Back to the Future: The Intersection Between Play Therapy and Science


| RICHARD GASKILL, EDD, LCPC, RPT-S, JEANNE M. BROWN, MA, LCP, RPT-S P


lay therapy pioneers produced a myriad of literature regarding child development, theoretical orientations, and countless


play therapy techniques (Crenshaw & Stewart, 2015; Schaefer, 2011; Schaefer & Kaduson, 2006; Schaefer & O’Connor, 1983). Today, play therapy is a well-established method of treating childhood trauma, but our theoretical literature remains fragmented. Beginning in the 1990s,  principles to enhance our understanding of the impact of trauma and augmenting our ability to treat traumatized children (Anda, R. F., Felitti,  R., & Giles, W. H., 2006; Perry, 2001; 2006, 2014; Perry & Pollard, 1998).


Thirty years have passed since science began unraveling the mysteries of brain development and function. Today, we have a greater understanding of how the brain processes sensory input, how trauma impairs this process, and how these principles can guide play therapy practice. This


4 | PLAYTHERAPY | June 2022 | www.a4pt.org


knowledge enlightens play therapist’s understanding of how and why theories and techniques work, under what circumstances they work, in what sequence they work, and reveals commonalities between           2016; Gaskill & Dhaese, 2013; Gaskill, & Perry, 2012; 2014; 2017, Gaskill & Lilly, 2021). Neuroscience offers play therapists unifying concepts and principles improving our ability to understand, explain, and organize theories, models, and philosophies into an integrated body of knowledge (Gaskill, 2019). This knowledge elevates our theoretical    insightful capabilities of early theorists. the International Journal of Play Therapy®


Illustrative of this progress, has published six conceptual


articles and two research articles on the neuroscience of play therapy. Additionally, the Poster Session at the 2021 APT Conference featured at least 3 studies using physiological measures of change as evidence of play therapy outcomes, according to Edward Franc Hudspeth, IJPT Editor (personal communication, January 5, 2022).


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