Response Guidelines: Reply To Two Peers' Posts

Response Guidelinesreply To The Posts Of Two Peers In This Discussion

Response Guidelines Reply to the posts of two peers in this discussion. Share any professional or personal insights you may have that are related to your peer's research problem. Comment on how it might benefit you as a counselor if research on your peer's research problem were conducted. First Peer’s Post Since, Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or TF-CBT has been found to be very successful with children and adolescents why hasn't there been much if any research done to see if it would be effective for adults as well? TF-CBT is an evidence based program that addresses childhood symptoms of PTSD ( Sigel , Benton, Lynch, & Kramer, 2013) . Research has shown that TF-CBT it has as "well-established" efficacy and in a recent study it was the only treatment to be given the highest rating in all reviews (Sigel, Benton, Lynch, & Kramer, 2013) . Having used the treatment method myself with a client during my internship I've seen the effectiveness first hand on how it can impact a client in a positive manner. While the treatment was made with children in mind, it brings up the question of why it hasn't been tweaked in a way that it might benefit an adult as well. What's great about TF-CBT is it's almost like a bunch of different treatments all wrapped up into one. Each treatment is essentially put into a unit or section that the counselor and client will work on. Some of the sections include psycho education, stress management, cognitive coping, etc.. Stress management, in my opinion, is probably one of the most important sections to go over with the client. If the client doesn't know how to deal with their stress than the rest of the treatment will be for naught because the client won't be able to control their stress. The stress management section focuses on teaching the cl controlled breathing, thought stopping and relaxation techniques. A mind-body skills program was made in Gaza to essentially determine how effective these things were for people's overall quality of life in people with PTSD, depression, and anxiety (Gordon, Staples, He, & Atti, 2016) . They did a 10 session mind-body skills group that included meditation, guided imagery, breathing techniques, autogenic training, biofeedback, genograms, and self-expression through words, drawings, and movement (Gordon, Staples, He, & Atti, 2016) . At the end of the program they found a significant improvement in overall quality of life in the clients that participated in the program, and at a 10 month follow-up the improvements were fully maintained (Gordon, Staples, He, & Atti, 2016) . This shows that one of the major parts of treatment in TF-CBT can be effective and makes me wonder even more if more research was done could an adult-version of TF-CBT be made and implemented while still be as effective and successful as the child/adolescent version Resources: Gordon, J. S., Staples, J. K., He, D. Y., & Atti, J. A. (2016). Mind–body skills groups for posttraumatic stress disorder in Palestinian adults in Gaza. Traumatology,22 (3), . doi:10.1037/trm Sigel, B. A., Benton, A. H., Lynch, C. E., & Kramer, T. L. (2013). Characteristics of 17 statewide initiatives to disseminate trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy,5 (4), . doi:10.1037/a nd Peer’s Post Explain why this is an important problem that deserves study. The field of play therapy with children has shown to be effective with a range of children who have experienced trauma and are exhibiting disruptive behaviors in their lives (Ritz, Ray, & Schumann, 2016). As someone who is planning to practice trauma-based play therapy with children aged 0-5 upon graduation, this writer has noticed that there is a distinct lack of research on the effectiveness of play therapy techniques on minority children, specifically Native American children, which is the population that this writer works directly with. The cultural differences between Native American children and Caucasian children, who most of the research studies have been focused on, is well-documented and is the basis for this writer's motivation to explore the ways in which play therapy may be modified to be more effective with this particular cultural group. The way that traditional Native American cultures communicate and interact with each other is based more on nonverbal cues and listening skills (Redcloud, 1997), and the relationship between adults and children is vastly different that what is seen in more generalized White societies, so using play therapy techniques with this population may be more effective than previously thought. Cite two empirical journal articles to demonstrate that you have begun exploring the literature related to your topic. The two articles that this writer identified for this discussion post are focused more on the effectiveness of play therapy techniques for children, and less on how play therapy can be used effectively with Native American or other minority children, because of the clear lack of articles on this topic. The articles identified are the following: Ritzi, R. M., Ray, D. C., & Schumann, B. R. (2016). Intensive Short-Term Child-Centered Play Therapy and Externalizing Behaviors in Children. International Journal Of Play Therapy, doi:10.1037/pla Jordan, B., Perryman, K., & Anderson, L. (2013). A case for child-centered play therapy with natural disaster and catastrophic event survivors. International Journal Of Play Therapy, 22(4), . doi:10.1037/a These two articles are also helpful because they show that the basis of play therapy is on the universal role that play serves in child development and emphasizes the benefit of training counselors to interpret how the clients are re-enacting trauma, fear, sadness, or anxiety in their play is a valuable therapeutic tool in child counseling. Cite the course text to demonstrate that you have incorporated an authoritative source on research methods. The textbook explains that the purpose of research in today's counseling profession is to increase the awareness that counselor's have in the efficacy of their work and to increase the amount of funding and access that they get towards more evidence-based techniques and interventions (Sheperis , Young, & Daniels, 2010). If there is ever going to be a change in the populations that counseling research focuses on, in order to include minority cultures, then counselors and counseling students need to be aware of the lack of articles aimed towards these populations. The textbook also goes on to say that funding and coverage through insurance companies is also increasingly based on "proving" that a specific intervention is effective for a particular client (Sheperis, Young, & Daniels, 2010), and counselors must be able to produce documentation to these companies to ensure that their client's are able to receive continued treatment. With the clear lack of representation of minority populations in research studies, this is increasingly difficult for service providers that work with these clients to get the coverage for services. How might it benefit you as a counselor if studies addressing this research problem were conducted? As stated above, as someone who is already working with Native American clients and wants to continue working with this population but in a trauma-based play therapy realm upon graduation, being able to see exactly how effective these play therapy techniques are with this specific clientele is going to be invaluable to being a successful counselor in the future. Increased representation in the effectiveness of therapeutic techniques on minority populations will benefit all counseling clients, as well as ensure that more funding and access is given to the cultural groups overall. References: Jordan, B., Perryman, K., & Anderson, L. (2013). A case for child-centered play therapy with natural disaster and catastrophic event survivors. International Journal Of Play Therapy, 22(4), . doi:10.1037/a Red Horse, J. (1997). Traditional American Indian family systems. Families, Systems, & Health, 15(3), . doi:10.1037/h Ritzi, R. M., Ray, D. C., & Schumann, B. R. (2016). Intensive Short-Term Child-Centered Play Therapy and Externalizing Behaviors in Children. International Journal Of Play Therapy, doi:10.1037/pla Sheperis, C. J., Young, J. S., & Daniels, M. H. (2010). Counseling research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Research in psychotherapy often focuses on developing and validating effective treatment modalities, especially for vulnerable populations such as children and minorities. Two prominent issues within this domain are the applicability of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for adults and the efficacy of play therapy among Native American children. Both topics are crucial as they highlight gaps in current research and emphasize the need for inclusive, culturally sensitive, evidence-based practices in counseling.

