Department

Counseling and Human Services

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Date of Award

2025

Format

pdf

Degree Level

Ph.D.

LCSH subject

Medical telematics; Play therapy

Medium

Manuscript

Proquest Document ID

32278562

Identifier

1599111501 (OCLC)

School/University

St. Mary's University (San Antonio, Tex.)

Size or duration

269 pages

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Harper, Melanie

Second Advisor

Reyna-Vasquez, Priscilla

Third Advisor

Murphree, Marisol

Abstract

With the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States in March 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020), professional counselors providing traditional in-person play therapy found themselves in a quandary regarding the delivery of services during a global pandemic (Evans, 2022; Mitchell, 2020; Whaibeh et al., 2020). Online counseling proffered a means to prevent the disruption of services, respond to the need for emerging counseling services, and comply with social restrictions (Evans, 2022). Prior to the pandemic, telehealth play therapy was used sparingly (Haslam & Harris, 2011; Smith et al., 2021), and many child-serving mental health professionals lacked training or supervision in telemental health (Nadan et al., 2020; Springer et al., 2020). With the necessity to honor Center for Disease Control quarantine recommendations as a means to prevent infections (CDC, 2020), registered play therapists quickly adapted in-person play therapy methods to a synchronous videoconferencing format (Gurwitch et al., 2020; Whaibeh et al., 2020; Wind et al., 2020).  With the uptick in telehealth play therapy (TPT) during the pandemic, this counseling approach is anticipated to continue to evolve in the aftermath of COVID-19 (Wind, Rijkeboer, Andersson, & Riper, 2020). Utilizing a heuristic inquiry research approach informed by the principles of appreciative inquiry, the purpose of this study was to gather critical qualitative data from the lived experiences of registered play counselors regarding what works in the practical application of play therapy principles, theories, therapeutic factors of play, and techniques to the practice of telehealth play therapy. Participants included a randomized sample of registered play therapists serving in school, agency, and private practice locations with experience utilizing videoconferencing to provide play therapy counseling services. Data was collected through a demographic questionnaire and semi-structured appreciative interviews. Key themes and subthemes emerged during heuristic data analysis to explicate what works in telehealth play therapy: the unique role of caregivers as cofacilitators, the significance of a play therapist’s robust foundation in play therapy theory to the application of telehealth play therapy, considerations for creating shared space virtually, the application of the therapeutic powers of play, implications of efficacious counselor beliefs and attitudes, and sensitivity sociocultural considerations inherent to effective telehealth play therapy. By identifying these insights and understandings from play counselors who pioneered telehealth play therapy, this study took seminal steps to explore the effective practice of telehealth play therapy as an emerging and burgeoning approach in the field of play therapy.

Keywords: telehealth play therapy, telemental health, play therapy, heuristic inquiry, appreciative inquiry

Download

Share

COinS