

Types of Therapeutic Practices

Occupational Therapy

Centered around helping children in their daily activities, in what they need and want to do. Occupational therapy helps with fine motor skill, visual-perception skills, cognitive skills, sensory-processing problems. Our therapists help children to fully participate in their daily lives and to how to adapt to the things around them by helping children with physical, sensory or cognitive problems. They also can help boost self-esteem, develop fine motor skills, improve hand-eye coordination and other tools to help better manage daily life.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A type of psychotherapy or talk therapy used to quickly identify specific challenges or issues in a structured manner or 5 to 20 sessions that focus on emotions and behaviors. Based on the idea that thoughts and the way people look at things influences behavior

Cognitive Behavior Play Therapy is adjusted for younger children where there is often a playroom stocked with a variety of toys that the child and the therapist can use as a way for the child to open up about the issues they are experiencing. These methods help children to manage difficult events and emotion stemming from a multitude of issues.

Filial Therapy

A form of family therapy that focuses on parent and child play. Therapists guide parents to have nondirective play with their children. Therapists observe the parent-child play sessions and help the parent to understand what their child is communicating through play. The goal is to help with play sessions to address future family issues.

Our space emphasizes a use of filial therapy with guided activities for the parent and child to play an express themselves. A therapist will assist the parents in how to play and to allow the children to be more transparent and encourage communications of feelings throughout the experience.

Counseling/Play Therapy

Map of Space

Illustrative Map of Space Using Adobe Illustrator
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Cepe - Plush Toy

Create a 'Cepe':

In the Create Room children and their parents participate an activity to create their own Cepe. By changing the color and emotions of the Cepe they can learn to express themselves, develop empathy, improve fine motor skills

Activity: How to Play

1

Children are given a variety of different "Emotion Plates" in different colors and different color bodies

2

They put together "Cepes" to explain how they are feeling and out scenarios in the rest of the space

3

Children can learn to better identify emotion and express themselves

How it Works

Children can stack plates to express different emotions through out the space easier.

Magnets are used to attach the pieces to the the body of Cepe and switch emotions

Methodology

A type of indirective play to teach children to express themselves and communicate emotions instead of acting out

The use of the character in the space is to help the child to be more open and relaxed. By having familiar objects the children are more comfortable and increases chances of them opening up.

Mushroom Chair

Chair designed in order to be used in a rocking motion to release any physical or mental tension in the body. The child as well as the adult can use it on one side and rock it back and forth. Fallen Mushroom to fit with playful theme of the Cocolu Space. .

Can also be used in upright mushroom form for stationary use through out the space.