International Journal of Play Therapy

Introduction to play therapy research theme issue.
Play therapy is at a point in its history where outside forces are demanding that we look at ourselves and demonstrate that what we do has empirical value. Many of these outside forces have either ignored play therapy or have questioned, even denied, the capacity of play therapy to produce positive outcomes in therapy and counseling of children. It is from this perspective that the need for a special research theme issue was born. Detractors and supporters of play therapy need to know what the state of the art is in play therapy research, along with ways we can help move play therapy research exposure and credibility forward. Sandra Frick-Helms was invited to guest edit this first in a series of theme issues for the International Journal of Play Therapy. She in turn asked Athena Drewes to join her in coediting this issue because of her wide range of knowledge, skill, and contacts in the therapy and counseling fields. Together, they have compiled an impressive grouping of authors and researchers who offer the reader food for thought and practical tips for research application. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
The future of play therapy: Elevating credibility through play therapy research.
Elevating credibility in play therapy through research has been a difficult task. This difficulty is represented well in the Myth of Sisyphus (wherein Sisyphus is cursed with the mandate of rolling a large boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down every time he approaches the top of the hill). Play therapy, in some form, has been in mental health clinics, clinician’s offices, and in journals for more than a century—yet empirical research on play therapy has consistently lagged behind practice. Also, we have several decades of research supporting the use of play therapy in addressing many common childhood problems, yet there is little recognition of play therapy as an “empirically supported treatment.” To stretch the Myth of Sisyphus just a bit, if we are to see the effort to develop empirical support for play therapy as our task, we need to look carefully at who is pushing the boulder, what strategies are being used to get the boulder up the hill, and how we will we know when we’ve reached the top of the hill. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
How firm is our foundation? Current play therapy research.
The present article examines play therapy research since Phillips’s (1985) review. Play therapy’s evidence base remains largely inadequate using specific scientific/methodological criteria. The most compelling evidence for play therapy’s effectiveness is found for children facing medical procedures, although alternative explanations of the same data cannot be disconfirmed. The present conclusions are considered relative to findings from recent meta-analyses of play therapy research. Suggestions are made for improving play therapy research as well as broad questions to guide such research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Building a firm foundation in play therapy research: Response to Phillips (2010).
This article is a response to Phillips’s (see record 2010-01037-002) article titled “How Firm Is Our Foundation? Current Play Therapy Research.” Strengths of Phillips’s article are identified as (a) recognition of evidence-based standards in scientific literature, (b) challenge for methodologically sound studies, and (c) clear recommendations for future research. Responses to his concerns were addressed by (a) identifying credible scientific evidence of recent play therapy research studies, (b) providing a balanced interpretation of Bratton, Ray, Rhine, and Jones’s (2005) meta-analysis, and (c) replying to metaquestions in play therapy research. The authors conclude that play therapy researchers have made steady progress in building a firm foundation of play therapy research and continue to do so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Single-case design: A primer for play therapists.
Play therapy research is typically presented to practitioners as extensive and detailed studies that involve excessive controls of variables and large numbers of subjects in order to generalize findings. However, single-case design is one research design that involves concentration on data collection from few participants and involves clinical decision-making of the play therapist. This article defines single-case design and provides step-by-step suggestions for how to conduct a single-case design study. We also provide a specific example of single-case application to play therapy intervention and further discuss common problems in play therapy single-case design implementation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Qualitative research and its role in play therapy research.
The role and value of qualitative research for play therapy is the focus of this article. The premise is that qualitative research is a natural extension of the therapeutic process and thus can make a contribution to play therapy in the development of models and theories that will lead to future research and development. Qualitative research is placed within the context of current issues related to research in play therapy. The characteristics of qualitative research are presented and linked to the therapeutic process. Suggested research questions appropriate for qualitative inquiry are suggested. We can use qualitative research to build our understanding of the therapeutic process and the relationships in therapy helping to construct a model of change and a theory of growth change within play therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)

International Journal of Play Therapy - Vol 19, Iss 1