Posto
A communication device for children and their therapists to encourage open communication and assist in building trust.
Year: 4
Project Duration: 2 Semesters
Background
Research: Anxiety in Children
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"The COVID-19 Mental Disorders Collaborators conclude that, throughout 2020, the pandemic led to a 25·6% increase in cases of anxiety disorders"
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Anxiety Disorders can cause:
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Poor school performance
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Low confidence
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Trouble developing and maintaining friendships
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Depression
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Alcohol or drug use (later on)
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Research: Play Therapy
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Play therapy is better suited for kids as it removes the seriousness of traditional therapy
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"Accepting and validating the child’s feelings is key both to maintaining the relationship and helping patients"
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Stable attachments are a crucial building block of child development
Opportunity Statement
How might we utilize play therapy to help kids feel safe and build trust with their therapist?
Project Goals
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To design an approachable and friendly product for children
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To provide kids and therapists tools to increase opportunities to identify and process their emotions
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To design a product or system that helps the child grow and develop
Posto
Identify Emotions
Gives child tools to indentify their emotions on their own with Posto Mood Stamps.
Dispel Worries
Calm anxieties by acknowledging, writing them out on a Posto Card, and then sending them away both physically and emotionally.
Acknowledgement + Validation
Posto’s Inbox Program allows therapist to track patterns in moods and respond to their patients.
Connection
Through writing to their therapist throughout the week, the child feels a constant connection and learns to build trust.
Details
Mood Stamps + Post Card Prompts
Therapist can respond to post cards either manually or with preset responses
Posto's Therapist Inbox Program
Features
The Technology
Kids can customize their own Posto with paint, markers, stickers, and more!
Posto
Posto is a customizable postal service themed communication device for children and their therapist’s to encourage open communication and assist in building trust.
