Within a decidedly here and now framework, child-centered play therapists face a dilemma regarding use of background information. Gathering a psychosocial history is commonly recommended, but there is little discussion about how to make use of that information within a fundamentally nondirective approach. In child-centered play therapy (CCPT), the therapist does not direct the focus or content of therapy, nor does he or she aim at changing the child. Rather, the therapist attempts to understand the child from his or her own frame of reference and to accept the child exactly as he or she is in the present moment to facilitate the child’s own constructive, creative, and self-healing power. This article explores a tension in the CCPT literature concerning whether or not therapist use of client background information impedes this nondirective, empathic attitude. Theoretical assumptions underlying the debate are examined, and empathy is theorized from a phenomenological perspective as both affective and cognitive, deeply relational, and aimed at understanding the child’s present and past experiences. Case examples illustrate circumspect use of client background information consistent with CCPT. The article concludes with training and research implications.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Skills and Methods
• Special Topics
  

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the foremost genetic cause of infant mortality.Although the current standard of care for diagnosed individuals is well-established,interventions that potentially facilitate the socio-emotional health of children with SMAare lacking. As of today, the use of play therapy for children with unique physical needs, such as those with SMA, have not been documented in research. Play therapy can benefit children with SMA because it provides an environment where children discover their own strengths and develop a greater sense of self-responsibility and self-reliance. Specifically, child-centered play therapy may be beneficial by focusing not on the child’s diagnosis, but rather on the child’s self-concept and freedom of expression. This article includes a general overview of SMA, suggests adaptive ways to incorporate the use of child-centered play therapy to best meet the needs of children diagnosed with SMA, and addresses other considerations related to the family context.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Skills and Methods
• Special Topics
  

This mixed-methods study, including quantitative and qualitative measures, evaluated how a flipped classroom learning environment that included a hands-on experiential skills lab to teach play therapy improved student’s knowledge, attitude,and skills related to play therapy. Participating students (n18) completed the Play Therapy Knowledge, Attitudes, and Skills Survey (PTKASS) at the beginning and the end of the course. Students also reflected upon their experience in the skills lab each week in anonymous online feedback journals, which were analyzed at the conclusion of the semester for common themes by multiple coders. Students scores were significantly different on all sub scales of the PTKASS: attitude (p.0012),knowledge (p.001), with the biggest growth in the skills sub scale (p.001). Through concurrent triangulation, these differences directly correlated to relevant qualitative themes that emerged from student feedback journals. The results of this study indicate strong support for the flipped classroom as an opportunity to develop graduate students’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills in play therapy.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
  

Issues related to touch in play therapy has rarely been researched or addressed within the literature. An original touch questionnaire instrument was created for this research—and first pilot tested—to capture practitioners’ professional and clinical attitudes related to touch within child play therapy sessions. The data was analyzed based on the responses from the 246 practitioners who completed the survey in full.This exploratory research examined practitioner attitudes related to varied types of touch (e.g., shaking hands, hugging, holding) in working with children and teenagers in play therapy sessions. Additional findings are presented to include practitioners’ concerns of liability about touch, their knowledge related to professional code of ethics,experiences of training in touch and child restraint, and policy practices such as an informed consent addressing issues of touch within therapy sessions. The outcomes underscored the need for practitioners to develop clinical and ethical competencies in touch with recommendations toward curricula in university graduate programs, and in continuing education trainings including mandatory supervisory seminars.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
  

Feedback is an essential component of counselor development. In this study, the researcher explored the integration of a peer feedback model that involved live observation and peer feedback sessions within an introductory play therapy course. There searcher conducted interviews with 6 counseling students, who engaged in the model,to explore their perspectives about the peer feedback experience. The analysis revealed6 broad themes: (a) class structure, (b) approach to feedback, (c) power of observation,(d) relationships and trust, (e) growth process, and (f) model improvements. Addition-ally, 2 of the themes had sub-themes: 3 sub-themes within the class structure theme: (a)experience with children, (b) live and video review feedback, and (c) peer and instructor feedback; and 2 sub-themes within the model improvements theme: (a)feedback training, and (b) multiple perspectives. The researcher discusses the themes,and then presents the implications for training play therapists.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
  

Beginning in the year 2020, Hong Kong schools and playgrounds closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic so parents stayed at home with their children every day. The resulting stress increased parent-child tensions and children’s behavior problems. Parents needed innovative methods to enhance their relationships with their children. In this quantitative and qualitative pilot research study, sixteen Hong Kong play therapists provided an online version of Child Parent Relationship Therapy to 158 Hong Kong parents with low-incomes who had children ages 6 to 8. Paired Samples t-tests showed a statistically significant increase with medium effect size in parents’ Portal Parental Acceptance Scale Total score and subscales for Respects Feelings and Autonomy, but not subscales for Values Child Uniqueness and Unconditional Love. Quantitative survey results indicate that participants perceived CPRT as helpful to their parenting skills and their children’s behavior. Qualitative survey results show participants believed CPRT had numerous other benefits. Authors discuss results and implications.

