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Assessing Play‐Based Activities, Child Talk, and Single Session Outcome in Family Therapy with Young Children
Author(s) -
Willis Amber B.,
Walters Lynda H.,
Crane D. Russell
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of marital and family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.868
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1752-0606
pISSN - 0194-472X
DOI - 10.1111/jmft.12048
Subject(s) - session (web analytics) , play therapy , psychology , observational study , exploratory research , family therapy , clinical psychology , multilevel model , developmental psychology , psychotherapist , medicine , pathology , machine learning , sociology , world wide web , computer science , anthropology
This exploratory, observational study was designed to reveal descriptive information regarding therapists' actual practices with preschool‐ and school‐aged children in a single session of family therapy and to investigate change mechanisms in family play therapy that have been proposed to make this approach effective. A purposive sample of 30 families receiving family therapy was recruited and video‐taped during a family session where at least one child between the ages of 4 and 12 was present. Following the session, the therapist and parent(s) completed questionnaires while one of the children (aged 4–12) was interviewed. Session recordings were coded, minute‐by‐minute, for participant talk time, visual aids or props used, and therapy technique type (e.g., play‐based/activity vs. talk‐only techniques). Hierarchical regression and canonical correlational analyses revealed evidence supporting the theory that play‐based techniques promote young children's participation, enhance the quality of the child–therapist relationship, and build positive emotional experiences in family therapy.