Child-centered play therapy with a seven-year-old boy diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder.

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) has been supported as an effective method for working with children. A case study is presented that describes treatment using CCPT with a 7-year-old boy diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder (IED). This case study delineates 16 sessions of play therapy with a registered play therapist. The behavioral problems the child exhibited at the onset of therapy were greatly improved at the conclusion of the sessions. The outcome of this case study supported the use of play therapy for children with IED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child-centered play therapy.

Presents child centered play therapy (CCPT), including the rationale, basic tenets and effectiveness of the approach. The stages of CCPT are described. As the name suggests, CCPT focuses on the child and not on his or her problems. Most children not only thrive in the play environment, but with the therapeutic contributions of the therapist, go to reach higher levels of maturity and adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intensive group play therapy with child witnesses of domestic violence.

Describes the effectiveness of intensive sibling group play therapy with child witnesses of domestic violence in improving self-concept, reducing internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and reducing overall behavior problems. A second objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of intensive sibling group play therapy and intensive individual play therapy on the dimensions identified above. 10 children (aged 4–9 yrs) participated in the experimental group and 11 children (aged 4–10 yrs) served as controls. An analysis of covariance revealed children in the experimental group exhibited a significant reduction in total behavior problems, externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, aggression, anxiety, and depression, and a significant improvement in self- esteem. Intensive sibling group play therapy was found equally effective as intensive individual play therapy with child witnesses of domestic violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Editorial.

This issue of the International Journal of Play Therapy provides useful information for both practitioners and academics. It has articles discussing: child–parent relationship therapy; influence of gender in play therapy; child-centered play therapy; and the importance for play therapists to explore their values and how those values may relate to their clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Congruence in nondirective play and filial therapy: Response to Ryan and Courtney.

Differences in the training of nondirective play therapists between University of York (U.K.) approach and the Guerney and Landreth approaches (U.S.) has been raised by Ryan and Courtney (2009). York-trained therapists are encouraged to initiate expression of their own feelings at selective times to assure that therapists are congruent in their relationship with children in nondirective play-therapy. Congruence, an important component of the necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic personality change (Rogers, 1957), is based on the importance of therapist genuineness to maintain a trustful and safe therapeutic relationship. This article compliments Ryan and Courtney (2009) for introducing the importance of congruence in play therapy. The assumptions of nondirective play therapy in the Guerney approach was influenced significantly by their development of filial therapy and to the training of parents and therapists, This article asserts that congruence, in the Guerney approach, is incorporated by therapists expressing their own feelings only when this is initiated overtly or covertly by the child. Responding to a child in this way is dependent on the empathic attunement to a child's emotional motivation by a skillful parent or therapist. This raises questions about whether a nondirective stance is maintained in the York approach. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Repetitive symbolic play as a therapeutic process in child-centered play therapy.

Child-centered play therapy describes the therapeutic relationship between the child and play therapist as a facilitative environment that provides the child with an experience of congruence within their sense of self, promoting self-directed healing. Within this environment, the child is able to confront emotional pain imbedded in lived, relational experiences, processing and gaining mastery over it through repetitive symbolic play. However, very little research exists regarding repetitive symbolic play as a therapeutic process. This article aims to illustrate, through the use of a qualitative, interpretative case study and hermeneutic enquiry, how a 6-year-old boy's use of repetitive symbolic play assisted him toward healthier adjustment in his home and school environments. Hermeneutic analysis suggests that the child's use of repetitive symbolic play became a therapeutic process in and of itself that contributed toward self-directed change within his sense of self, which promoted healthier adjustment within his environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An initial look at the outcomes for dynamic play therapy.

Recent reviews of play therapy have identified that inclusion of parents in the intervention improves outcomes. This article presents an initial study of the changes in problem behavior when children and their families are provided dynamic play therapy. Dynamic play therapy is a family intervention developed by the author in which families are helped to develop collaborative play together using art, drama, movement, storytelling, and video making. Results suggest that child behavior does improve, that parents report the development of a positive therapeutic alliance with the therapist, and that this alliance is associated with outcome. This study used an action research approach and was conducted in an ongoing child guidance clinic. Discussion of the limits and merits of this approach is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating play and family therapy methods: A survey of play therapists' attitudes in the field.

