Treating trauma with child-centered play therapy through the SECURE lens of polyvagal theory.

The relational change mechanisms of child‐centered play therapy with children exposed to adverse childhood experiences

“…In a recent randomized control trial, Ray et al (2022) found that CCPT was an effective treatment for children with multiple ACEs, evidenced by participants' statistically and practically significant improvements in empathy, social competence, and self-regulation. Conroy and Perryman (2022) suggested that CCPT is a powerful intervention for strengthening children's autonomic nervous system regulatory abilities because play therapists provide continual coregulatory support, and help the child develop understandings of their emotions so that they may eventually engage in self-regulation. Thus, the purpose of the current research study is to examine the process and relational mechanisms of therapeutic change in CCPT with children with histories of complex trauma and early adversities, using child-counselor physiological synchrony values within and across play therapy sessions.…”

Promoting Students’ Mental Wellness: Implementing Mindfulness-Based Interventions Within Multitiered Systems of Support

“…A cornerstone of mindfulness is being aware of how the brain and body work. Polyvagal theory proposes that the nervous system provides the neurophysiological substrates for adaptive behavioral strategies (Conroy & Perryman, 2022;Porges, 1995Porges, , 2011. Originally, the nervous system was thought to be a twopart, antagonistic system that helped people manage lifethreatening situations (Wagner, 2016).…”

“…The purpose of mindfulness is to help students move into the social engagement activation of their body. As a practice, it can also strengthen the vagus nerve, helping students to return to a socially engaged, learning state more quickly (Conroy & Perryman, 2022;Porges, 2011). Because mindfulness-based interventions can help students to self-regulate, school counselors are in a critical and unique position to support students' nervous system development and activate the social engagement part of their body through the implementation of mindfulness and movement interventions.…”

“…Through co-regulation practices with a safe adult, mindfulness-based interventions can help students learn to self-regulate, strengthening their overall mental health. Because mindfulness changes the brain (Conroy & Perryman, 2022), the goal of a mindful school is key to student success. By providing students with skills to use in the classroom or at home with their family, school counselors equip them to be proactive, rather than react to their environment (Chamberlain et al, 2019).…”

“…This is commonly known as the sympathetic fight-or-flight and parasympathetic shutdown. In other words, a student’s activated nervous system state could lead to fight-or-flight (sympathetic) behaviors or freeze (parasympathetic) behaviors (Brantbjerg, 2018; Conroy & Perryman, 2022). The reaction to freeze (shutdown or faint) occurs through the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve.…”