Few studies have explored mental health treatment programs for Aboriginal Australian children under the age of 12 years old. Isolated locations, coupled with therapy modalities that are not developmentally and culturally suitable for children who have experienced adversities, exacerbate the typical challenges in providing health services needed for optimum child development. Therapeutic services offered in Aboriginal communities typically follow a traditional delivery of therapy, meeting no more than once a week, or less, as remoteness increases. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of an intensive child-centered play therapy (iCCPT) program in a remote Aboriginal community with children who have experienced adversity. Pre-and postmeasures, utilizing Goodman's (1997) Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, were collected from parents and teachers. Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents who participated in the program after the intervention ended. Nine child participants attended an average of 15 sessions in a 10-day format. Total difficulties, as reported by both parents and teachers, diminished after the program. In particular, emotional problems, as rated by teachers, decreased over time. If replicated in a randomized control trial, these findings would suggest that an iCCPT program may be feasible and effective in remote Australian Aboriginal communities.
Issue addressed Aboriginal youth in Australia often experience high rates of intimate partner violence (family violence) and poorer reproductive and sexual health than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. To address some of the disparities, the Strong Family Program was developed to deliver reproductive and sexual health education to Aboriginal communities in New South Wales. Methods Development of the program was based on an extensive consultation process with Aboriginal communities. It was implemented in three communities, with two groups from each hosting Aboriginal youth and Elders in a yarning circle within the culturally respectful frameworks of 'men and boys'' and 'women and girls'' business. An evaluation was conducted to measure reproductive and sexual health knowledge and attitude changes upon program completion, using pre- and post-program surveys and yarning (focus group discussions). Results Program participants comprised 48 females and 28 males. Overall, mean knowledge and attitude scores improved upon completion of the program (from 77% to 82% and from 4.15 to 4.32 out of 5, respectively). Among participants aged 20 years and under (the youngest participant was 13 years), there was an increase in knowledge (P=0.034); among participants aged over 20 years (the oldest participant was 78 years), there was an increase in positive attitudes (P=0.001). Participants perceived the information provided to be useful and relevant, with many reporting improved knowledge and attitudes around rights and respectful relationships. Conclusions Reproductive and sexual health education in Aboriginal communities should be based on community consultations and carried out within a culturally appropriate framework to promote greater success. Continued implementation of the Strong Family Program will promote increased understanding of respectful relationships and improved health outcomes for Aboriginal young people. So what? The Strong Family Program was based on an extensive consultative process that ensured leadership and involvement from Aboriginal communities, with program content and delivery based on Aboriginal pedagogy and reflecting Aboriginal cultural values. Reproductive and sexual health promotion in Aboriginal communities should be based on community consultations and carried out within a culturally appropriate framework to promote greatest success.
Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate intervention for children to address behavioral concerns. However, the Muslim population experience multiple barriers in accessing mental health services. Limited studies explore barriers from the therapist's perspective. To clarify the experiences and various challenges in providing play therapy to the Muslim population, this study explored the experiences of play therapists working with Muslim families in Western Countries. The researcher conducted eight semistructured interviews with play therapists from Australia, U.S. and U.K. Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) uncovered several key insights around demonstrating cultural respect, specifically, the purpose of respect, the conceptualizations of respect, barriers that limit the benefits of respect, and the effects of these barriers on client outcome. For example, therapists who attempted to show respect toward other cultures may sometimes, albeit inadvertently, homogenize other cultures and inhibit their natural inclinations and intuitions-sometimes compromising their clinical judgments. Training and supervision around cultural humility, rather than cultural competence, might redress some of these complications.
The purpose of this study was to explore the accessibility of child-centered play therapy with Australian Muslim children. Eleven Australian Muslim parents participated in semi-structured interviews that explored three broad topics of play, counseling, and play therapy. Thematic analysis indicated that, despite several barriers to accessing counseling, child-centered play therapy may be accessible to this population. Specifically, several key insights emanated from the interviews. For example, Muslim adults tend to prefer Muslim health practitioners; however, when seeking a therapist to assist their child, these parents are not as concerned about the religious beliefs of health practitioners. In addition, despite cultural stigma against mental health services, Muslim parents invoke religious tenets to justify the importance of therapy. Furthermore, although play may be regarded as being indulgent in the Islamic community, Australian Muslim parents in this study appreciated the benefits of play to the development and progress of children and indicated the Islamic literature embrace play, especially before the age of 7 years. Implications for developing culturally responsive practice of play therapy and directions for future research are discussed.
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