Assessing practitioner experiences of developmental play therapy

This qualitative study exposed 33 practitioners, who work with children, to six experiential Developmental Play Therapy (DPT) exercises that was completed in an one-day training in the Spring, 2006. The participants were asked to "draw a picture of a child therapist" pre and post DPT training, and were asked to describe in writing what they were trying to portray within the drawing. To gain insight into participant experiences with the training they were also asked to journal their responses or reactions after each of the six exercises. Research facilitators documented their observations of participants following each exercise. Participants completed a post training questionnaire assessing the impact of the DPT training. Demographic data was collected to understand the background of participants who attended the training. A panel of raters examined the drawings and rated for changes in the drawings pre and post DPT training. Rated categories of the drawings examined for the categories of age, body posture, grounded, attentiveness, differentiation, and play materials. The rating of the images and the content analysis of the written portrayal of a child therapist resulted in the development of a composite model image of a child therapist. The findings from the data also contributed to insights and recommendations related to the facilitating of DPT experiential exercises. The findings supported that the DPT exercises helped to increase practitioner self awareness into their own early attachment relationships, enhanced empathy toward their child clients, and helped practitioners gain professional insights into practice methods. Implications in the field of social work related to practice, education, research and supervision of child practitioners are discussed. This study was supported by the theoretical concepts set forth in attachment theory, object relations and Humanistic Psychology.