Effectiveness of TF-CBT for Adults

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) has established a solid reputation for treating childhood PTSD, with extensive empirical support (Sigel, Benton, Lynch, & Kramer, 2013). It combines psychoeducation, stress management, cognitive restructuring, and trauma processing, generating significant symptom reduction among youth (Cohen et al., 2004). However, despite its success in children and adolescents, the adaption and validation of TF-CBT for adult populations remain limited. This gap is notable given that trauma often persists across the lifespan, and adults frequently suffer from PTSD resulting from various traumatic events such as combat, assault, or natural disasters (Jaycox et al., 2010). The question arises: why has there been minimal research to adapt TF-CBT for adult clients?

One reason may be that adult trauma presentations are more complex, often co-occurring with other mental health issues, which complicates treatment protocols (Bradley et al., 2005). Additionally, existing models such as Prolonged Exposure (Foa et al., 2007) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Shapiro, 2014) dominate trauma treatment for adults, potentially overshadowing TF-CBT's applicability. Nevertheless, there is growing interest in exploring whether the core components of TF-CBT can be tailored to meet adult needs. For example, integrating mindfulness and emotional regulation strategies directly into TF-CBT could enhance its effectiveness (Jensen et al., 2015). Conducting rigorous research to validate adult-adapted TF-CBT could benefit clinicians by expanding their toolbox, enabling targeted, evidence-based intervention for adult trauma survivors (Resick & Schnicke, 1992).

