Advocacy has long played a central role in play therapy and is one vehicle play therapists utilize to help clients reach their goals as well as achieve their truest potential. Exploration of variables that may influence play therapist advocacy to improve client outcomes is needed to inform decisions about how to improve clinician advocacy effectiveness for clients. In this survey method–based quantitative study, a purposeful sample of 303 play therapists completed empathy and advocacy competence measures. The researchers determined higher levels of empathy to be a positive, statistically significant predictor of play therapy advocacy for clients at the individual as well as community levels. Researchers discovered play therapists possessing high levels of empathy would be better able to advocate effectively. Implications for practice, education, and research are discussed.
Every counselor–client interaction is an opportunity for mutual learning through inquiry, listening, exploring, and understanding about a client's experiences with development and well‐being. Given the convergence of multiple sociopolitical events and systems that impact mental health and well‐being, we issue a call to increase promotion and uptake of preventative mental health strategies by assessing the social determinants of mental health (SDMH) in counseling practice. We contend that counselors are uniquely prepared to assess the SDMH at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental levels. Therefore, we review the parallels between counseling frameworks and the SDMH with the aim of explaining why and how counselors should assess the SDMH. Specifically, we describe ways that counselors can use their foundational skills and expertise in assessment procedures to identify client needs, as well as potential individual and community interventions. We outline a four‐phased approach for assessing the SDMH in counseling practice and provide implications for improving counseling outcomes.
Work-related stress and burnout have become a popular topic for research studies over the course of many years. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the importance of monitoring stress and well-being for workers in a variety of fields. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between perceived stress, burnout, and job satisfaction among play therapists. We found a strong correlation between perceived stress and burnout among sample participants. We also found a strong negative relationship between these variables and job satisfaction. Based on our findings, we recommend several strategies that supervisors can implement when working with counselors-in-training in order to prevent stress and burnout for this specific therapist population.
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