Since its beginning in 1968, the Roberta Jones Junior Theatre, a children's theatre, connected to the Parks and Recreation Department of Santa Clara, California, has been creating child-centered performances for young audiences. This thesis will explore the history of the Santa Clara/Roberta Jones Junior Theatre and discuss the components that have contributed to its forty-year success. For a children's theatre to be successful it needs to be first centered on the learning of the children, in tune with the need of its community, and have a staff focused on the same goals. By examining the Roberta Jones Junior Theatre, the intension is to give a picture of its organizational structure, an analysis of its guiding principles, and how the author proposes to use it as a model for a children's theatre in the future.

The purpose of this study was to confirm the four-factor model of the Child Interpersonal Relationship and Attitudes Assessment (CIRAA) in order to establish the instrument’s factor/structure validity using a sample different than that used in instrument development. The CIRAA was the first parent-report instrument based on child-centered theory and designed to measure play therapy outcomes. Its four factors are Self-Regulation (formerly Self-Control), Interpersonal Relationships, Coping Skills, and Internal Locus of Evaluation. For this study, the CIRAA was administered to 206 parents; their children were 75 females and 131 males aged 3 to 10 years old. The distributions of children’s genders and ages in this study were similar to the distributions of the sample used to develop the CIRAA. Based on confirmatory factor analysis results of overall goodness-of-fit indices; localized areas of strain; and interpretability, size, and statistical significance (p < .001) of the model's parameter estimate, the four-factor model of the CIRAA was confirmed with both theoretical and empirical support. Internal consistency reliability for the subscales and total score were acceptable, with an overall reliability coefficient of .928. A medium negative correlation (r = -.417, n = 47, p < .01) was found between the CIRAA total scores and Child Behavior Checklist Total Problems scores, a result in the expected direction. All subscales and total scores, except the Internal Locus of Evaluation score, distinguished differences between non-clinical and clinical samples. Altogether, results indicated that the CIRAA is appropriate for making clinical decisions about individuals. Limitations, additional implications, and future research are discussed.

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Child centered play therapy (CCPT) is a therapeutic intervention that provides the environment for children to work through and heal from difficult experiences through expression of play and therapeutic relationship. It has been demonstrated effective with multiple types of disruptive behaviors. I conducted single-case research to explore CCPT's influence on children who had four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and provided analysis of data collected from one assessment administered weekly and one assessment at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention: the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Young Children. The two participants (one 8-year-old White American male and one 9-year-old White American female) demonstrated significant improvement in total difficulties and prosocial behaviors. The study revealed potential therapeutic benefits for utilizing CCPT with children who had four or more ACEs. Encompassed in discussion of study results are implications for practice, suggestions for future research, and limitations.

