The Use of Child Centered Play Therapy in a Primary School Setting

Abstract

This paper is divided into four Sections: 1) Introduction, 2) Methods, 3) Results, and 4) Discussion. The Introduction begins by explaining the purpose and significance of the current study as well as the research hypothesis and objective. Next, the recent growing concern about school violence and its link to childhood social skills is discussed. The social characteristics of students involved in school violence are then outlined followed by a description of various school violence prevention programs and the role of school counselors in preventing school violence. Next is a description of several specific types of social skills training groups and typical problems found with such groups. The function of play with regard to childhood development is then discussed followed by an introduction to Child Centered Play Therapy. The benefits of Child Centered Play Therapy in the school system, particularly with high-risk students who show signs of aggressive or shy and withdrawn behaviors are then summarized. Next is a discussion of the nature and benefits of group Child Centered Play Therapy as well as the potential effectiveness of combining Child Centered Play Therapy with a social skills training group for the treatment of high-risk students. The Introduction Section ends with a brief conclusion based on the literature reviewed. The Methods Section is divided into three subsections. The first identifies the characteristics and demographics of the study participants. The next subsection outlines the psychometric properties of the instrument used to measure the study outcomes. The third and final methods subsection describes the procedures utilized in the study. The Results Section includes the raw data obtained for both the experimental and control groups. The data is presented in Tables 1 and 2, which are included in the Results Section. The Discussion Section follows with four subsections. The first includes information about the results in relation to the research question and hypothesis of the current study. The second subsection links the results of the current study to previous theory and research. The third subsection discusses the limitations of the current study while the fourth includes suggestions and recommendations for practice and future research