School counselors play key roles in recognizing and addressing students' social-emotional and academic needs and providing short-term counseling and crisis interventions focusing on mental health concerns. Research shows that play therapy is a developmentally responsive intervention for school-aged children (Ray et al., 2014). Many school…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of the syllabi of play therapy courses offered by school counseling programs that hold accreditation from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. We collected and analyzed 27 course syllabi to (a) identify trends in the content of these courses and…

Purpose: Anxiety disorders are a common mental health problem on college campuses. Underused creative programs offer intrinsic value to the successful integration of college students. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the use of building block therapy (LEGO® ) in stress management/reduction in comparison to traditional art…

This article presents the results of a 2-year exploratory case study on the impact of the "flipped" classroom design on generalist and advanced-practice social work skills in a large urban graduate university setting and looks at the role physical space plays in student perceptions of learning outcomes. Quantitative data were obtained…

The current study utilized a single-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate students' self-perceived competence and comfort of using a variety of play therapy techniques and interventions with a range of client populations as a result of taking a one-week intensive course in Play Therapy. In an effort to conduct course evaluation and explore…

Outcome research examining the effectiveness of teaching methods in counselor education is sparse. The researchers conducted a qualitative investigation utilizing an instrumental case study to examine the influence of a constructivist-developmental format on a play therapy counseling course in a large CACREP accredited university in the…

Initially, survey research was conducted to examine the economic impact on domestic violence within a two-county area in South Texas. Surveys were distributed to the police departments in these areas to obtain this information. Once the data were collected, there was evidence that the downturn in the economy was having an effect on family…

University-school collaboration can extend past the notion of simple shared resources in order to connect ideas, share talents, and solve problems mutually. It also provides fertile ground for counseling researchers to obtain, analyze and disseminate data. University-school collaborations signify a connective relationship between two vital and…

This study examined play therapy training across the nation among school psychology, social work, and school counseling graduate training programs. It also compared current training to previous training among school psychology and school counseling programs. A random sample of trainers was selected from lists of graduate programs provided by…

Integrating practices from yoga with group counseling offers many creative paths of therapeutic learning. While yoga emphasizes the increased sense of connection with the self, group counseling emphasizes the increased sense of authenticity in relationship with oneself and with others. Common aims of both yoga and counseling are liberation from…

Ireland is in the grip of a postmodern cultural deconstruction on many levels. The traditional "grand narratives" are increasingly viewed with suspicion and disenchantment as Ireland struggles to understand its evolving identity. There is a growing need for comprehensive interdisciplinary research that will facilitate teaching and…

Through a joint research committee sponsored by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and the American Counseling Association (ACA), The National Play Therapy in Counseling Practices Project conducted the first phase of investigation. Findings offered a snapshot of mental health providers of play therapy, regarding the nature of who they are and…

The author defines and presents a rationale for service learning, provides procedures for implementing service learning with children affected by poverty, and describes methods of facilitating multicultural counseling competence. Examples are provided from a graduate counseling class that conducted group play therapy with 11 African American…