Integrating Play Therapy and Mental Health Consultation

Many parents and teachers are often confounded when it comes to figuring out a child's presenting issues. Mental health consultants are able to note the frequency, proximity, duration and intensity of and in which the behavior(s) occur (American Psychological Association, 2013; Henderson & Martin, 2014). These professionals are equipped with the tools, education, and experience and are able to gather information, observe, and assess the challenging behaviors or presenting issues in order to formulate and conceptualize a treatment plan for the child, their parent(s), and/or the school/center based setting. Additionally, mental health consultants may offer valuable feedback; increase of knowledge, skills and awareness; development of treatment plans; and implementation of the necessary interventions. This chapter seeks to provide professionals with the definitions, differences, structure, and implementation of a mental health consultation model.

Pre-Therapy in Child-Centered Play Therapy

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is widely used among practitioners as a developmentally responsive mental health treatment for children with a variety of behaviors and presenting problems, however for children with disabilities, modifications to CCPT may be warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to present a model of pre-therapy in CCPT for treating children with ASD and other developmental disabilities. This chapter begins with an overview of person-centered therapy and pre-therapy; then moves to an explanation of using pre-therapy in CCPT. The chapter concludes with a synopsis for using therapeutic responses across three phases in pre-therapy. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Adlerian Play Therapy

Many play therapists routinely use Adlerian theory as their primary mode of conducting therapy with children (Lambert et al., 2007). In an age of evidenced-informed practices, research that supports or describes a treatment's effectiveness is important (Chambless & Ollendick, 2001). Because of Adlerian play therapy's popularity and the emphasis for evidence of treatment effectiveness, researchers began investigating Adlerian play therapy. A brief description of Adlerian play therapy and a description of research is provided.

Theraplay

Theraplay® is a brief, attachment-based parent-child psychotherapy approach that uses interactional play to establish ‘affectional' bonds between caregiver and child. Recent research related to Theraplay suggests it is an evidence-based practice for use in schools and clinical settings for a wide range of childhood problems, including those that are trauma-based. Of particular importance, Theraplay is emerging as an approach that is consistent with current neuroscience research on children's brain development and new understandings of attachment and disruption advanced by researchers. Young clients with some form of trauma-related symptoms comprise a large percentage of clinical cases, and present with complicated emotional and behavioral problems In this chapter, we will explore the basic theoretical underpinnings of Theraplay, the relevant mechanisms of change, and current evidence base. Although Theraplay can be used with a wide range of clients and problems, in this chapter, the focus will be on the applicatio with families with children who have experienced trauma.

The Play Therapist in the Courtroom

This chapter addresses what is often the most anxiety inducing experience most play therapists will encounter in their professional career: appearing in court. Play therapists who work with cases of child abuse face a higher chance of appearing in court on behalf of their child client. The purpose this chapter is to detail some ways play therapists can best prepare for the court process, which often begins at the moment the client relationship is established, how to prepare for court once a subpoena is received, and best practices for testifying in court on behalf of the child client. Finally, this chapter discusses the effects of court on the child and how to best help children recover from courtroom experiences.

Multicultural Considerations in Play Therapy Caregiver Consultation

The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature regarding parent consultation and to address special considerations when working across cultures and ethnicities. Understanding privacy expectations and how to meet the needs of families, without discouraging the caregivers or unintentionally breaking cultural guidelines, will be explored. This chapter is extremely important because mental health professionals must adhere to the diversity guidelines and ethical standards of practice in complex cases, with many involved caregivers at times. When consulting with caregivers from culturally diverse backgrounds, consultants need to consider the impact of culture on the caregiver, the child client, and on the consultation process.

The Impact of Trauma on Brain Development

As many as four million children experience trauma every year, and some children experience multiple traumas over time. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of the scope and the impacts of trauma on young children. The types of experiences that may be traumatizing to children and the potential effects of these experiences were included. A synopsis of the neurodevelopmental process was also provided along with the impact of trauma at the various neurodevelopmental stages. A neurodevelopmentally appropriate treatment model was described, and the model included the three neurosequential phases of regulate, relate, and reason. In the final section, a review of the impacts of trauma on school performance was provided, and suggestions for advocacy with classroom teachers were included.

Status of Play Therapy Research

With today's focus on evidence-based treatment (EBT) for children, play therapists are ethically responsible to identify and deliver effective interventions as well as synthesize the considerable body of play therapy research to support their practice and to advocate for play therapy as an evidence-base practice. Play therapists' ability to articulate research findings is particularly important as they consult with the adults in children's lives who make decisions regarding children's wellbeing including parents, teachers, school administrators and other professionals. This chapter aims to present an up-to-date comprehensive review and synthesis of contemporary play therapy research with a focus on studies employing randomized control group designs in order to provide play therapy practitioners with a guide to understanding and utilizing the substantial research base for play therapy.

Teachers Can Play Too

Positive teacher-child relationships are key factors for children's social-emotional development and academic success in schools. Teachers' ability to provide children with emotional support and understand children's unique needs may improve challenging behaviors in the classroom. Play-based teacher intervention training models provide teachers opportunities to become therapeutic agents and learn how to use humanistic play therapy skills and language to communicate with children and respond to their unique needs. In this chapter, the authors introduce four play-based teacher intervention training models: Kinder Training, Child-Teacher Relationship Training, Relationship Enhancement for Learner and Teacher, and Teacher-Child Relationship Building. The authors also illustrate these models' goals, training structure, research support for their effectiveness with teacher-child relationships, children's behavioral issues, academic engagement, and teachers' classroom management skills.

Integrating Interpersonal Neurobiology into the Play Therapy Process

Advancements in neuroscience provide theoretical support for principles and practices of counseling and play therapy intervention (Badenoch & Kestley, 2015; Siegel, 2012). Likewise, AdPT shares many conceptual similarities with IPNB and neuroscience research including emphasis on childhood experience, social interest and relationships, purposefulness of behavior, holism, and the internalized narrative or self-schema. This chapter per the authors will (a) develop connections from neuroscience and IPNB to play and play therapy, (b) review the IPNB model's domains of integration and their relationship to AdPT, and (c) provide an updated AdPT framework that encompasses the most recent neuroscience empirical support.