Cognitive-behavioral Play Therapy Research Articles

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Reducing Separation Anxiety in Boys in the First Grade of Primary School

Background: Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common disorders among children's behavioral problems, which leads to disruption in academic performance, social adjustment, family life, and peer relationships. Cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) is one of the appropriate treatment methods for correcting children's behavioral problems. It is designed for children aged three to eight. Objectives: Considering the importance of controlling separation anxiety in primary school children, the main aim of this research was to assess the effectiveness of CBPT in reducing SAD in boys in the first grade of primary education. Methods: A total of 30 primary school students with SAD were selected and then divided into the experimental group (15 students) and the control group (15 students) to conduct the present study. For the control group, no intervention was performed, but CBPT was done in eleven sessions for the experimental group. The level of SAD was evaluated in both groups and then compared with each other before and after the intervention. In addition, the level of SAD in both groups was compared between the pre- and post-study stages to assess the effect of CBPT. The statistical analysis of the results was performed using SPSS software version 22 and using relevant tests at the significance level (α = 0.05) Results: The results showed that the average SAD score before the intervention was equal to 78.84 ± 1.26 for the control group and 78.66 ± 1.28 for the CBPT group. The statistical analysis revealed no significant distinction across these average levels (P = 0.975). After the intervention, the average SAD for the control and experimental groups was 77.50 ± 1.65 and 47.75±0.76, respectively, showing a significant difference between the two values (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the findings, CBPT can reduce SAD in primary school children. Therefore, psychologists and educational counselors of elementary school students can recommend using CBPT to treat some behavioral problems of elementary students.

Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy in the Sand

This article describes the application of sand therapy to Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT). An overview of CBPT is provided to consider how foundational theoretical aspects are applied to sand therapy. Case examples give the reader insight into how CBPT sand therapy may be used within a play therapy session. Case examples include both directive and non-directive prompts to demonstrate using either or both at appropriate times within a session. These are chosen through collaboration between client and therapist and are tied to treatment goals. Aspects of CBPT, including role play, CBT-focused facilitative responses, and psychoeducation, are also incorporated into the sandtray process.

학교 적응이 어려운 초등학교 6학년 남아의 인지 행동 놀이치료 사례연구 : 가상 현실(virtual Reality), 문제해결력(PSI), ‘양떼를 지켜라’ 문제 해결 스토리텔링을 중심으로

This study was to determine changes following a cognitive-behavioral play therapy intervention with two sixth grade boys with school maladjustment. Virtual Reality, Problem Solving Skills, and "Protect the Flock" were used to determine pre- and post-test changes, and the results showed, first, increases in the domains of attention, working memory, executive functioning, behavioral control, socialization, and impulse control as measured by VR, and second, increases in all domains of PSI except for Client A's problem-solving confidence. Third, the "Protect the Flock" revealed new strategies and responses in the sixth-grade boy and a change in his willingness to use them to actively solve problems. The study attempted to measure new outcomes of pre- and post-change, including a traditional screening tool, the Problem Solving Skills Scale, and a new screening tool, Virtual Reality and "Protect the Flock" and found positive changes following the intervention of a cognitive behavioral play therapy program.

The efficacy of cognitive–behavioural play therapy and puppet play therapy on bilingual children’s expressive, receptive language disorders

ABSTRACT The present study examines the effectiveness of play therapy (based on the cognitive–behavioural approach) and puppet play therapy in expressive\\ receptive language disorders of the studied population. Here, we imported 45 female bilingual preschool children to our research. Their expressive\\ receptive language disorders have been approved previously based on our criteria and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. In the pre-test stages, all participants completed The language development test (TOLD3) to evaluate expressive\\ receptive language disorders. During the intervention, the experimental groups received the educational play therapy programme and puppet play therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention. After the intervention, all groups were examined again in the post-test stages. Our findings demonstrated that cognitive–behavioural play therapy is more significantly effective than puppet play therapy in improving expressive \\ receptive language disorders.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and Resilience-Based Play Therapy on Anxiety, Executive Functioning Behaviors, and Emotional Expression in 6 to 8-Year-Old Children Undergoing Dental Treatment

