Play therapy in the prevention of behavioural disorders of school-aged children

Abstract

The main goal of this research was to identify and understand the effects of play therapy on the prevention of behavioural disorders of younger school-aged children. A semi-structured interview was used as the data collection method with 17 open-ended questions. The study participants were seven parents whose children were involved in play therapy treatment for at least 3 months. It has been shown that play therapy is an effective medium in empathy development, more successful emotion management, encouragement of non-violent communication and reduction in aggressive behaviour. It can be concluded that the effectiveness of play therapy in the prevention of behavioural disorders significantly depends on the involvement of parents in treatment and the relationship between a therapist and a child. This research certainly serves as a basis for further research that will recognise the importance of therapeutic play in solving emotional and/or behavioural difficulties of children and youth.

Keywords: Behavioural disorders, child, play therapy, prevention.