Exploring Factors Related to the Use of Child-Centered Play Therapy among Elementary School Counselors

Overall, the United States’ population continues to substantially increase in cultural diversity (NCES, 2018; NCES, 2020a; NCES, 2020b), therefore increasing the overall diversity of students in school settings. Children from minoritized groups have a higher risk of experiencing poverty (US Census Bureau, 2017), problem behaviors (Post et al., 2019), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma (CYW, 2017), mental health concerns and inadequate mental health treatment or counseling (National Survey of Children’s Health, 2011-2012; National Survey of Children's Health, 2019-2020). Effective, culturally, and developmentally appropriate interventions are needed to address the mental health needs of racially/ethnically minoritized youth in elementary school settings. Professional School Counselors (PSCs) are charged with addressing the ongoing social/emotional, behavioral, academic, and mental well-being of all students, including those racially/ethnically minoritized. One way that PSCs can address these needs is through child-centered play therapy (CCPT). A logistic regression was utilized to explore how the amount and quality of play therapy training, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of the PSCs, and attitudes toward cultural humility are related to the use of CCPT in addressing student’s mental health needs among elementary school counselors (N=256). Results indicated that there was a significant relationship between the amount and quality of play therapy training, attitudes toward cultural humility, and the use of play therapy, but not ACEs. The results also indicated that there was not a significant relationship between the amount and quality of play therapy training, ACEs, attitudes toward cultural humility, and the use of CCPT. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.