Bakgrund Inom svensk, såväl som internationell lagstiftning fastslås att barnets bästa ska beaktas när hälso- och sjukvård ges till barn. Dessutom ska barnens inställning till den aktuella vården eller behandlingen så långt som möjligt klarläggas. Samtidigt är det en utmaning för vårdpersonalen att realisera detta i praktiken, då patientgruppen barn skiljer sig stort från vuxna i deras möjligheter att göra sin röst hörd. Barnets egna perspektiv behöver därför särskilt lyftas fram och tas i beaktning. Syfte Studiens syfte var att beskriva barns upplevelser och erfarenheter i samband med sjukhusvistelse. Metod En strukturerad litteraturstudie med inslag av den metodologi som används vid systematiska översikter där tolv vetenskapliga originalartiklar ligger till grund. Datainsamlingen har utförts i databaserna Pubmed och CINAHL. Resultat Resultatet identifierar de tre huvudkategorierna relationer, sjukvårdsinsatser och miljö. Sjukvårdspersonalen och familjen identifierades som två positiva och viktiga relationer för barn som vårdas på sjukhus. Åtgärder som orsakade smärta eller obehag var istället en starkt negativ upplevelse. Samtidigt var barn fortsatt nyfikna på åtgärderna och önskade erhålla information för att skapa förutsättningar till att aktivt delta i sin egen vård. Lek och sociala interaktioner var viktigt då det skapade distans till barnens roll som patient. En färgglad sjukhusmiljö med mjuka fluffiga textilier och som erbjöd avskildhet föredrogs. Slutsats Barnen uttryckte upplevelser och erfarenheter inom ett flertal områden. Resultatet visade på att deras åsikter och inställning till sin egen vård inte alltid togs i beaktning. När det gjordes visade det på positiva effekter. Med ett barncentrerat arbetssätt skulle barnens vård kunna anpassas utifrån patienternas önskan. / Background Both Swedish and international law states that the best interests of the child should be considered when providing healthcare. Furthermore, children's own views on the care or treatment in question should be taken into consideration as far as possible. At the same time, it is a challenge for healthcare professionals to realize this in practice, as children as a patientgroup differ greatly from adults in their ability to express themselves. This indicates the need to highlight and take into account children’s own experiences while hospitalized. Aim The aim of the study was to describe children's experiences of hospital stay. Method A structured literature study with elements of the methodology used in systematic reviews based on twelve original scientific articles. The data collection has been carried out in the databases Pubmed and CINAHL. Results In the result, three main categories are identified: relationships, health care interventions and environment. Healthcare professionals and family were identified as two positive and important relationships for hospitalized children. Actions that caused pain or discomfort were instead a strongly negative experience. At the same time, children remained curious about the healthcare they were provided with and wished to receive information to enable them to actively participate in their own care. Playing and social interactions were importantas such activities created distance to the children's role as patients. A colorful hospital environment with soft fluffy textiles, while at the same time offering privacy, was preferred. Conclusions Childern expressed experiences in a number of areas. The result showed that their opinions and attitude towards their own care were not always taken into account. When it was done, it showed positive effects. With a child-centered approach, the children’s care could be adapt based on the patients’ wishes.

The present meta-analytic study examined the overall effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) and child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT) for children experiencing internalizing problems. After conducting a comprehensive literature search and review, 25 studies published between 2000 and 2023 met the following inclusion criteria: (a) published and peer-reviewed; (b) used CCPT or CPRT as an intervention; (c) participants were ages 3 to 13 or parents of children ages 3 to 13; (d) study outcomes related to children's internalizing problems, such as anxiety, depression, or withdrawal; (e) used single group within study or between study design, including randomized controlled trials and non-randomized controlled trials; (f) published between January 2000 and April 2023; (g) published in English; (h) used standardized measurements; and (i) reported effect sizes, or means and standard deviations, or the author disclosed the means and standard deviations upon request. Final analysis included 28 individual effect sizes using a random effects model to determine the overall effect size for 6 analyses that included CCPT/CPRT combined between, CCPT/CPRT combined within, CCPT between, CCPT within, CPRT between, CPRT within. Moderating variables included gender, age, ethnicity, and number of CCPT sessions. CCPT and CPRT effect sizes were statistically significant and ranged from small to large effects. Results support the use of CCPT and CPRT with children for the reduction of internalizing problems. Procedures and results, including the coding process, limitations, and implications are discussed.

Children experience a multitude of benefits in response to interactions with nature. Despite documented effects, children have increasingly spent less time outdoors over the last century and experienced higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses. Although child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is a culturally and developmentally responsive mental health treatment for children, researchers have limited study of environmental structure and materials employed in the therapeutic process of CCPT. In this study, I sought to further research on the integration of nature with CCPT by providing CCPT in an outdoor, contained playroom equipped with traditional CCPT toys and additional nature materials. Participants were 13 children in the southwestern U.S. with parent-reported attentional or self-regulation concerns (9 males, 6 females; ages 5-10, mean age M = 8.0). Parents reported participants' racial identities were 13% Black (n = 2), 13% Latinx (n = 2), 7% Turkish (n = 1), and 67% White (n = 10). Participants received 8 weeks of twice-weekly CCPT in an outdoor playroom. Results of two repeated measures ANOVAs revealed statistically significant improvement in attention on the Brown EF/A Scales and statistically significant improvement in social-emotional competencies on the SEARS-P. Results of this study illustrate the possible benefits of theoretically integrating CCPT and nature and the clinical impacts the novel approach could have on children's attention and social-emotional competencies. The study also provided insight into the viability of providing an outdoor CCPT intervention at a larger scale and some problems that may arise in creating and maintaining an outdoor playroom.

