1.Keynote Address: Dr Judi Parson
Development of Resiliency in Children Through Play Therapy
Abstract:
Every child enters the world with a set of circumstances and possiblities, their body, family, country, culture and climate to make up their unique constellation. Children develop resilience through life experiences in a responsive sequence whereby specific factors and contexts contribute to optimising or diminishing resiliency. Resiliency is the ability to draw on personal strengths and psychosocial coping capabilities to overcome challenges, adversity and trauma. Resilience research offers a particular lens to inform psychotherapeutic interventions with children, and play therapy is a well-suited, developmentally sensitive modality available to enhance resilience in children. Play Therapy involves the activiation of the therapeutic powers of play (the change agents) through a child-centred, family-focused, reverential and safe relationship. This presentation explores the bioecological system and identifies critical points in development whereby play therapy can facilitate the development of resiliency in children.
2. Keynote Address: Prof. Sue Bratton
Understanding and Using the Evidence Base for Play Therapy
Abstract:
Play therapy has a history of being criticized for lack of rigorous research to support its use, and as a result was often discounted as a valid intervention. Over the past 3 decades play therapy research has increased in quantity and quality, resulting in growing recognition of play therapy as an effective practice. Disseminating and promoting the existing evidence-base for play therapy is essential to elevating the play therapy profession and for play therapy’s wide acceptance as the developmentally responsive treatment of choice for children exhibiting a range of presenting concerns. Yet, play therapists are often unaware of the scope of existing research or lack confidence in how to interpret and use research findings. The presenter will begin by clarifying the difference in evidence-based practice and evidence-based treatments and present an overview of play therapy outcome studies and meta-analyses that contribute to play therapy’s designation as an evidence-based treatment for children. The presenter will identify strengths and limitations to the body of research. Participants will gain access and learn to use a comprehensive online data base of over 130 play therapy outcome studies with succinct summaries of findings that can be easily disseminated by practitioners and academics to promote play therapy’s effectiveness to schools, parents, government agencies, funders, the legal system, and other professionals. The database categorizes studies by presenting issues and treatment setting, as well as by theoretical model and research design, allowing clinicians to target research relevant to their practice and setting.
Learning Objectives
Following the workshop, play therapists will be able to:
- Identify the difference in evidence-based treatments and evidence-based practice.
- Articulate the overall findings from play therapy outcome studies and meta-analyses that contribute to play therapy’s designation as an evidence-based treatment for children.
- Access and use a comprehensive online database of play therapy research findings to advocate for and promote play therapy’s effectiveness.