SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES ON COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL PlAY THERAPY

The article presents Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy and demonstrates its application in a case of separation anxiety disorder. Developed by S.M. Knell (1993) and further refined by M.A. Geraci (2022; 2024a), Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy is a therapeutic approach designed for preschool and school-aged children, integrating cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques with play. This methodology has shown effectiveness in treating anxiety disorders, as shown by the case of Alice, a 4.5-year-old girl experiencing separation anxiety. The therapeutic process followed defined phases: orientation, evaluation, conceptualization, intervention, and conclusion. During the evaluation phase, Alice exhibited inhibited behavior; however, play facilitated emotional expression. Additionally, a parent training program gave parents strategies to manage Alice’s behaviors. Over the course of 25 sessions of cognitive behavioral play therapy, carried out over 9 months, CBT techniques such as modeling, role-playing, and psychoeducation were implemented to cultivate adaptive coping skills. Follow-up assessments at 3 and 6 months indicated significant improvements, with anxiety levels normalized and a restart of activities such as dancing, thereby affirming the therapy’s effectiveness and underlining the need for further research on this therapeutic approach.

The article presents cognitive-behavioral play therapy as a therapeutic approach directed at preschool and school-aged children, as well as their families. It analyzes studies and clinical cases that support the efficacy of play therapy in treating a variety of problems, highlighting the empirical support for the use of cognitive-behavioral techniques in play therapy.

Play, universally recognized as an inalienable right of childhood by the United Nations, is defined by its pleasantness, completeness, intrinsic motivation, and lack of a predetermined goal. It plays a crucial role in child development, empowering children to exert some control over their environment and gain mastery over their experiences of the world.

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by a wide spectrum of symptoms: epilepsy, movement disorders and neurocognitive impairment. The gold standard treatment for GLUT1DS are ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs), specifically classical ketogenic diet (CKD). Despite the benefits, CKD often represents a challenge for patients and their families since meal preparation is extremely demanding and deviates a lot from normal diet. To assure an optimal compliance to CKD a psychological support for parents and patients with GLUT1DS is highly recommended. Specifically, a psychoeducational intervention that ameliorates the knowledge about the illness and its therapy improves treatment’ s adherence and efficacy. The aim of this case report is to investigate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational program, partially implemented through telepsychology, based on the theoretical model of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) to support KDT knowledge and adherence in a patient with GLUT1DS who presented a worsening of her clinical picture due to a sparse knowledge of KDTs principles which determined a low adherence. Thus, with this case report we propose a model of intervention with psychoeducation in a patient with a complex chronic disease.

The present work presented at ICCP 2021: 10th International Congress of Cognitive Psychotherapy – VIRTUAL CONGRESS, 13th-15th May 2021 aims to verify the effectiveness of CBPT treatment on the reduction of problem behaviors and on the development of coping skills aimed at emotional regulation.