Children with disruptive behaviors have an increased risk of ongoing and more severe problems throughout life. Early intervention can mitigate these consequences. We used a single-case design to research the impact of Adlerian group play therapy on children’s disruptive classroom behaviors. Results were mixed, with an overall improvement in children’s behaviors over the course of the study. Detailed results, implications, limitations, and suggestions for future studies are described.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Skills and Methods
• Special Topics
  

Increasingly, domestic violence is being recognized as a major concern for children today. Hamby, Finkelhor, Turner, and Ormrod (2011) of the U.S. Department of Justice discovered that approximately 8.2 million children were exposed to some form of family violence in the past year and 18.8 million over their lifetime as reported by a national survey. Witnessing physical as well as psychological–emotional violence within the family can cause serious detrimental effects to children. Younger children respond to domestic violence by having higher levels of psychological disturbance and display lower self-esteem than do older children. Likewise, other issues related to mental and physical health may manifest. Additionally, child witnesses of familial violence are taught to maintain the secret of violence; therefore, alternative forms to verbal expression are important in supporting this population. It is imperative that these child witnesses receive interventions that are developmentally appropriate and meet their unique needs. Play therapy has been proven to be a statistically effective means of treating externalizing and internalizing problems in children. Therefore it is proposed that child-centered play therapy interventions be applied when working with children exposed to domestic violence.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Skills and Methods
• Special Topics

Head Start teachers and their aides (n = 23) were randomly assigned to either the experimental or active control group in this exploratory study of the effectiveness of child–teacher relationship training (CTRT) on 20 economically disadvantaged children exhibiting disruptive behavior. CTRT is based on the principles and procedures of child–parent relationship training (CPRT), a 10-session play based model, which uses parents and caregivers as therapeutic agents of change. Analysis of pre- to mid- to post-tests results revealed that, when compared to the active control group, CTRT demonstrated a large treatment effect on reducing children’s levels of disruptive behavior. The statistical, practical, and clinical findings of this study provide validation of CTRT as a viable early mental health intervention for preschool children in Head Start exhibiting disruptive behaviors.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Skills and Methods
• Special Topics
  

This study evaluated the impact of participating in child-centered play therapy for qualifying diverse second-grade students, implemented through the Primary Mental Health Project treatment protocol. This preventative approach focuses on the behavioral, emotional, and social skills of children through child-centered play therapy.Second-grade students at 1 elementary school were assessed by their teachers for 4types of behaviors: task orientation, behavior control, assertiveness, and peer/social skills. Results demonstrated significant improvement in all 4 areas assessed for students who qualified for and received services over the course of 1 academic year. Findings suggest that child-centered play therapy is an effective preventative approach for students who are at risk for developing adverse behaviors that could negatively impact their academic success. Implications and the importance of providing preventative intervention for at-risk children are discussed.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Skills and Methods
• Special Topics
  

Religious faith is a recognized healing component in children’s mental health. How-ever, no research has been conducted on religious faith in play therapy. The aim of this survey was to identify play therapists’ awareness, knowledge, and skills related to religious faith in play therapy. Results of 308 registered play therapists (RPT) or RPT supervisors participating in the study showed that 82% endorsed religious faith or spiritual belief as being central to their own identity, 75% agreed that children have spiritual awareness, 88% reported confidence in identifying their clients’ religious beliefs, and 88% reported confidence in responding to children’s questions about God in a way that honors their religion. Themes of positive and negative displays of religious faith were identified. Findings are discussed.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
  

Technology use is rapidly expanding among children and adolescents (Harwood et al.,2011), yet it is unclear whether current trends in play therapy are adapting to address these trends. Further, little research has addressed the current training that play therapists receive in the use of technology. Ethically, therapists must obtain initial training and maintain competence in a particular treatment area to ensure effective application of a clinical intervention. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate clinicians’ training and understanding of the ethics of technology in the playroom.Participants included 13 registered play therapists (RPTs) and registered play therapist-supervisors (RPT-Ss). For the present study, the researchers conducted semi structured interviews and used qualitative content analysis research methodology to complete data analysis. Results suggest a general lack of familiarity with standards and ethics and adequate training in this area, though most participants expressed prospective comfort with technological interventions if they received adequate training opportunities. Findings from the study yield implications for training opportunities and clinical interventions.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
  

