Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Counseling and Psychological Services Department of Counseling and Psychological Dissertations Services Spring 5-15-2015 The Effectiveness Of Child-Centered Play Therapy On The Challenging Behaviors Of Early Elementary School Students Corinne Wixson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cps_diss Recommended Citation Wixson, Corinne, "The Effectiveness Of Child-Centered Play Therapy On The Challenging Behaviors Of Early Elementary School Students." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cps_diss/108 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ACCEPTANCE This dissertation, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHILD-CENTERED PLAY THERAPY ON THE CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS OF EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, by CORINNE S. WIXSON, was prepared under the direction of the candidate’s Dissertation Advisory Committee. It is accepted by the committee members in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Philosophy, in the College of Education, Georgia State University. The Dissertation Advisory Committee and the student’s Department Chairperson, as representatives of the faculty, certify that this dissertation has met all standards of excellence and scholarship as determined by the faculty. _______________________________ Joel Meyers, Ph. D. Committee Chair _______________________________ _____________________________________ Laura Fredrick, Ph. D. Catherine Perkins, Ph. D. Committee Member Committee Member ______________________________ Andy Roach, Ph. D. Committee Member ______________________________ Date ______________________________ Brian Dew, Ph. D. Chairperson, Department of Counseling and Psychological Services ______________________________ Paul Alberto, Ph. D. Dean College of Education AUTHOR’S STATEMENT By presenting this dissertation as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the library of Georgia State University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote, to copy from, or to publish this dissertation may be granted by the professor under whose direction it was written, by the College of Education’s Director of Graduate Studies, or by me. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this dissertation which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without my written permission. Corinne S. Wixson NOTICE TO BORROWERS All dissertations deposited in the Georgia State University library must be used in accordance with the stipulations prescribed by the author in the preceding statement. The author of this dissertation is: Corinne S. Wixson 2121 Kinridge Road Marietta, Georgia 30062 The director of this dissertation is: Joel Meyers, Ph. D. Department of Counseling and Psychological Services College of Education Georgia State University Atlanta, GA 30303 CURRICULUM VITAE Corinne S. Wixson ADDRESS: 2121 Kinridge Road Marietta, Georgia EDUCATION: Ph.D. 2015 Georgia State University School Psychology Education Specialist 2009 Georgia State University Degree School Psychology Masters Degree 2008 Georgia State University School Psychology Bachelors Degree 2003 Georgia State University Psychology PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 2014-present School Psychologist Cherokee County School District Canton, Georgia 2010-present Contract School Psychologist Psychological Affiliates Marietta, Georgia 2011-2012 APPIC Predoctoral Intern Sarah A. Reed Children's Center Erie, PA 2008-2009 Graduate Intern Cobb County School District Marietta, Georgia 2006-2013 Graduate Research Assistant Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS: Roach, A. T., McGrath, D. C., Wixson, C. S., & Talapatra, D. (2010). Aligning an early childhood assessment to state kindergarten content standards: Application of a nationally recognized alignment framework. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 29, 25-37. Steed, E., Wells, L., & Wixson, C. S. (2010, December). Assessing implementation of positive behavior support in inner city childcare settings . Paper presented at the 3rd annual conference for the Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support: Atlanta, GA. LaSalle, T., Krause, T., Roach, A. T., & Wixson, C.S. (2010, March). IEP Quality and Curricular Access for Students With Disabilities Paper presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention: Chicago, IL. Wixson, C. S., Talapatra, D., Garcia-Frederick, D., Heil, K., LaSalle, T., Roach, A.T., Varjas, K., & Chilungu, N. (2010, March). Scorers' Perspectives and Decision-Making Processes in Evaluating Alternate Assessment Portfolios . Paper presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention: Chicago, IL. Roach, A. T., Wixson, C. S., Talapatra, D., & LaSalle, T. P. (2009). Missing voices in school psychology research: A review of the literature 2002-2007. The School Psychologist, 63 , 5-10. Roach, A. T., Elliott, S., Kettler, R. J., Wixson, C. S., Talapatra, D., LaSalle, T., & Bolt, S. (2009, February). Assessing Students with Disabilities: Cognitive Load Theory to Item Modifications. Paper presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention: Boston, MA. Wixson, C.S. (2009, February). Evaluating the Vertical Alignment of Early Childhood Assessment Systems. Paper presented at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention: Boston, MA. Roach, A. T., Meyers, B., Wixson, C. S., Kavanagh, K., Czaplicki, K., & Kramb, D. (2008). Including students with disabilities in multiage classrooms: Perceptions of special educators. Journal of Multiage Education, 3 , 22-26. Snyder, P. A., Wixson, C. S., Talapatra, D., and Roach, A. T. (2008). Assessment in early childhood: Instruction-focused strategies to support response-to-intervention frameworks. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 34 , 6-14. PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES AND ORGANIZATIONS 2006-present National Association of School Psychologists 2006-present Student Affiliates in School Psychology, Georgia State University Chapter THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHILD-CENTERED PLAY THERAPY ON THE CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS OF EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS by CORINNE WIXSON Under the Direction of Joel Meyers, Ph.D. ABSTRACT With the high prevalence of mental health disorders among children, there is a growing need for effective mental health interventions that will enhance overall wellness and functioning while meeting the developmental needs of children (Stagman & Cooper, 2010). In addition, there are increasing demands from policymakers, managed-care organizations, and educators to implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs), or treatments that are supported by strong research (Kratochwill & Shernoff, 2004). One treatment that shows promise as an effective, developmentally-appropriate intervention that meets the mental health needs of children is play therapy (Bratton, Ray, Rhine, & Jones, 2005; Landreth, 2002; Ray, 2011). Although results of play therapy studies have shown some significance in improving a variety of issues for children, the body of research has been criticized, primarily due to inconsistent or inconclusive results across studies or compromised research designs and methods (Phillips, 1985; 2010; Read, Hunter, & McMillan, 1999). In addition, the field also lacks differentiation among various theoretical play therapy approaches across the research base (Phillips, 2010). To address these gaps in the literature, this study utilized a strong research design to examine the effectiveness of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on the challenging behaviors of three kindergarten students. A single-case multiple baseline design was used to maintain a high level of control with rigorous data collection methods (Kennedy, 2005; Ray and Schottelkorb, 2010). Research methods were designed to meet the What Works Clearinghouse pilot standards for single-case designs, which use stringent criteria in evaluating quality of research (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). The integrity of the CCPT intervention was assessed to ensure accurate implementation. Results from direct observational data suggested a relationship between CCPT and the improvement of classroom behaviors. In contrast to direct observational data, teacher ratings did not indicate improvements in behavior. Ratings by parents yielded significant results for improving behaviors at home. This study made valuable contributions to the literature by utilizing a strong research design and demonstrating promising findings for CCPT. Practical implications include using as few as eight sessions of CCPT as a behavioral intervention at school and engaging in ongoing teacher consultation to supplement CCPT. INDEX WORDS: Child-centered play therapy, Challenging behaviors, Children, Evidence- based interventions, Mental health, Play therapy, School-based interventions THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHILD-CENTERED PLAY THERAPY