Elementary school counselors' perceptions of the implementation of reality play therapy in student relationship building and problem-solving skills

Within this study, the researcher examined an approach to teaching elementary school counselors a combination of Dr. William Glasser's reality therapy and play counseling techniques, and school counselors' perceptions of its implementation with elementary school students. Many of today's elementary school students are lacking the school relationships required to meet their needs for positive, growth-fostering interactions which can affect personal, social, and academic issues. Reality therapy and play counseling both seek to address these poor or missing relationship components through developmentally appropriate and effective interventions. Through the use of reality play therapy, elementary school counselors can provide students with opportunities to create positive relationships and develop problem-solving skills to meet their needs. Eight school counselors, recruited from a north central Florida public school system, participated in a series of reality play therapy trainings which introduced techniques appropriate for counseling upper-grade elementary school students. A thematic analysis was conducted on feedback sessions following the trainings yielding three major themes related to the counseling theories, school environment, and reality play therapy techniques. The school counselors' reflection journals and interview transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory methods which yielded four core categories: positive aspects of implementation, concerns regarding implementation, perceptions of the effectiveness of relationship building, and perceptions of the effectiveness of developing problem solving skills. The theory developed presents interconnectivity among the core categories in the school counselors' meaning making and perceptions of the implementation and effectiveness of reality play therapy in student relationship building and problem-solving skills development.