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy and resilience-based play therapy on anxiety, executive functioning behaviors, and emotional expression in children aged 6 to 8 years undergoing dental treatment. Methods: The current research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design, including a control group and a two-month follow-up period. All children aged 6 to 8 visiting specialty dental clinics in Isfahan during the first six months of 2021 constituted the research population. Forty-five children were selected using purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to three equal groups of fifteen. Data collection was carried out using the Revised Children's Anxiety Scale - Short Form (Ahlen et al., 2018), the Emotion Expression Questionnaire - Child Form (Penza-Clyve & Zeman, 2002), and the Executive Functioning Questionnaire (Gioia et al., 2000). Cognitive-behavioral play therapy sessions were conducted based on the protocol by Hall, Kaduson, and Schaefer (2002), and resilience-based play therapy sessions followed the protocol by Nikneshan et al. (2019), each lasting for eight weekly sessions of 60 minutes. However, the control group did not receive these interventions. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and mixed ANOVA with SPSS software, version 26. Findings: Results indicated that the mean scores of executive functioning behaviors and their dimensions significantly improved in the experimental groups at post-test compared to the control group, and these improvements remained stable at follow-up (p < 0.05). Moreover, therapeutic interventions (both cognitive-behavioral and resilience-based play therapy) significantly improved scores on anxiety and emotional expressiveness compared to the control group. Additionally, post hoc Bonferroni tests showed that cognitive-behavioral play therapy was more effective than resilience-based play therapy in reducing anxiety scores and increasing skills in emotional expression and executive functioning in children undergoing dental treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings further clarify the role of play therapy in children undergoing dental treatment and highlight the necessity of using therapeutic approaches derived from the cognitive-behavioral model to modulate symptoms in these children.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy and Gestalt Play Therapy on Vandalistic Behaviors, Impulsivity, and Cognitive Flexibility in Aggressive Male Elementary Students

Comparing the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy and Gestalt Play Therapy on Vandalistic Behaviors, Impulsivity, and Cognitive Flexibility in Aggressive Male Elementary Students

The Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Children's Anxiety Levels: A Systematic Review

The Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Children's Anxiety Levels: A Systematic Review

Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and COVID-19 Pandemic Trauma in Preschool Children.

Traumatic life events, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, can be a challenging health emergency, among others. The pandemic can also affect young preschoolers. They can experience negative emotions and behavioral and social difficulties. It can be hard for children to understand on their own what is going on, as well as for their families. This narrative review summarizes the role of psychotherapeutic approaches in working with trauma and aims to manage trauma, such as COVID-19, in preschool children. It focuses on the possibilities of applying cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) in preschool children who suffer from trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The therapeutic approaches are tailored to specific development in preschoolers. Furthermore, the article provides insights into the relationship between negative emotions, thinking, and behavior, and COVID-19 as a threat, by describing a cognitive model in preschool-aged children. Finally, the article offers possible ways of applying play-based cognitive-behavioral therapy programs in preschool children who are victims of trauma.

The Effect of Play Therapy on Children's Anxiety Level Age 4-6 years During Hospitalization at the Kronjo Health Center

Anxiety is an emotional state characterized by consistent fear, tense mood, unstable state of mind, and increased blood pressure and body chemistry. This includes the cognitive perception of the behavioral, physical and social aspects of the emotion. Anxiety makes children uncooperative and creates difficulties in carrying out treatment. Usually children are more anxious during the waiting period before treatment and this time can be used for behavior management to minimize anxiety. Children's distraction provides an effective relaxing experience during painful treatment. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of active distraction, in which children are encouraged to engage in activities that calm them from anxiety. Passive distraction includes audiovisual (AV) distraction, in which children remain still and engage in visual and auditory scenes. The aim of writing several systematic reviews is to compare the provision of image recognition play therapy in children aged 4-6 years. As a comparison or comparison is without play therapy. The outcome or outcome that is measured is anxiety. Articles were searched through the database from 2019 - 2020. Searches were obtained from the PUBMED database. The keywords used are “Play Therapy And Anxiety” or “Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBT) and Anxiety” Free full text in English or Indonesian. The subjects used were children aged 4-6 years. The research design was a randomized controlled trial. Based on the results of the study that the application of therapeutic games to children who are hospitalized reduces preoperative anxiety and can reduce postoperative pain, improve behavior and attitudes, and reduce anxiety during a hospital stay. Conclusion: play therapy has a beneficial impact on the care of hospitalized children and should be implemented in pediatric units after assessing the resources and training required for pediatric nurses.

A Preliminary Research of Development of a Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy Program for the Borderline Intellectual Functioning Children: Focusing on Reducing Depression and Anxiety

A Preliminary Research of Development of a Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy Program for the Borderline Intellectual Functioning Children: Focusing on Reducing Depression and Anxiety

Bilingual Children with Developmental Language Disorder: Outcomes and Interventions

