Evaluating the impact of child-centered play therapy training.

The researchers designed this study to determine the effects of a comprehensive child-centered play therapy training course for beginning play therapy graduate students in (1) improving positive attitudes and beliefs toward children, (2) improving play therapy knowledge, (3) improving confidence in applying play therapy skills, (4) reducing dominance tendencies in trainees, and (5) reducing intellectual efficiency in trainees. Results of the analyses of covariance reveal that students in the experimental group demonstrated a significant improvement in their positive attitudes and beliefs toward children, play therapy knowledge, confidence in applying play therapy skills and a significant reduction in their dominance tendency and intellectual efficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An intensive three day play therapy supervision/training model.

Describes a 3-day intensive supervision/training workshop model developed at the Center for Play Therapy at the University of North Texas. The model provides 27 hrs of supervision and training and incorporates a small group supervision format in which each participant receives live supervision of individual and group play therapy, immediate feedback, observation of colleagues, self-critique of videos, application of directed feedback, and training in specific skills within the format of each of the 3 days. Reactions by participants (12 play therapists and 4 trained play therapy supervisors) to the experience are discussed and application of the model to a variety of settings is suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Play therapists on play therapy: II. Clinical issues in play therapy.

Examined practices, issues, and perceptions of play therapy (PT) for children. Survey data were collected from 1,166 professionals practicing PT. Results show that according to this sample of PT professionals, PT is appropriate for most children aged 3–11 yrs. Early and middle childhood is the developmental territory that encompassed most of the children seen in PT. The percentages of boys vs girls in PT was less extreme than previously reported, and there was little divergence in the criteria used to select PT as a child's treatment. The following disorders were cited as amenable to PT: physical/sexual abuse, depression/withdrawal, acting out/impulse control difficulties, and school adjustment/academic difficulties. PT was considered mostly or completely successful with 80% of children in treatment. There were few significant differences between male and female therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term child-centered play therapy training with Israeli school counselors and teachers.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of short-term intensive child-centered play therapy training with school counselors and teachers in Israel. Results of the analysis of covariance revealed that trainees in the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in the group’s play therapy knowledge as measured by the Play Therapy Attitude, Knowledge and Skills Survey. The experiential group did not demonstrate statistically significant improvement in their attitudes and beliefs toward children or confidence in applying play therapy skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adlerian play therapy.

Describes Adlerian play therapy, with an emphasis on the basic tenets of the approach, the view of the child and his or her capacity to change, the role of the therapist, the goals of therapy, and the unique characteristics of the approach. Adlerian parent consultation is also described. (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)     

Ecosystemic play therapy.

Summarizes the key elements of Ecosystemic Play Therapy (EPT). It emphasizes the flexibility of the theory, allowing therapists to work with children at any developmental level in a variety of contexts. EPT requires therapists to always consider the children, their problems, and the therapy process within the context of the children's entire ecosystem. The basic tenets of the approach are described. EPT is heavily grounded in theory, which is used by the therapist to develop well-defined treatment goals and to design creative interventions geared toward achieving those goals. Play supports both the relationship between the child and therapist, as well as supporting the therapeutic process. EPT focuses on helping all children function optimally in the contexts in which they live. However, the therapist is also venturing out of the playroom to advocate for children and push for changes in the systems that most impact their lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gestalt play therapy.

Gestalt play therapy is described in this article. The tenets of this directive approach, the role of the therapist, and the goals of therapy are presented. In Gestalt play therapy the goal is to give back to children those aspects of the self that children have lost. It is the therapist's job to provide experiences to accomplish this. Once children regain healthy use of those immoralities that they had available to them as infants, they will find themselves on the rightful path of growth. This phenomenon has been observed again and again. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The future of play therapy: Elevating credibility through play therapy research.

