Multicultural Considerations in Play Therapy Caregiver Consultation

The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature regarding parent consultation and to address special considerations when working across cultures and ethnicities. Understanding privacy expectations and how to meet the needs of families, without discouraging the caregivers or unintentionally breaking cultural guidelines, will be explored. This chapter is extremely important because mental health professionals must adhere to the diversity guidelines and ethical standards of practice in complex cases, with many involved caregivers at times. When consulting with caregivers from culturally diverse backgrounds, consultants need to consider the impact of culture on the caregiver, the child client, and on the consultation process.

Evidence for Psychodynamic Play Therapy With Parent Consultation as a Treatment for Somatic Complaints in Childhood

This study explored the effectiveness of psychodynamic play therapy with parent consultation to treat somatic complaints. Evie was treated with 50 sessions of psychodynamic play therapy which incorporated parent consultation. Intervention included direct parent consultation aimed to improve the security of the parent–child attachment in tandem with building a long-term, secure therapy relationship with Evie. Variables were assessed pre- and post-treatment, utilizing the Reliable Change Index to examine statistically significant change over the course of treatment. Significant symptom improvement was observed in Evie’s somatization. Significant improvement was also observed in parent–child relationship indicators including relational frustration and discipline practices. No significant improvements were observed in communication, parenting confidence, involvement, or attachment at the end of treatment, but significant improvements were observed at 3-month follow-up in all areas. Results are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of psychodynamic approaches to treatment with children, particularly with regard to the “sleeper effect.”

Assuming ability of youth with autism: Synthesis of methods capturing the first-person perspectives of children and youth with disabilities

Most research regarding youth with autism spectrum disorder has not focused on their first-person perspectives providing limited insight into methodologies best suited to eliciting their voices. We conducted a synthesis of methods previously used to obtain the first-person perspectives of youth with various disabilities, which may be applicable to youth with autism spectrum disorder. Two-hundred and eighty-four articles met the inclusion criteria of our scoping review. We identified six distinct primary methods (questionnaires, interviews, group discussion, narratives, diaries, and art) expressed through four communication output modalities (language, sign language and gestures, writing, and images). A group of parents who have children with autism spectrum disorder were then presented with a synthesis of results. This parent consultation was used to build on approaches identified in the literature. Parents identified barriers that may be encountered during participant engagement and provided insights on how best to conduct first-person research with youth with autism spectrum disorder. Based on our findings, we present a novel methodological framework to capture the perspectives of youth with various communication and cognitive abilities, while highlighting family, youth, and expert contributions.