Developmental language disorder, as one of the most frequent disorders in children is also prevalent in bilingual children. This review analyzed recent research collected from APA Psycinfo and summarizes the impact of developmental language disorder on linguistic skills and academic performance and its effective interventions. For intervention, examples of additive curriculum-based intervention, the Heidelberg Parent-based Language Intervention (HPLI) and cognitive-behavioral play therapy are discussed. As a result, bilingual children with developmental language disorders can exhibit impaired linguistic skills and lower academic achievement. School-based, home-based, and clinical interventions demonstrated both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the use of a combination of interventions in different settings collaboratively is recommended to promote language learning. Contribution from this review supports the need for additional research on intervention for bilingual children with developmental language disorders to create an interactive communication environment that promotes language development for bilingual children with developmental language disorders.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and Resilience-Based Play Therapy on Anxiety in Children Aged 6 to 8 Undergoing Dental Treatment

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy and resilience-based play therapy on anxiety in children aged 6 to 8 undergoing dental treatment. Materials and Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and control group with a follow-up period. The study population included all children aged 6 to 8 who visited dental clinics in Isfahan in the first half of the year 2022, from which 45 children were selected through purposive sampling according to the entry criteria and randomly assigned to three equal groups of 15. Data collection was performed using the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale - Short Form (Ahlen et al., 2018). The cognitive-behavioral play therapy sessions were based on the protocol of Hall, Kaduson, and Schaefer (2002), and the resilience-based play therapy sessions were based on the protocol of Nick Nashan and colleagues (2019), conducted over 8 sessions (one session per week) each lasting 60 minutes for the experimental groups, but not for the control group. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and mixed ANOVA with SPSS-26 software. Findings: The results showed that therapeutic interventions (cognitive-behavioral and resilience-based play therapy) were significantly more effective than the control group in improving anxiety scores (P<0.001) and emotional expressiveness (P<0.001). Furthermore, the results indicated that cognitive-behavioral play therapy had a greater effect on reducing anxiety scores in children undergoing dental treatment compared to resilience-based play therapy (P<0.05). Conclusion: These findings further highlight the role of play therapy in children undergoing dental treatment and the necessity of utilizing therapeutic approaches derived from the cognitive-behavioral approach to moderate these children's symptoms.

Effectiveness of play therapy based on cognitive esteem and working memory of children with hearing and speech disorders

Aim: the purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of play therapy based on the cognitive-behavioral approach on self-esteem and working memory of children with hearing-speech disorders. Methods: The current research is a quasi-experimental type of research. The statistical population of the research is all people (girls and boys) with hearing-speech impairment aged 8 to 12 years, who formed Tabasom rehabilitation center in Falavarjan city in 2021-22. Sampling included 30 boys and girls with hearing and speech disorders who were selected as convenience sampling and were placed in two groups of 15 people, experimental and control group. Also, analysis of variance with repeated measurements and Bonferroni's post hoc test were used to analyze the data. Results: The findings showed that the average score of active memory (inverted digits) and self-esteem after game therapy in the experimental and control groups had a significant difference (P<0.05). The score of self-esteem and active memory (inverted numbers) in the experimental group was higher than the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean of active memory score (forward digit span) after game therapy in the experimental and control groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that play therapy based on cognitive-behavioral approach is effective on self-esteem and working memory of children with hearing and speech disorders, and cognitive-behavioral play therapy can be implemented in rehabilitation centers, clinics, and schools.

The effectiveness of Friends program training on behavioral disorders of children with separation anxiety disorder

Aim: The current research was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of Friends program training on behavioral disorders of children with separation anxiety disorder. Method: The current research method was quasi-experimental and pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population in this research includes all children referred to behavioral disorders treatment clinics in the west of Tehran. The sampling method was available and was done on 7 to 12-year-old children with separation anxiety disorder, and they were randomly divided into two groups of 15 experimental and 15 second (control) groups. Then the experimental group underwent intervention for 10 sessions, 2 sessions of 30 to 45 minutes per week. The research tools included Achenbach's Child Behavior Inventory and Asghari Nikah et al.'s Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy Intervention Protocol (2012) as well as the Friends training program designed by Barat (1990) and finally data were analyzed using the covariance analysis method and SPSS version 21 software. Results: The results showed that the training of Friends program for behavioral disorders of anxiety/depression (F=11.04, P<0.001), isolation/depression (F=10.21, P<0.001), physical complaints (F=10.08, P<0.001), social problems (F=11.41, P<0.001), thinking problems (F= 9.17, P<0.001), attention problems (F= 11.75, P<0.001), Law-breaking behavior (F=9.81, P<0.001) and behavior (F=10.16, P<0.001) of children with separation anxiety disorder were effective. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that Friends program training can be used to improve the behavioral disorders of children suffering from separation anxiety disorder

Effectiveness of Play Therapy on Anxiety and Shyness in Elementary School Students