Chau, I., & Baggerly, J. (2024). Online child–parent relationship therapy in Hong Kong during COVID-19: Results of a pilot study. International Journal of Play Therapy, 33(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000210

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
• Cultural and Social Diversity

The changes in the United States demographics and the increased number of minority children with low socioeconomic status have raised concerns about children's well-being. Approximately 27% of children present with mental health issues (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]; 2018). To address mental health issues among children, play therapy has emerged as a major area in the counseling field, because it is a developmentally appropriate intervention to address the psychological needs of children (Landreth, 2012; Reddy et al., 2014). Since play therapists work closely with children and understand their needs, they are able to best advocate on behalf of the children (Kolos, 2009). For this reason, it is essential to continue investigating factors that may influence their social justice advocacy. The purpose of this study was to investigate how race, attitudes toward poverty, color-blind attitudes, and multicultural education were related to social justice advocacy among play therapists. A standard multiple regression was conducted to analyze the data that was collected from 196 participants. The results indicated that color-blind attitudes and multicultural activities/workshops contributed significantly to the prediction of social justice advocacy. These variables accounted for 12% of the variance. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Elmadani, A., & Post, P. (2023). Factors related to social justice advocacy among play therapists. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(4), 208–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000206

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
• Cultural and Social Diversity

Animals routinely join play therapists in their playrooms. These encounters are often occurring with no specific structured competencies within the field to guide ethical practice standards. There is precedent for play therapy practitioners providing clinical care to do so within their scope of practice. Without clear competencies guiding the integration of play therapy and animal-assisted services, play therapists are grappling with what to do and how to navigate the complex skills of attending to animal welfare, human-animal interaction, animal behavior management, zoonotic infection control, and incorporating clinical skills into animal-assisted sessions with children. The purpose of this manuscript is to explore the integration of animal-assisted and play therapy competencies to promote the ethical practice of animal-assisted play therapy (AAPT). This manuscript provides an overview of animal-assisted intervention terms and research, types of assistance animals, and ethics related to developing competence. The authors provide an in-depth review of animal-assisted counseling competencies and how they connect to play therapy competencies, equipping play therapists with knowledge of current standards in the field and considerations for choosing animal-assisted training programs This manuscript lays a foundation for AAPT competencies to guide standards for registered play therapists to safely and ethically incorporate AAPT into clinical practice.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics

African American boys often face systemic racism in educational systems, negative microaggressions, and societal stigmas that can result in lowered expectations. Thus, more discourse is needed on strategies practitioners can use to engage African American youth via technology. Music-based play therapy activities, such as building playlists, can help validate such populations who are often marginalized in American society. Such music-based activities can hone social and emotional skills in African American boys while fostering a sense of connection and empowerment. While most research on music-based interventions focuses on listening to, writing, and performing music, this article captures key music-based technology strategies used in play therapy to engage with two African American teenage boys. Effective strategies are classified into five areas: (a) engaging African American students in youth-led practices, (b) creating playlists, (c) listening to music, (d) building rapport, and (e) expressing emotion. Creating playlists is an example of a music-based activity that can empower students to cope with past experiences and connect to current emotions, and the playlists become future resources that youth can use to activate social skills and that therapists can continue to use as coping strategies outside of sessions.

Owens, C. L., Bradfield, T. B., & Frew, K. (2023). Playlists in play therapy: Using music-based technology to engage African American boys. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(2), 75–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000189

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Special Topics
• Cultural and Social Diversity
  

The present study aimed to the effect of Adlerian Play Therapy (AdPT) on the alexithymia and social isolation of deaf students. This study was a quasi-randomized controlled trial design. Twenty-four deaf students aged 15–18 years were randomly selected from Ferdous School for the Deaf in Isfahan, Iran. They were randomly replaced to experimental ( n = 12) and control ( n = 12) groups. The experimental group participated in 60-75 minute AdPT group sessions twice a week over four weeks (eight sessions). Both groups completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and Social Isolation Measure (SIM) before and after AdPT intervention. The results revealed that the intervention significantly and positively influenced alexithymia and social isolation of deaf students ( p < 0.001). AdPT improved alexithymia and social isolation of deaf students. Despite the positive findings of the current research, it is important to continue research with other exceptional students using this treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Ashori, M., & Shamsi, A. (2023). The effect of Adlerian play therapy on the alexithymia and social isolation of deaf students. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(1), 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000192

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

• Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
  
• Social and Cultural Diversity