Advances in play therapy research: An intercultural dialogue = 推進遊戲治療研究的跨文化對話
Project title
Advances in play therapy research: An intercultural dialogue = 推進遊戲治療研究的跨文化對話
Principal Investigator
Department
Grant Awarding Body
Research Grants Council
Grant Type
Inter-Institutional Development Scheme (IIDS)
Project Code
UGC/IIDS15/H04/23
Amount awarded
HK$498,510
Funding Year
2023-2024
Duration of the Project
12 months
Status
On-going
Abstract
Since its origin in the early 1900s, the discipline of play therapy has gained meaningful visibility in Western countries, but is still less recognized by professionals and the public in Hong Kong, compared to other approaches that support child mental health, despite a growing body of evidence for its effectiveness for child development and treatment. Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is the most influential manualized play therapy approach. To date, five meta-analytic studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of CCPT interventions, one of which also included a systematic review. Ray et al. (2015) conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review of 23 randomized control trials (RCTs) conducted in school settings, finding that play therapy produced statistically significant outcomes for children with disruptive behavior, internalizing, self-efficacy, and academic problems. Lin and Bratton (2015) conducted a meta-analytic review of 24 RCTs of child-centered play therapy, and found it to be effective for externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, caregiver-child relationship stress, and self-efficacy. A search of the Play Therapy Outcome Research Database shows a further 12 RCT studies conducted since 2015, although these have not been reviewed for rigor or consistent methodology here. Child-centered play therapy has been designated as a promising evidence-based mental health intervention by the Results First Clearinghouse (NREPP) and the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC). Though promising, there is still a gap in the evidence base compared to more established approaches such as behavioral intervention. This gap is highlighted by emerging trends in play therapy practice. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the social, cognitive, and physical development of a cohort of young children has become a focus of research attention. Together with this, the growth of online intervention and teleplay during the pandemic, in the context of broader digitalization opportunities for play-based intervention – such as virtual reality – are highlighted. A key question for practitioners and researchers in Hong Kong, is the application of this approach in the contemporary local context. While there is evidence showing the effectiveness of these approaches in Western populations, the applicability of these approaches has yet to be meaningfully studied locally. Although the cultural background of Hong Kong is diverse, the predominant culture is Chinese, and it is believed that Chinese family dynamics differ from those of Western families. This highlights the need to develop a locally relevant approach in Hong Kong, which can only benefit from dialogue between local practitioners and researchers, with prominent international figures in the field. The proposed project will involve a conference that is aimed at practitioners, researchers, and students in the field of play therapy, that will also be open to the public. Prominent international scholars or practitioners in play therapy will be invited. The conference will aim to meet several related goals. An education day (or rather half-day) will introduce key play therapy approaches (international and local) to audience members who would like to learn from well regarded figures within those fields. The first day of the conference will present the current state of the field and trends in play therapy, which will include teleplay and digitalization, and work with relevant populations. The second day will highlight research methodology in play therapy research and questions related to culture and the local and regional context, including work with parents and families. An informal meeting on the fourth day aims to consolidate growing collaboration and exchange. The impact of the proposed project goes beyond enhancing the skills of practitioners. It also aims at establishing a network of people interested in developing play therapy in the local community. The team will maintain a mailing list of this group to facilitate future communication. The dialogue between the international experts and the local parties will provide a base for future development. The conference proceedings will be published in an e-format, together with videos of the keynote speeches on the project’s webpage which will have use as future training materials, while the collected data will be potentially useful in future research.