The aim of the study was to determine how Gestalt play therapy may be used in the therapeutic treatment of children in middle childhood who stutter. Stuttering is a problem that touches the lives of many people and is associated with great interpersonal distress. Stuttering is especially difficult for children in middle childhood, a time dominated by the school experience. Gestalt play therapy creates a child-friendly environment, in which the child can share information in a safe manner through the use of play therapeutic techniques. Literature was reviewed according to relevant topics, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three respondents, the data obtained was qualitatively analysed and research findings were discussed. The researcher concludes that Gestalt play therapy can be used to good effect with children who stutter, as it allows them to work through their emotions, and therefore, encourages them to communicate more freely within the therapeutic environment. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

This study utilized ethnomethodology to provide a description of the process and the effect of training counselors to incorporate the concepts and techniques of Individual Psychology into play therapy. Transcripts of the training program and of three individual interviews with the nine counselors who participated in the training were made. These transcripts and the journals in which the subjects were asked to chronicle their personal experiences and reactions to the training were qualitatively analyzed. This analysis indicated that most of the subjects reported that their attitudes toward play therapy, toward themselves as play therapists, and toward their play therapy clients had changed after their participation in the Adlerian play therapy training. The majority of subjects also reported that they perceived that their behavior in their play therapy sessions had changed, frequently in the direction of including more creative and active techniques. Qualitative analysis of the transcripts made from videotaped play therapy sessions by the researcher and an outside evaluator indicated that, while some of the counselors' behaviors seemed to have changed after the training, many of the counselors' behaviors did not appear to have been affected by their participation in the training. Possible explanations of the discrepancy between the counselors' perceptions of their behavior and the researcher's and outside evaluator's perceptions of the counselors' behaviors were discussed. Other areas considered as worthy of in-depth examination were: (a) possible influences on the changes in the counselors' attitudes toward play therapy, toward themselves as play therapists, and toward their play therapy clients; (b) several factors involved in training counselor education students; (c) elements which may have affected the counselors' receptivity to learning a new method of conducting play therapy; (d) implications for the future adaptation of the Adlerian play therapy training program; and (f) potential avenues for future research.

Virginia Axline developed a new field of child psychotherapy by applying a nondirective approach to the burgeoning experimentation of utilizing play in therapeutic work with children. While much biographical information is available regarding other leaders in the fields of counseling and psychology, historical research into Axline and her development of child-centered play therapy represent a gap in the literature. The purpose of the current study was to: 1) examine the professional contributions of Virginia Axline; 2) gather personal information regarding Axline that contributes to deeper understanding of her theory; and 3) identify life circumstances or events that influenced Axline's professional contributions. Historical methodology was utilized to locate and examine artifacts and materials necessary to create an interpretive biography of Axline's life and work, with a focus on her professional influences, experiences, and contributions. Historical methods utilized include historiography, oral history, and interpretive biography, with an emphasis on established and accepted source criticism and data synthesis processes. The research yielded a number of historically significant and previously unknown documents valuable to the field of CCPT including personal correspondence, academic writings, and interviews, as well as academic and government records. The research also established new information about and understandings of several of Axline's professional relationships. The research also calls into question the original authorship of scholarly contributions in the field of counseling for which Axline may have deserved, but not received credit. Included in the biography is information related to Axline's early life, higher education, career timeline, professional development, mentoring relationships, research interests, student perceptions, collegial relationships, personal hardships, professional interests and advocacy, teaching and learning methods, and her decline in later life.

