Play therapy behaviors of sexually abused children.

Abstract

The purpose of this survey research was to identify play therapy behaviors of sexually abused children. To obtain the largest number of viable responses, the members of the Association for Play Therapy received the survey containing 140 play therapy behaviors. Statistical analysis identified highly interrelated play therapy behaviors of sexually abused girls and boys from three to 10 years of age. Also identified were differences between gender and age groups. Suggested use of the play therapy behaviors include assessments to detect sexual abuse and recommendations for child placement and/or court testimony.

Group Adlerian Play Therapy With Children With Off-Task Behaviors

“…Gil and Drewes (2005) provided implications for using group play therapy with children from a variety of cultures. Group play therapy interventions for children exposed to domestic violence (Thompson & Trice-Black, 2012), abuse and/or other traumatic events (Gil, 2006;Homeyer, 1999), death and loss (Le Vieux, 1999), and hospitalization (Lingnell & Dunn, 1999) have been emphasized. Additionally, a variety of play therapy theories include outlines of how to integrate group play therapy within the theoretical framework (e.g., Kottman, 1999Kottman, , 2003Landreth, 2012;Landreth & Sweeney, 1999;Oaklander, 1978Oaklander, , 1999.…”

Development of the Trauma Play Scale: Comparison of children manifesting a history of interpersonal trauma with a normative sample.

“…Primarily designed for use in nondirective play therapy, the PTSI-CSA (Homeyer & Landreth, 1998) can be also used to access spontaneous behaviors that are expressed by the child in a more directive play therapy sessions (Homeyer, 2001). The PTSI-CSA is an empirically researched screening instrument and is an easy tool for the trained play therapist to utilize in discriminating between sexually abused children and nonsexually abused children in the play therapy setting.…”

“…The Play Therapy Screening Instrument for Child Sexual Abuse (PTSI-CSA), based on Homeyer's (1994) research, identifies children who are at a high risk of being sexually abused. The PTSI-CSA consists of 15 sexual play behaviors consistent with and highly correlated (Homeyer & Landreth, 1998) with children who have been sexually abused.…”

“…The PTSI-CSA consists of 15 sexual play behaviors consistent with and highly correlated (Homeyer & Landreth, 1998) with children who have been sexually abused. Each item in the instrument is a specific, spontaneous behavior exhibited by a child in a play therapy session.…”

“…The following measurement instruments related to trauma play behaviors in play therapy were reviewed: the Play Therapy Screening Instrument for Child Sexual Abuse (PTSI-CSA; Homeyer, 1994), and the Trauma Play Scale (TPS; Findling, et al, 2006).…”