Terror Management Theory (TMT), derived from Ernest Becker’s The Denial of Death (1974), maintains that humans are motivated by the desire to overcome our fear of death by constructing meaning and significance in our lives in various ways, including making light of our mortality. In this paper, we examine the role of play as seriously […]
Teddy bear therapy (TBT) represents an innovative application of family therapy within the context of child, and specifically play, psychotherapy. Drawing on play and storytelling, it entails the therapist and the (referred) child telling a story about a teddy bear that is facing difficulties similar to the child’s. Together, therapist and child explore how changes […]
In current times, more and more of us are seeing patients who are afraid and unable to make genuine contact with another human being. Their self is more undeveloped than falseómore unrealized than brokenóand the psychoanalytic, alchemical process of turning reality, truth, and lived experience into meaning often fails, as they wither in psychic encapsulation […]
The importance of professional helpers’ wellness and self-care has received significant attention in the past decade and is even considered an ethical obligation by many organizations for professional helpers. Play therapists, compared with providers of other treatment modalities, might be more susceptible to professional and personal impairment because they bear witness to children’s experiences through […]
Concern has been raised recently in relation to excessive use of digital technology and the detrimental effect this has on familial relationships, well-being and development, andon people’s connection with nature. This article provides a timely response to†this concern by presenting the findings of a qualitative evaluation of†a supported nature play programme according to the parents’ […]
The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of professional school counselors participating in a play therapy workshop as an introduction to child-centered play therapy (CCPT). Constructivism led this qualitative study to describe six professional school-counselor participants’ perceptions of CCPT and their experiences in attending the play therapy workshop. This article presents […]
Teachers are burdened by high work pressure, suggesting the need for an effective stress coping system to support them. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of coping strategies currently utilized by teachers and explored the potential contribution of group sandplay to coping. The study was led by a group of experienced therapists and sandplay practitioners. […]
Juvenile social play contributes to the development of adult social and emotional skills in humans and non-human animals, and is therefore a useful endpoint to study the effects of endocrine disrupters on behavior in animal models. Ethinylestradiol (EE2) is a widely produced, powerful synthetic estrogen that is widespread in the environment mainly because is a […]
This study presents the results of a research project whose objective is to propose measures to evaluate the right of children to engage in play, as recognised in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. After exhausting documentation and statistical sources, a lack of measures related to this right was clear. This led to […]
OBJECTIVES: To determine impacts on social-emotional development at school entry of a pediatric primary care intervention (Video Interaction Project [VIP]) promoting positive parenting through reading aloud and play, delivered in 2 phases: infant through toddler (VIP birth to 3 years [VIP 0-3]) and preschool-age (VIP 3 to 5 years [VIP 3-5]). METHODS: Factorial randomized controlled […]
Introduction: Daily physical activity (PA) participation is crucial to the health and well-being of young children. Along with total physical activity (TPA; all-intensity), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), or energetic play, is associated with greater health benefits, particularly for preschoolers (3–4 years), including but not limited to improved bone and skeletal properties and cognitive and psychosocial […]
Active and interactive learning are considered harbingers to life-long learning and many have recommended appropriate integration of technology and teaching methodologies to impart authentic learning. It is of utmost importance that classroom teaching be relevant and should involve potential real-life ethical situations that the students may face in the workplace. We thus need to ensure […]
Over the past decade, there has been an increased use of playful approaches to teaching and learning in higher education. Proponents argue that creating ‘safe’ playful spaces supports learning from failure, management of risk-taking, creativity and innovation, as well as increasing the enjoyment of learning for many students. However, the emergent field of playful learning […]
School counselors are often the first professionals to become aware of the mental health problems of young children. Given that play therapy is the most developmentally appropriate approach for elementary school-age children, it is important to understand why some school counselors use play therapy and others do not. The purpose of this study was to […]
The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate differences among 36 elementary school age children who received 16 sessions of child-centered play therapy and 35 children who were assigned to a waitlist control group. Pre- and postassessments were used to measure children’s levels of aggression, self-regulation, and empathy per parent and teacher report. Results […]
Sexual abuse by a perpetrator outside of the family is the most prevalent form of child sexual abuse. It is associated with serious consequences for both the child and his family. Surprisingly, however, the issue of extra-familial sexual abuse has received very little research and clinical attention. The purpose of the current study was to […]
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