1 Play therapy is time-sensitive. 


Healing trauma takes different amounts of time for different children and it is not possible to predict exactly how long or how many sessions will be necessary for children who have experienced          different from typical community clients, and do not include the full range of trauma that community-based clinicians treat (Cloitre, 2015). Meta-analytic reviews on play therapy indicate that children who participate in play therapy begin to demonstrate statistically  reports of average number of sessions ranging from 12 to 16  


2 Play therapy is responsive to the needs of children who have experienced trauma.


 Traumatic experiences are primarily stored within the sensory networks of the brain and the body resulting often in profound dysregulation. Traumatic events are often not saved as verbal memories, resulting in a lack of narrative memory and rational thought about the experience (Gaskill & Perry, 2012; Ogden & Minton, 2000; Porges, 2004; van der Kolk, 2014). Play therapy does not rely on language or cognitive awareness to initiate treatment and the somatosensory experiences in many play activities are viewed as the neurological foundations for regulation, creativity, abstract thought, prosocial behavior, and expressive language (Gaskill & Perry, 2014; Perry, 2006). Through the experience of rhythmic, patterned, repetitive input available during child-directed free play and clinician directed play-based activities, children  


Methodologies such as CBT and TF-CBT do well in addressing cognitive issues such as guilt, shame, grief, and maladaptive         approaches are dependent on strong cortical modulation of these experiences. To have strong cortical modulation, primary regulatory networks in the brain must be in place. Play therapy approaches  those regulatory networks (Cook et al., 2005; Perry, 2001, 2006,  are responsive to the child’s needs, they support the child develop behavioral and emotional co-regulation capacities and promote relational healing (Gaskill & Perry, 2012, 2014; Perry, 2006). 


See https://www.childtrauma.org/ for more resources on play and trauma assessment and treatment and see https://www.


neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources for information related to relevant interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. 


 


Play therapy is supported by meta-analytic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and evaluations by professional organizations. The Society of Clinical and Adolescent Psychology recognized play therapy as a Level 2 (Works) intervention for disruptive behaviors (Kaminski & Claussen, 2017). The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC) recognizes child-centered play therapy as promising for anxiety, disruptive behaviors, and domestic violence (based on 10 experimental research studies). The CEBC further recognizes Theraplay®


as promising for infant


and toddler mental health problems (https://www.cebc4cw.org). There have been three major meta-analyses on play therapy indicating effectiveness across presenting issues (Bratton et al., 2005; Lin & Bratton, 2015; Ray et al., 2015). 


    effectiveness of play therapy with children who have experienced trauma. In randomized controlled trials, Schottelkorb et al. (2012) demonstrated that child-centered play therapy was equally effective to TF-CBT in treating trauma symptoms. Reyes and Asbrand (2005) used a longitudinal design to explore the impact of play therapy for sexually abused children and reported a substantial decrease in children’s trauma symptoms. Shen’s (2002) randomized controlled trial with children traumatized by an earthquake demonstrated effectiveness of play therapy following 10 sessions, and Dugan et al. (2010) published case studies demonstrating positive gains for children impacted by Hurricane Katrina. 


 


Parents are on the front line as therapeutic partners in play therapy, especially with children who have experienced trauma. Play therapists seek to involve the parent in the child’s treatment at every step and also engage parents by teaching skills to help parents respond effectively to their children. The Association for Play Therapy’s (APT, 2019) Best Practices statement directly endorses partnering with parents recommending that play therapists include parents/caregivers in the formulation of treatment plans and reaching therapeutic goals. Play therapists know the substantial healing role that parents play in the lives of their children and seek to engage parents in the process of therapy to enhance their relationships with their children. Readers are encouraged to  therapy methods and Theraplay®


for caregiver-child interventions


(APT, 2019). 


www.a4pt.org | June 2020 | PLAYTHERAPY | 5


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