Conference Overview

The resilience of children to cope with the challenges of our time is as necessary now as it ever has been – but resilience in children is also the work of communities that support and respond to children’s needs and foster their development. The practice of play therapy as a way of helping children develop inner strength and self-esteem has been growing, locally and internationally. With the start of Hong Kong’s first locally developed professional Masters training programme in play therapy at Hong Kong Shue Yan, play therapy training and research may be arriving at a historic moment of potential as a recognized professional discipline in local communities. This international play therapy conference aims to bring together professionals, researchers, students, and interested members of the public to explore the role that play therapy will have in supporting healthy, happy and resilient children in our society. Both locally and internationally recognized authorities in the field of play therapy will be invited to share contemporary developments in research and practice, as well as the challenges in adapting play therapy practice to the cultural context of Hong Kong.

The conference invites paper presentations related to six research themes relevant to  to either child work or contemporary play therapy practice:

Conference Theme 1: Resilience in Children and Family

We welcome practical work and research about the resilience and wellbeing of children and families.

Conference Theme 2: Children with Special Needs or Trauma

Society has shown significant growth in the attention paid to helping children with special needs and recognizing the impact of trauma on child development. We welcome practical and research work in this field.

Conference Theme 3: Technology and Advance in Play Therapy, Digital Play, Play in Virtual Reality

The use of technology to facilitate play-related intervention has seen tremendous growth over the last few years. We welcome experience sharing or discussion about ethics and other related issues.

Conference Theme 4: Professional development of play therapists/resilience of practitioners during the Pandemic

Therapists, practitioners and other professionals who work with children, have faced both professional and personal challenges during the pandemic, and the need for therapists’ own resilience to support their work with children has emerged as a focus of attention.

Conference Theme 5: Play Therapy Training, Education and Supervision

The need to train practitioners who are ethically committed to giving of their best to children clients and their families, and who value the role of research evidence in making practice decisions, is an important focus for play therapy education, training, and supervision. We welcome experience exchange about this topic.

Conference Theme 6: Evidence-based Effectiveness Studies in Play Therapy

The need for evidence of the effectiveness of play therapy in helping children with various needs has prompted a growing number of randomised control trials and meta-analysis and review studies. The scientific standing of the approach is an important element for increasing public recognition and support for these interventions.

The conferences organizers are pleased to offer the keynote speech on developing resiliency in children through play therapy, by Dr Judi Parson.