Child-centered play therapy and adverse childhood experiences: A randomized controlled trial

There is a preponderance of evidence that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) result in harmful physical, learning, social, emotional, and behavioral health outcomes during childhood, with far reaching effects lasting across the lifespan. The cumulative effect of childhood adversity and its relationship to childhood trauma represent an urgent call to action among stakeholders, yet treatment studies are rare. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to explore the impact of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) among children with two or more ACEs on improvement of social and emotional assets and behavioral problems. Results of a repeated measures linear mixed model demonstrated statistically significant increases in social-emotional competencies including empathy, social competence, and self-regulation/responsibility and decreases in total behavior problems among children who participated in CCPT. Results of this study support the effectiveness of CCPT among children who have experienced ACEs and at risk for complex trauma.