Women and mothers experience challenges and stressors within the workforce (Williams, 2001) and balance multiple roles and responsibilities within both identities as an employee and mother (Buzzanell et al., 2005; Spitzmueller & Matthews, 2016). Play therapists are unique in that their work centers on working with children, which can create unique role dichotomies and diffusions, and yet research rarely explores the interacting roles of mother and play therapist. Through qualitative analysis, this project explores four play therapists who are mothers and the challenges, benefits, and experiences they encounter in both roles. Implications for play therapy and play therapy training included.

Parker, M. M., Glickman, C., Carnes-Holt, K., & Meany-Walen, K. (2024). Qualitative exploration of the duality of mothers who are play therapists: A feminist perspective. International Journal of Play Therapy, 33(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000211

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
• Cultural and Social Diversity

There are no robust evidence-based interventions to treat disturbed attachment in school-aged children. Children with both mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) and disturbed attachment are an even more challenging population to serve, even though disturbed attachment is even more prevalent in children with MBID. Theraplay® is a widely used intervention for this population, which has been demonstrated to improve the parent-child relationship in numerous non-RCT studies. The effect of a Theraplay®-based treatment on the parent-child relationship was evaluated, in mother-child dyads with children with MBID and disturbed attachment. The dyads who received a Theraplay®-based treatment were monitored at three timepoints: 1) start of waiting list, 2) start of treatment and 3) end of treatment, which is part of standard clinical practice. Mother-child interaction was recorded by video-observation and scored using the Dyadic Emotional Interaction Style-assessment. Maternal representation of the child was scored using a Parental Stress Questionnaire (OBVL). More than half of the 28 participants dropped-out of treatment before the last measurement took place. The data of the other 12 mother-child dyads were retrospectively analysed and the treatment effect was compared to baseline variance, using a repeated measures ANOVA for interaction and a paired samples t-test for representation. Significant improvement in interaction quality and representational quality was found between both baseline measurements and post-treatment A Theraplay®-based treatment improves the mother-child relationship in children with a mild to borderline intellectual disability, and as such shows promising effectiveness in treating disturbed attachment in this population.

Hofstra, E., Kasius, M. C., & Vermeiren, R. R. J. M. (2023). Treating children with disturbed attachment and an intellectual disability: Effectiveness of theraplay-based treatment. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(4), 230–242. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000204

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Seminal and Historically Significant Theories
  
• Special Topics

Work-related stress and burnout has become a popular topic for research studies over the course of many years. The COVID 19 pandemic has also highlighted the importance of monitoring stress and well-being for workers in a variety of fields. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between perceived stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among play therapists. We found a strong correlation between perceived stress and burnout among sample participants. We also found a strong negative relationship between these variables and job satisfaction. Based on our findings, we recommend several strategies that supervisors can implement when working with counselors-in-training in order to prevent stress and burnout for this specific therapist population.

Winburn, A., Neal Keith, S., & Reysen, R. (2023). Examining perceived levels of stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among play therapists. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(3), 168–180. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000200

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics

As the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) increases, the need for mental health services for this population will increase. ASD can be inherently difficult to work with due to core symptoms. Therefore, counselors need to understand what theories, methods, and techniques have successfully worked with this population. Current literature on counseling with children suggests that play therapy is effective. This generic qualitative inquiry explores licensed professional counselors' and state-certified school counselors' perceptions of utilizing play therapy to build a therapeutic alliance with children diagnosed with ASD. The study revealed that there are more interactions with parents when working with the ASD population than neurotypical children. Counselors typically begin counseling sessions with child-centered play therapy and then evolve into more of a directive role based on the child's intense interests or obsessions of the moment. The study found that flexibility and modifications were essential criteria when using play therapy with a child with ASD to allow connection with the child. Future research could focus on pre/post data using play therapy with children with ASD in sessions.

Jenkins, J. B. (2023). LPCs’ and state-certified school counselors’ perceptions of utilizing play therapy with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(2), 95–106. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000197

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
• Skills & Methods
• Cultural and Social Diversity