Sue C. Bratton

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.

Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) Treatment Manual : A 10-Session Filial Therapy Model for Training Parents

Introduction: Using the CPRT Treatment Manual. Part I: Therapist Notebook. Treatment Outlines and Handouts for Sessions 1-10. Part II: Study Guide. Part III: Parent Notebook. Handouts, Notes, and Homework for Sessions 1-10. Part IV: CPRT Training Resources. Part V: Appendices. Part VI: CD-Rom Contents.

FILIAL/FAMILY PLAY THERAPY: AN INTERVENTION FOR CUSTODIAL GRANDPARENTS AND THEIR GRANDCHILDREN

Families headed by custodial grandparents form an increasing portion of the population with particular needs. In the last decade there has been a significant rise in the number of grandparents assuming primary responsibility for their grandchildren whose parents are absent or incapacitated. Grandparents encounter many challenges in adjusting to their changing role; and their grandchildren, most of whom are disconnected from their parents, face an increased risk of emotional/ behavioral difficulties. The Filial/Family Play Therapy (FFPT) grandparent training model is a unique intervention for custodial grandparents aimed at fostering healthy parent‐child relationships through training and supervising grandparents in the basic methodology of child‐centered play therapy, while providing them with the emotional support they need. Grandparents conduct weekly play therapy‐type sessions with their grandchild; learning to convey acceptance, empathy, and encouragement, as well as master the skills of effective lim...

Examining the Impact of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) on Family Functioning

Research supports that child parent relationship therapy (CPRT), a filial therapy approach, has strong effects on participating parents and children. Some speculate that filial therapy improves the family system; however, minimal research exists to support this claim. Using a single-case design, researchers examined CPRTs impact on the functioning of 8 families. Results revealed that 6 families experienced statistically significant improvements in targeted areas of family functioning. Results from self-reported measures indicated that 7 families improved in family satisfaction, 4 in cohesion, 3 in communication, and 1 in flexibility. Observational measures also revealed improvements: 5 families in flexibility, 4 families in cohesion, and 4 families in communication. The results support that the benefits of CPRT may extend to the family system.

Enhancing Personal Wellness in Counselor Trainees Using Biofeedback: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this study was to explore whether biofeedback-assisted relaxation training could reduce stress-related symptoms and enhance personal well-being in a group of counselor trainees enrolled in a basic counseling skills course. Treatment participants received ten sessions of weekly biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, whereas the control participants received no intervention. The treatment group showed, significant improvements in several symptom areas measured by the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised: physical complaints (Somatization), personal inadequacy (Interpersonal Sensitivity), confused thinking or alienation or both (Psychoticism), and the overall number and severity of symptoms (Global Severity Index and Positive Symptom Total). The control participants showed no significant improvements in any symptom areas. Biofeedback-assisted relaxation was shown to be an effective stress-reducing intervention for counselor trainees, which resulted in a greater sense of personal well-being.

Filial/Family Play Therapy for Single Parents of Young Children Attending Community Colleges.

Many single parents are attending institutions of higher education such as community colleges to qualify for employment that will ensure the economic security of their families. Helping both single parents who are attending community colleges and their children adjust to changing roles and the accompanying stress presents a unique challenge. Filial/family play therapy training is a highly effective intervention for single parents attending community colleges. It has preventive, educational, and clinical implications. This article focuses on the use of filial/family play therapy with single parents attending community colleges as an effective intervention for improving the present and future welfare of these families.Many single parents are attending institutions of higher education such as community colleges to qualify for employment that will ensure the economic security of their families. Helping both single parents who are attending community colleges and their children adjust to changing roles and the accompanying stress presents a unique challenge. Filial/family play therapy training is a highly effective intervention for single parents attending community colleges. It has preventive, educational, and clinical implications. This article focuses on the use of filial/family play therapy with single parents attending community colleges as an effective intervention for improving the present and future welfare of these families.

Integration of Structured Expressive Activities Within a Humanistic Group Play Therapy Format for Preadolescents

The integration of expressive activities in play groups with preadolescents encourages them to reach more deeply into their own resources, enabling them to handle future challenges more effectively. Developmental and therapeutic rationale, along with research support, is given for the integration of creative activities into a humanistic play group format for this population. Developmentally responsive activities that foster self-expression and interaction are described in detail to allow practitioners to incorporate them into their own work with this population.

Why Do Children Drop-Out from Play Therapy?

Play therapy is a popular form of child psychotherapy that is used to treat a variety of childhood problems. Like other forms of child psychotherapy, treatment dropout is a problem that needs to be addressed. Drop-out from play therapy is more likely to occur among families headed by a single parent who is young and economically disadvantaged. Improving retention in play therapy requires that efforts be made to make services more accessible to families by considering the proximity of services, access to transportation and scheduling flexibility.

The effects of Adlerian play therapy on maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety in children: A single case design.

In recent years, an increasing number of mental health research focused on perfectionism as a concept that impacts psychosocial and behavioral wellbeing of individuals from different age groups (Morris & Lomax, 2014). In contrast with adaptive perfectionists, individuals with maladaptive perfectionism set unrealistically high standards and show rigidity in behaviors toward achievement (Stoeber & Otto, 2006). Research results support that maladaptive perfectionism is associated with a host of psychological problems throughout the life span such as depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, interpersonal problems, and personality disorders (Boone, Soenens, Vansteenkiste, & Braet, 2012; Gnilka, Ashby, & Noble, 2013; Kenney-Benson & Pomerantz, 2005; Rice, Ashby, & Gilman, 2011; Stoeber, Feast, & Hayward, 2009). Anxiety is 1 of the most recognized mental health problems associated with perfectionism, which can start in early years due to experiencing criticism and high standards for performance (Damian, Stoeber, Negru, & Băban, 2013). Although there is an increase in the number of research studies focused on maladaptive perfectionism in adults, research regarding the mental health treatment of perfectionism in children is in its infancy (Morris & Lomax, 2014). Ashby, Kottman, and Martin (2004) proposed a play-based intervention grounded in Adlerian principles as a developmentally responsive approach that focused on helping children modify maladaptive thoughts and behavior. This single-case design study aimed to investigate the effect of Adlerian play therapy (AdPT) on children’s maladaptive perfectionism and anxiety. Results showed AdPT as a promising intervention that needs to be further studied for its effectiveness in treating children’s maladaptive perfectionism and related anxiety issues.