The researchers surveyed 295 members of the Association for Play Therapy on their attitudes related to working with families when treating children. The results indicated the majority of play therapists held attitudes conducive to involving families in their approaches with children. However, mixed findings were found in specific areas related to the implementation of play therapy with families, suggesting barriers may exist. These mixed findings included a decreased percentage of play therapists that felt like play therapy was effective in family therapy when compared with the high level who felt that play and family therapy approaches could be integrated. Moreover, the respondents were divided on issues such as parents' willingness to be involved in therapy with their children and if parents were actually resistant to being included in sessions with their children. These mixed findings suggest that a wide range of attitudes and experiences about parental involvement exist among play therapists in the field. The authors raise key questions for the play therapy field to consider in more depth and suggest improvements that may be needed in play therapy education to increase the efficacy of play therapists' skills in working with families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Play, aggression, the preschool child, and the family: A review of literature to guide empirically informed play therapy with aggressive preschool children.

Preschool-aged children displaying high levels of aggression repeatedly have been shown to be at significant risk for continued behavior problems and other social and emotional challenges throughout their lifetimes. The present literature review seeks to summarize and integrate findings across the fields of developmental psychology, family studies, child development, and play therapy to inform play therapists' practices with this population. Specifically, findings from research in these fields hold substantial implications for empirically informed ways in which play therapists can include parents within play therapy processes. Affective quality of parent- child interactions emerges as the common theme across all existing literature and is emphasized as a critical focus for play-based therapeutic intervention. Topics for future research by play therapists focusing on this population are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effectiveness of play therapy: Responding to the critics.

Notes that play therapy has long been criticized for a lack of adequate research base to prove its efficacy. For 6 decades, while play therapists conducted small research studies, critics challenged the utility and efficacy of play therapy as a viable psychotherapy intervention. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of 94 research studies focusing on the efficacy of play therapy, filial therapy, and combined play therapy and filial therapy. The following electronic databases were used in the authors 3-yr search for studies on play therapy: PsycLit, PsycINFO, ERIC, FirstSearch, and Dissertation Abstracts. Meta-analysis revealed a large positive effect on treatment outcomes with children. Play therapy appeared effective across modality, age, gender, clinical vs nonclinical populations, setting, and theoretical schools of thought. Additionally, positive play therapy effects were found to be greatest when there was parent involvement in treatment and an optimal number of sessions provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pretend play and social play: The concurrent validity of the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment.

In play therapy, assessment is more often of children’s behavioral or social issues than children’s play ability. However, understanding children’s play ability by using a reliable and valid play assessment can add to a therapist’s understanding of the child. The aim of this study was to investigate how a child’s performance on a play assessment was related to social peer play. Children’s pretend play was assessed using the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment. Social peer play was assessed by preschool teachers completing the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale. Fifty-three typically developing preschool children were assessed. A significant positive correlation was found between the level of a child’s elaborateness of play scores and peer play interaction. A significant negative relationship was found between a child’s ability to substitute objects and play disruption. A significant negative relationship was also found between a child’s ability to elaborate play and substitute objects with play disconnection. The results suggest that children’s social competence can be inferred from their play scores on the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to play therapy research theme issue.

Play therapy is at a point in its history where outside forces are demanding that we look at ourselves and demonstrate that what we do has empirical value. Many of these outside forces have either ignored play therapy or have questioned, even denied, the capacity of play therapy to produce positive outcomes in therapy and counseling of children. It is from this perspective that the need for a special research theme issue was born. Detractors and supporters of play therapy need to know what the state of the art is in play therapy research, along with ways we can help move play therapy research exposure and credibility forward. Sandra Frick-Helms was invited to guest edit this first in a series of theme issues for the International Journal of Play Therapy. She in turn asked Athena Drewes to join her in coediting this issue because of her wide range of knowledge, skill, and contacts in the therapy and counseling fields. Together, they have compiled an impressive grouping of authors and researchers who offer the reader food for thought and practical tips for research application. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An exploratory study of child-centered play therapy with aggressive children.

Children exhibiting aggressive problem behaviors typically reach a peak of aggressive acts at an early age, providing evidence that early intervention for aggression is needed. Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is 1 intervention that offers the child an environment in which aggression can be expressed and empathically responded to by a play therapist. Forty-one elementary school age children were assigned to a CCPT condition or a wait-list control group condition. Children who participated in 14 sessions of CCPT showed a moderate decrease in aggressive behaviors over children in the control group, according to effect sizes as reported by parents (N = 32). Teachers reported that both groups significantly improved over time (N = 41). Post hoc analysis revealed that children assigned to CCPT decreased aggressive behaviors statistically significantly and children assigned to control group demonstrated no statistically significant difference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intensive filial therapy with child witnesses of domestic violence: A comparison with individual and sibling group play therapy.

