Generic qualitative study on mental health professionals using EMDR and play therapy with children

Limited research exists on mental health professionals combining EMDR and play therapy. This generic qualitative research study explored the experiences of 10 mental health professionals who described their experience using a combination of EMDR and play therapy with children between the ages of three to 12. The target population for this study was the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) and Association for Play Therapy (APT) members. This study utilized purposeful sampling and the generic qualitative method with thematic analysis of the data to develop four themes. The themes include: (a) providing concrete, differentiated instruction is an effective method for implementing the combined approach; (b) professionals combine EMDR and play therapy because they believe this approach is effective; (c) professionals may use EMDR or play therapy as their primary approach; and (d) professionals arrive at their approaches through a process of experimentation, tailoring, and reflection. Besides being successful techniques, the other important finding was that these two therapies are not rigid. They give mental health professionals the opportunity to construct their combination to tailor and maximize results for treating children with trauma.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

Loredana Pampinella

Pampinella, L. (2020, March). Generic qualitative study on mental health professionals using EMDR and play therapy with children. (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).