Background: Play therapy is a structured approach based on therapy theories that establish children’s learning and communication processes. Objectives: The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of play therapy on anxiety and shyness of elementary school children. Materials & Methods: This pre-test post-test with a control group design was conducted on students of both sexes studying at Rezvan Khutbehsarai Elementary School in the academic year 2020-2021, in Talesh, North of Iran. Students who had a high score on anxiety and shyness test were selected by purposive sampling method and then randomly allocated into experimental and control groups. Anxiety and shyness were assessed using Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale and Children’s Shyness Questionnaire. Cognitive-behavioral play therapy intervention was performed during ten sessions. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. Results: Play therapy significantly decreased the mean score of shyness and anxiety in the experimental group. The adjusted post-test mean score of anxiety (52.13, SD= 3.775) and shyness (77.88, SD= 5.947) in the experimental group was significantly lower than the adjusted post-test mean score of anxiety (61.42, SD= 3.671) and shyness in the control group (94.11, SD= 4.332). Conclusion: The finding showed effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing anxiety and shyness in elementary school students. Parents should be motivated to learn concepts such as the need for play, types of games, and the role of play in repairing the parent-child relationship.

The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on exam anxiety and academic vitality

The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on exam anxiety and academic vitality

Cognitive Behavioural Play Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorders (SADs) in Children with Speech Impairments

Cognitive Behavioural Play Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorders (SADs) in Children with Speech Impairments

The Effect of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on Improvements in Expressive Linguistic Disorders of Bilingual Children.

The present study attempted to investigate the effect of cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) on the improvements in the expressive linguistic disorders of bilingual children. The population consists of all bilingual children with expressive linguistic disorders studying in preschools. Considering the study’s objectives, a sample of 60 people, in three groups (experimental, control, and pseudo-control), were selected using WISC, TOLD, and clinical interviews. The experimental group members participated in CBPT training sessions. The training consisted of twelve 90-min sessions, three times per week programs held every other day. The pseudo-control group received training different from play therapy. The experimental group members were subjected to the follow-up test 2 months after the end of the intervention. All three groups sat the TOLD3 test before and after the experiment. Data analysis was carried out using ANCOVA. The results of data analysis suggested that CBPT can improve the expressive language disorders of bilingual children.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy on the Aggression and Anxiety of Mentally Retarded Students

Aim: The present article was done with the aim to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on the aggression and anxiety of mentally retarded students. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental method with a pretest, posttest and delay post design plus control group. The statistical society of the study consisted of mentally retarded male students of second grade of elementary exceptional schools during 2021-2022 and among them 30 students were selected as the sample case and categorized in experimental group (15 students) and control group (15 students). Data collection tools included Shahim (2007) aggression questionnaire and March et al (1997) anxiety questionnaire. The validity of research instruments was confirmed by the approval of specialists, for the research instruments`, the reliability was estimated and approved by calculating Cronbach alpha coefficient (α> 0.7). Prior to the study, Pre-test of aggression and anxiety was implemented in both groups. The experimental group received cognitive-behavioral play therapy through the training package in 12 sessions, but the control group did not receive any training therapy. After the training course in the post-test stage, both of the groups answered to the same questionnaire of pre-test stage; and two months later, research instruments were performed again between both groups. Results: The research data was analyzed with between- within mixed subjects Covariance Analysis. The results revealed that the cognitive-behavioral play therapy had a positive effect on the reduction of students` aggression and anxiety and this effectiveness has been remained stable after two months(P<0.05). Conclusion: According to cognitive-behavioral play therapy effectiveness and its stability in the present research, it was suggested to apply periodically the methods of cognitive-behavioral play therapy with the aim to decrease mentally retarded students` aggression and anxiety.

The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on exam anxiety and academic vitality

Background and purpose: Examining the issues and problems of students in the field of education and personality and identifying the factors that probably hinder their personal and social growth is of particular importance in every society. The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral game therapy on exam anxiety and academic vitality in elementary school boys. Methods: This research was applied in terms of purpose and in terms of implementation method, it was a semi-experimental type with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population in this research included all male students of primary school in district 2 of Sari city. In this research, a sample consisting of 30 students who were selected by voluntary sampling from among all the male students of primary school in district 2 of Sari city. They were randomly divided into two groups of 15 people (cognitive behavioral play therapy and control group). The data were collected using the children's test anxiety questionnaire (Wren and Benson, 2004) and the academic vitality questionnaire (Martin and Marsh, 2006) and were analyzed by univariate covariance analysis and spss.22 software. The significance level of the tests was considered 0.05. Results: The results showed that cognitive behavioral game therapy led to a significant improvement in the experimental group compared to the control group in reducing exam anxiety (P<0.001) and increasing academic vitality (P<0.001) in male students. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research, cognitive behavioral game therapy can be used to improve exam anxiety and academic vitality in students in psychology and counseling centers.