Elevating credibility in play therapy through research has been a difficult task. This difficulty is represented well in the Myth of Sisyphus (wherein Sisyphus is cursed with the mandate of rolling a large boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down every time he approaches the top of the hill). Play therapy, in some form, has been in mental health clinics, clinician’s offices, and in journals for more than a century—yet empirical research on play therapy has consistently lagged behind practice. Also, we have several decades of research supporting the use of play therapy in addressing many common childhood problems, yet there is little recognition of play therapy as an “empirically supported treatment.” To stretch the Myth of Sisyphus just a bit, if we are to see the effort to develop empirical support for play therapy as our task, we need to look carefully at who is pushing the boulder, what strategies are being used to get the boulder up the hill, and how we will we know when we’ve reached the top of the hill. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of play therapy outcomes.

The results of a meta-analysis of play therapy research are presented with an emphasis on characteristics of therapy that predicted treatment outcomes. Results of the analysis are based on experimental and quasi-experimental studies of play therapy. The results indicate that play therapy has a moderate positive effect on treatment outcomes with children. Parental involvement and treatment duration were significantly related to treatment outcome. Studies that involved therapy for 30–35 sessions produced the greatest effect. Nonsignificant predictors of treatment outcome are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Limit setting practices of play therapists in training and experienced play therapists.

This study evaluated the effect of play therapy training on graduate students' limit-setting choices in play therapy and compared their reported choice of limits with the reported choice of limits of experienced play therapists. The results indicated a significant difference between pre-training and posttraining limit-setting choices of graduate students, with more limits being chosen after training. The limits selected by students after play therapy training were similar to those chosen by experienced therapists in past studies. After training, students selected limits most frequently in the areas of physical aggression against the therapist, physical aggression against equipment, and on behaviors which endangered the child's health and safety. After training, students chose the fewest limits in the area of socially unacceptable behavior, particularly in the expression of obscenity in the playroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating play therapy techniques into solution-focused brief therapy.

Solution-focused brief therapy is a recognized therapeutic approach proven effective in time-limited circumstances. This article describes the solution-focused process and presents a framework for integrating the expressive play therapy techniques of art, sandtray, and puppets into the solution-focused model. Three case studies are used to demonstrate this process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental perspective on emotions in play therapy.

Describes and compares normative emotional responses in solitary play, and determines developmental changes associated with expression of emotion in play. A developmental perspective on emotions is described. The results from 3 studies that examined the expression of emotion (facial expressions) during infants' and children's (aged 6 mo–5 yrs) solitary play are discussed as a foundation from which to consider the functions of emotion in play therapy. Facial expressions of emotions were assessed using the System for Identifying Affect Expressions by Holistic Judgments (C. E. Izard et al, 1983). Exploration and play were measured using a standardized scale developed by J. Belsy and R. K. Most (1981). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effective parent consultation in play therapy.

Effective communication with caregivers can contribute to successful play therapy outcomes. This article examines the structure of parent consultation in play therapy. The components of effective parent consultation are outlined, from the initial phone interview through termination, to provide guidance to play therapists for communicating with caregivers throughout the therapy process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 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)     

Quantitative analysis of long-term child-centered play therapy.

This exploratory study measured the impact of long-term Child- Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) with 23 children identified by teachers as exhibiting behavioral and emotional difficulties. Through the use of a repeated measures design, researchers examined the use of CCPT from pre-intervention to mid-intervention (16 sessions) to post intervention (32 sessions). Results indicated that children who participated in 32 sessions of CCPT demonstrated statistically significant improvement on the Total Problems Scale as measured on the Teacher Report Form, Total Stress Scale of the Index of Teaching Stress (ITS), ADHD Domain of the ITS, and Student Characteristics of the ITS. Researchers reported improvement to be statistically steady over the full duration of therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential impact of play therapy on developmental levels of children.

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the impact of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on children identified within J. Piaget's (1962) preoperational and concrete operations developmental stages. Using archival data, this study used a 3-wave repeated measures analysis of variance design to analyze the impact of CCPT on 24 children between the ages of 3 and 8 who received 19-23 individual CCPT sessions. On the basis of the child's age, children were evenly divided into 2 treatment groups of preoperational or operational developmental stage. A pretest, approximate midpoint, and posttest administration of the Parenting Stress Index (R. Abidin, 1995) was collected for use in the analysis. Preliminary results of this study revealed statistically significant differences in the impact of CCPT for children of different developmental stages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)