The authors conducted a survey of 81 participants during a conference for play therapists concerning their opinions on the education, training, and practice of play therapists. In this manuscript, they summarize the results of this study, discuss the practical implications of the findings, and make recommendations for professional growth and future research.
Considering a resurgence of interest in play therapy as an important therapeutic approach for working with both children and adults, strategies are offered for inclusion of a play therapy course or program in a graduate curriculum. These strategies include suggestions for intra-university considerations, information-gathering surveys, play therapy demonstration, and association with an established play therapy professional organization.
The present study respresents a replication and extension of 1961 and 1963 investigations by Ginott and Lebo designed to identify trends in use of limits for play therapy. Therapists of different orientations, sex, or years of experience were notably similar in their patterns of limit setting for play therapy. Statistically significant differences were found between therapists of different orientations for only seven of the 54 limits. It was found that, of the 54 limits, relatively few were "never" used and that a t least half of the limits were reported as used "ordinarily." The most widely used limits pertained to protection of playroom equipment, safety and health, and physical attacks upon the therapist; least used limits were those associated with symbolic expression. Results of the present investigation closely approximated those of Ginott and Lebo, although a notable decrease in the number of differences between therapists of different orientations was found over the 19 years between the investigations. * Received in the Editorial Office on January 8, 1981, and published immediately at Requests for reprints should be sent to the third author at the address shown at the end of Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Although a number of articles have been published on the effectiveness of training play therapists, little has been developed on specific aspects that may facilitate the supervisory process in guiding the professional development of play therapists. Recommendations about effective approaches and strategies are offered to those involved in training and supervising play therapists. These recommendations evolved from the experience of a licensed clinical psychologist who teaches play therapy classes and has been involved in the practice of play therapy for over twenty years.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUPERVISING PLAY THERAPISTSA number of articles have been published on the effectiveness of training play therapists (
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