Child-centered play therapy and impairment: Exploring relationships and constructs.

Abstract

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 22(3) of International Journal of Play Therapy (see record 2013-18529-001). The article was missing a co-author. Wendy K. Silverman of Yale University School of Medicine has been added to the article byline and author note.] The concept of impairment represents the impact a child's labeled disorders or behavioral symptoms have on the child and others who come into contact with that child. The diminished ability to perform at developmentally expected levels is the most likely reason parents and teachers seek services for children with behavior problems. The authors investigated the use of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) as an intervention to improve children's clinical levels of functional impairment associated with many emotional and behavioral problems in two phases. In Phase 1, 37 children in kindergarten, first, and second grades were randomly assigned to participate in CCPT or in a delayed-start control group. In Phase 2, the control group participated in CCPT, whereas the children already receiving CCPT continued services. Results indicate that children who initially received CCPT demonstrated decreased levels of impairment, whereas children in the delayed-start control group had consistent or increased levels of impairment. In Phase 2, both groups decreased their lev of impairment, encouraging the development of a theoretical model exploring the relationships among CCPT methods, empathy, self-regulation, and child impairment. els(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract)