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.

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.

This study was designed to determine the effects of child-centered play therapy as a play therapy training model for beginning play therapy students. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of child-centered play therapy training on play therapy trainees in (a) improving positive attitudes and beliefs toward children; (b) improving knowledge of child-centered play therapy; (c) improving confidence in applying child-centered play therapy skills; (d) reducing dominance tendencies in trainees' personality as measured by the California Psychological Inventory; and (e) increasing tolerance levels in trainees' personality as measured by the CPI. The experimental group, consisting of 37 counseling graduate students with a specialty in child counseling, received 45 clock hours of introduction to play therapy graduate course training at the University of North Texas, Denton. The control group, consisting of 29 counseling graduate students with a specialty in child counseling, received other counseling graduate courses training but no play therapy training at the time of their participation in this study at the University of North Texas. Both experimental and control group students completed the pretest and the posttest on the Play Therapy Attitude Knowledge Skills Survey and the California Psychological Inventory at the beginning and the end of the semester terms of Fall 1995, Spring 1996, and Summer 1996. Analyses of covariance revealed that students in the experimental group demonstrated (a) a significant improvement in their positive attitudes and beliefs toward children; (b) a significant improvement in their child-centered play therapy knowledge; (c) a significant improvement in their confidence in applying child-centered play therapy skills; and (d) a significant reduction in their dominance tendency. An insignificant result was found in their tolerance level. This study suggests that child-centered play therapy training is a viable training model for prospective and beginning play therapists.

Externalizing behavior problems in children reflect negative actions toward the external environment and can have detrimental consequences for their academic, social, and mental well-being. These actions range from breaking the rules to exhibiting extremely disruptive and aggressive behaviors, and they frequently come with issues with social behavior and emotional control. Socioemotional competencies, such as empathy and emotion regulation, serve as protective factors against behavior problems, enabling children to effectively manage their emotions and behaviors. This study focuses on examining the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) in reducing externalizing problems and enhancing socioemotional competencies in children aged 3 to 12. CCPT utilizes play as a natural language to establish a therapeutic relationship between play therapists and children. This relationship provides a safe and accepting environment for children to express themselves and develop self-regulation skills. By accepting responsibility for their actions, children can progress toward self-actualization and improved behavior management. To investigate the effectiveness of CCPT in reducing externalizing behavior problems and increasing socioemotional competencies in children, a systematic literature review was conducted, considering studies published over the last decade. Four databases were analyzed, and six articles met the predetermined inclusion criteria. While the data extracted from the included articles demonstrated promising results regarding the effectiveness of CCPT in reducing externalizing problems, the impact of CCPT on enhancing socioemotional competencies was not clear. It is important to acknowledge the limitations of this study, including the scarcity of research in this field and small sample sizes, which impede the generalization of the results to all populations. However, this study identified a research gap concerning the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy in addressing externalizing problems and children's social and emotional functioning. Future research is required to have a more comprehensive picture of how CCPT reduces externalizing problems and what abilities it gives children to cope with their problems; otherwise, it is not possible to consider CCPT as an evidence-based intervention for externalizing problems and widely use it for all children based on current data in the literature.

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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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.

Play therapists use children’s natural symbolic play as a method of mental health treatment (Landreth, 2012). Meta-analysis research has demonstrated the effectiveness of treating children with play therapy (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005), and child-centered play therapy (CCPT) has proven to be an effective treatment for children with externalizing behaviors such as aggression and other disruptive behavior (Bratton & Ray, 2000; Bratton et al., 2005). Some studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of brief and short-term CCPT, such as twice weekly within two to three months (Blanco & Ray, 2011; Shen, 2002) and when delivered in an intensive format, conducting 12 sessions within three weeks (Jones & Landreth, 2002). In this current study, I sought to determine the effectiveness of intensive CCPT with children identified as having externalizing problem behaviors. Participants were recruited from public schools in the urban area of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia area. A total of 24 participants completed the study: 18 boys and 6 girls aged 6 to 9 years old (M = 7); 17 Australian Caucasians, 1 English (UK) Caucasian, 1 Asian, 3 Hispanic/Latino, and 2 Biracial. Participants were randomly assigned: 12 to the experimental group and 12 to the wait-list control group. Children in the experimental group received 20 intensive CCPT sessions: twice daily for 10 days. For each child participant, a parent completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and a teacher completed the CBCL Teacher’s Report Form (TRF) three times: at pretest, posttest, and one-week follow-up. Mixed between-within ANOVAs were conducted applying an alpha level of .05 to interpret statistical significant and η2 calculation to assess practical significance. Follow-up results indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on CBCL Externalizing score, F (2, 44) = 14.747, p < .001, with a large effect size of η2 = .277. Results also indicated a statistically significant interaction effect on the TRF Externalizing score, F (2, 44) = 4.042, p = .024, with a large effect size of η2 = .135. Therefore, both parents and teachers indicated that children with externalizing behaviors who received intensive CCPT showed a significant decrease in those behaviors. The results of this study indicate that when time and financial resources call for short-term, intensive CCPT for children with problematic externalizing behaviors, practitioners may use it with confidence that its effectiveness has been demonstrated through this research.