Childhood poverty is a prevalent concern in the United States and is associated with poor psychological and academic outcomes. Psychosocial stressors associated with life in poverty may interrupt the development of a positive self-concept, ultimately hampering the academic achievement of children in poverty. As the therapeutic objectives of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) support the development of an increasingly positive self-concept, I explored the impact of CCPT on the academic achievement of children in poverty. Participants were composed of 55 students between the ages of 4-7 years old from seven Title 1 elementary schools in the southern United States. Of the 55 study participants, 12 (22%) were female and 43 (78%) were male. Regarding participant ethnicity, 7 (13%) were African American, 1 (2%) was Asian American, 5 (9%) were multi-racial, 35 (64%) were Latino, 6 (11%) were Caucasian, and 1 (2%) did not report ethnicity. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 16 session CCPT treatment group (n = 25) or a waitlist control group (n = 30). A mixed between-within ANOVA was conducted to evaluate improvement in academic achievement scores between treatment and control groups across time. Results indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on the Early Achievement Composite Score of the Young Children's Achievement Test (p = .042). The standardized difference between groups was Cohen's d = .53 indicating a medium effect size. Overall, findings from this study support CCPT as an effective intervention to promote improvements in the academic achievement of children in poverty.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a certain set of abuse household dysfunction experiences that many children in the United States experience. Children who experience multiple ACEs are more likely to have negative mental and physical health issues as they grow older. These outcomes include ADHD, depression, cancer, heart disease, and early death. In this study, I examined the effectiveness of child centered play therapy (CCPT), a developmentally appropriate treatment modality, with children who have experienced two or more ACEs and who are also demonstrating inattention and impulsivity symptoms. Participants were 34 students from five Title 1 elementary schools in the southwest United States (28 males and 6 females; age range 5-8 years old with a mean age of 6.12). In the sample, participants were comprised of 29.4% African American (n = 10), 38.2% Caucasian (n = 13), 17.6% Hispanic/Latino (n = 6), and 14.7% identified as biracial (n = 5). Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group that received 16 CCPT 30-minute sessions twice a week (n = 17) or a waitlist control group (n = 17) that received treatment at the conclusion of the study. Using a factorial ANOVA, results indicated statistically significant improvement of CCPT treatment group over waitlist control group on the ADDES-4 School Total and the DOF Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Problems scale indicating that CCPT was an appropriate treatment model for children who have experienced ACEs and inattention and impulsivity symptoms.

Play therapy and animal-assisted therapy are two specialized modalities within the field of counseling. Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is a specific theoretical approach to play therapy that regards the therapeutic relationship as the primary healing factor. With much empirical support, CCPT is considered an effective mental health treatment option for working with children. Animal-assisted therapy in counseling (AAT-C) is acknowledged in the literature as a supplemental treatment modality to an existing counseling practice. Although past researchers have shown support for AAT-C as well as CCPT, there is a current dearth of literature examining the integration of these approaches. The present study sought to understand the approach of incorporating a therapy dog into child-centered play therapy while maintaining theoretical consistency. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, I facilitated child-centered canine-assisted play therapy (C3APT) services for four children and reviewed the sessions with expert supervisors in AAT-C and CCPT. Three major themes emerged from the data: (a) principles of C3APT, (b) procedures of C3APT, and (c) relational dynamics. Implications for clinical practice and training of both therapy dogs and C3APT practitioners are also discussed.