The rationale for utilizing filial therapy as a treatment intervention with child witnesses of domestic violence while residing with their mothers in a shelter facility is explored and the effectiveness of an intensive 12-session filial therapy parent training group, conducted within 2-3 weeks, is described (n=11; aged 4-10 yrs). Results of analysis of covariance revealed that child witnesses in the experimental group significantly reduced behavior problems prevalent in child witnesses and significantly increased their self-concept as compared to child witnesses in the non-treatment comparison group. In addition, t-test results showed that mothers who facilitated treatment of the experimental group scored significantly higher after training on both their attitudes of acceptance and their empathic behavior. Comparative analysis revealed that intensive filial therapy as facilitated by the children's mothers was as effective in reducing behavior problems as was intensive individual play therapy and intensive sibling group play therapy as facilitated by professionally trained therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural trends and toys in play therapy.

Because culture plays an increasingly important role in play therapy, the purpose of this article is to review existing literature on multicultural issues in play therapy and to discuss current trends and toys in play therapy reported from a group of play therapists. A group of play therapists (N = 505) registered with the Association for Play Therapy were asked to respond to two open-ended questions: What trends, if any, do you see in play therapy with your culturally diverse clients? What items do you include in your playroom to specifically represent culturally diverse populations? Responses to these open-ended questions were analyzed using open and axial coping as part of the inductive process. Results of the first question were grouped into five main categories and responses to the second question were categorized based on area and type of play. Based on the results of this study, implications for multicultural play therapy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A school-based group activity therapy intervention with at-risk high school students as it relates to their moral reasoning.

The main goal of this study was to examine whether group therapy is useful for developing moral reasoning in at-risk youth. This research compared the impact of 10 weeks of group activity therapy (n = 27) and group talk therapy (n = 34) on the moral reasoning of at-risk ninth grade students. Group activity therapy is the developmentally appropriate extension of child centered play therapy for adolescents. Using pretest and posttest scores on the Maintaining Norms Schema subscale of the Defining Issues Test 2 (DIT-2; Rest, Narvaez, Thoma, & Bebeau, 1999), an analysis of covariance indicated significant difference between groups. Implications for counselors who work with this population are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Efficacy of Play Therapy With Children: A Meta-Analytic Review of Treatment Outcomes.

The efficacy of psychological interventions for children has long been debated among mental health professionals; however, only recently has this issue received national attention, with the U.S. Public Health Service (2000) emphasizing the critical need for early intervention and empirically validated treatments tailored to children's maturational needs. Play therapy is a developmentally responsive intervention widely used by child therapists but often criticized for lacking an adequate research base to support its growing practice. A meta-analysis of 93 controlled outcome studies (published 1953-2000) was conducted to assess the overall efficacy of play therapy and to determine factors that might impact its effectiveness. The overall treatment effect for play therapy interventions was 0.80 standard deviations. Further analysis revealed that effects were more positive for humanistic than for nonhumanistic treatments and that using parents in play therapy produced the largest effects. Play therapy appeared equally effective across age, gender, and presenting issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Look, up in the sky! Using superheroes in play therapy.

Fantasy and fantasy play are key elements in healthy child development, and as such, are potentially important resources for play therapy. The multi-media genre of superhero mythology has long provided children (and adults) with rich fantasies serving a number of important developmental functions, including emotional release, a sense of power, instillation of hope, a resource for problem solving and identity formation. Whether Captain America, Superman, Spiderman, the Justice League of America, X-Men, or Powerpuff Girls, these mythological figures have flown from the pages of comics, television and the silver screen into the imaginations and play of generations of children. Considering their ubiquity in popular children's culture, a paucity of research or clinical literature has addressed the incorporation of superheroes into child counseling and play therapy. The purpose of this article is to first describe the relationship between fantasy, superhero mythology, and play therapy, and to then provide examples from clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Countertranferance Among Play Therapists: Implications for Therapist Development and Supervision.

This study examined countertransference management among play therapists. Registered Play Therapist Supervisors (N=154) completed the Countertransference Factors Inventory-Revised and a demographic survey regarding a recent supervisee. The areas explored included countertransference management with regard to therapist gender, academic degree, license, theoretical orientation, type of supervision, population served, practice setting, play therapy training, and experience. A moderate positive correlation of 53% was found between play therapy training and countertransference management. A low positive correlation of 27% was found between years of experience and countertransference management. Differences were found among groups in the areas of degree, license, and practice setting. No significant findings were obtained for gender, theoretical orientation, population served, and type of supervision. The study provides recommendations and implications for supervision of developing play therapists, and suggestions for future research in the area of countertransference among play therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychodynamic play therapy with a high-functioning autistic child.

The increasingly dominant and sound view of autism as a developmental disorder has led to adoption of highly structured behavioral interventions and abandonment of psychoanalytic approaches. This article intends to reaffirm the relevance of traditional psychodynamic play therapy to the milder variants of the autistic syndrome. The therapy process with one high-functioning autistic child is examined and discussed in the context of autistic pathology and psychodynamic theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)