Published Article / Various, multidisciplinary approaches can be used for the treatment of children with learning disabilities (LD). A multidisciplinary approach can include play therapy, remedial therapy, physiotherapy as well as a stimulant medication. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between children with LD and children without LD in terms of differential-sensitivity. Twenty children that have been diagnosed with LD and twenty children without LD participated in and completed a range of actions such as interacting with a number of objects of different colours, sound stimuli, smell stimuli and a two-touch stimulus. The study found that children with LD have more difficulty in identifying their senses and its functions than children without LD. It could thus be possible that if sensory stimulants were integrated into play therapy mediums, that the unidentified child with LD could be identified earlier in that child's life.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a play therapy training programme for youth facilitators of a returned exile children's group. The effectiveness was evaluated qualitatively by using participant observation to determine whether the facilitators were able to assess the difficulties of these children and implement the techniques of play therapy to address these difficulties. Literature was used as a general guideline to determine the criteria needed for lay play therapists dealing with specifically traumatized children. It was found that most facilitators experienced difficulty in assessing aggression, withdrawal, nightmares excessive shyness and thumb sucking as symptoms of difficult behaviour. They were, however, able to recognize more explicit symptoms like fearful behaviour and excessive clinging behaviour accurately. The majority used drawings and observations rather than interviews and history taking as assessment strategies. Mutual storytelling, painting and unstructured play were the primary means of intervention used. It was concluded that although difficulty with assessing age appropriate behaviour was present, the facilitators succeeded in using non-threatening therapeutic techniques to address difficult behaviours in children. In the classification of Overall Communication the facilitators performed quite well. They excelled at listening, understanding and empathy skills. The programme thus succeeded in providing necessary skills, but can be improved structurally to make these skills more accessible. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die doeltreffendheid van 'n opleidingsprogram in spelterapie vir jeugdiges as fasiliteerdes van kindergroepe vir teruggekeerde bannelinge te evalueer. Deelnemende waarneming is as kwalitatiewe maatstaf gebruik om die doeltreffendheid van die program te meet. Daar word gekyk na die fasiliteerder se vermoë om die kinders se probleemareas te identifiseer en om spelterapietegnieke te implementeer wat hierdie probleme aanspreek. Verder word relevante literatuur gebruik as kriteria vir leke-spelterapeute wat werk met spesifieke getraumatiseerde kinders. Die resultate van die onderhawige studie wys dat fasiliteerders dit moeilik gevind het om simptome soos aggressie, onttrekkingsgedrag, nagmerries, uitermatige skaamheid en duimsuig te identifiseer as probleemareas. Hulle het dit wel moontlik gevind om meer voor die handliggende simptome soos vreesbevange gedrag en oormatige klouerigheid akkuraat te herken. Die meerderheid fasiliteerders het gebruik gemaak van tekeninge en waarnemings vir identifisering van probleemareas eerder as onderhoudsvoering en die insameling van agtergrondsgeskiedenis. Die spelterapietegnieke wat die meeste gebruik was, is die gesamentlike vertel van stories, verf en ongestruktureerde spel. Ten slotte is gevind dat, alhoewel die fasiliteerders gesukkel het om ouderdomsgepaste gedrag te identifiseer, hulle daarin geslaag het om nie-bedreigende terapeutiese tegnieke aan te wend om sodoende probleemgedrag aan te spreek. In die klassifikasie van Oorkoepelende Kommunikasie, het die fasiliteerders uitgeblink in veral luister- begrips- en empatievaardighede. Die program slaag dus daarin om vaardighede beskikbaar te stel, maar sou struktureel verbeter kan word om hierdie vaardighede meer toeganklik te maak.

Much effort has been expended to increase the awareness and understanding of play therapy among consumers and practitioners (Landreth, 1991) since its introduction by Virginia Axline during the 1940s. As with any form of counseling, Leblanc and Ritchie (1999) have noted there are factors considered key to successful play therapy treatment outcomes. Play therapy research shows a positive relationship between parent's involvement in play therapy and successful outcomes (LeBlanc & Ritchie, 1999; Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005) but little research exists to document specific practice patterns and perceptions of play therapists in relation to achieving caregiver engagement. The purpose of this study was to identify the practice patterns of play therapists, their perceptions of the factors that influence caregiver engagement, their perceptions of the relationship between caregiver engagement and the therapeutic outcome for the child client, and their perceptions of the barriers to achieving caregiver engagement in play therapy. The Caregiver Engagement Inventory (CEI), a 36-item, structured and semi-structured questionnaire developed for this research, was electronically sent to 4854 members of the Association for Play Therapy (APT), resulting in 539 responses, 431 of which were deemed appropriate for inclusion. Of the 423 participants who responded, 292 (69%) strongly agreed and 107 (25%) agreed that caregiver engagement is related to a child’s therapeutic outcome in play therapy. Fifty-three percent (n=228) of respondents strongly agreed that they are prepared to facilitate caregiver engagement in play therapy, and 35% (n=151) agreed. These results suggested that, while 94% of play therapists who responded believe caregiver engagement is a large factor in successful play therapy outcomes, only 88% of the participants feel prepared to accomplish the task with caregivers of their child clients. The results indicated a relationship between training and play therapists’ practice patterns related to caregiver engagement, but participants reported minimal exposure to training specific to working with caregivers in both their graduate programs and workshops. Findings indicated that play therapists value caregivers’ roles in play therapy; however, barriers exist to caregiver engagement. Implications for play therapists, educators of mental health professionals, and future research are discussed. Keywords: play therapy, caregiver, engagement

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Liberty University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-133). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes special report study entitled: Playtherapy & playful settings for children with autism. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.