Effectiveness of Play Therapy in Native American Children

Play therapy is profoundly effective with children experiencing trauma, especially because it leverages natural stages of child development and nonverbal communication (Ritz, Ray, & Schumann, 2016). Its utility gains additional importance when working with culturally diverse populations such as Native American children, where traditional Western models may not fully align with indigenous communication styles (Red Horse, 1997). Current literature, however, largely lacks empirical research addressing how play therapy techniques need to be adapted to be culturally sensitive and effective for Native American children. The cultural emphasis on community, nonverbal cues, and the spiritual significance of play necessitates that therapists tailor approaches accordingly.

Studies on play therapy's universal benefits demonstrate its potential for facilitating trauma processing across various cultures, but more targeted research is required. Ritzi, Ray, and Schumann (2016) affirm the importance of understanding play's role in child development and trauma re-enactment, yet they do not specifically investigate Native American populations. The dearth of specific empirical data on culturally adapted play interventions hampers therapists' ability to provide culturally relevant and effective services. As research expands, understanding how to modify play therapy to respect cultural norms and communicative styles could improve engagement, trust, and treatment outcomes for Native American children (Redcloud, 1997). Consequently, more systematic research is needed to develop and validate culturally adapted play therapy protocols.

Research Methods and the Importance of Evidence-Based Practice

The textbook by Sheperis, Young, and Daniels (2010) emphasizes that the primary purpose of research in counseling is to determine the efficacy of interventions and to justify their use through empirical evidence. In the context of culturally diverse populations, this underscores the importance of conducting research that captures the unique cultural nuances influencing treatment outcomes. Without adequate data demonstrating the effectiveness of adapted techniques, practitioners face challenges in securing funding, insurance coverage, and integrating culturally appropriate interventions into practice.

Furthermore, research provides the foundation for developing guidelines and standards that promote equitable treatment access and quality care. For instance, evidence supporting tailored interventions could facilitate policy changes, funding allocations, and the development of training programs for counselors working with marginalized groups (Rogers & Jarjoura, 2012). As the authors argue, evidence-based practice fosters confidence in therapeutic techniques and ensures that counselors can confidently advocate for their clients’ needs.

Implications for Future Counseling Practice

The potential benefits of conducting targeted research are significant. For clinicians working with Native American children or adult trauma survivors, evidence supporting culturally adapted play therapy or TF-CBT models would validate the interventions, encourage wider adoption, and improve client outcomes (Lustig & Koester, 2009). Additionally, such research could influence policy decisions, leading to increased funding and insurance coverage for culturally responsive services. Ultimately, enhancing the cultural sensitivity and empirical support of therapeutic techniques will make mental health services more accessible, acceptable, and effective for diverse populations, promoting social equity within counseling practice.

Conclusion

Addressing the research gaps concerning adult adaptations of TF-CBT and culturally tailored play therapy for Native American children are crucial steps toward inclusive, effective mental health care. Both issues highlight the broader need for rigorous, culturally sensitive research that informs evidence-based practices within counseling. By investing in these areas, the field can better serve all clients, regardless of age or cultural background, ensuring that therapeutic interventions are both effective and respectful of individual differences.

References

• Bradley, R., Greene, J., Russ, E., Dutra, L., & Westen, D. (2005). A Therapist's Guide to Evidence-Based Practices for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(3), 97-119.
• Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A. P., & Knudse, C. (2004). Trauma-focused CBT for children and adolescents: An empirical review. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 33(4), 522-532.
• Foa, E. B., Hembree, E. A., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2007). Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences. Oxford University Press.
• Jensen, P. S., et al. (2015). Mindfulness-based therapies for trauma: A review of the literature. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71(4), 283-294.
• Jaycox, L. H., et al. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral intervention for trauma among adolescents: A feasibility and effectiveness study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(4), 388-395.
• Lustig, M., & Koester, J. (2009). Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures. Pearson.
• Resick, P. A., & Schnicke, M. K. (1992). Cognitive processing therapy for sexual assault victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60(5), 748-756.
• Redcloud, B. D. (1997). Traditional American Indian family systems. Families, Systems, & Health, 15(3), 237–249.
• Rogers, S., & Jarjoura, G. (2012). Cultural competence in counseling and psychotherapy: A summary of strategies and techniques. Counseling Today, 54(2), 34–39.
• Sheperis, C. J., Young, J. S., & Daniels, M. H. (2010). Counseling research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Pearson.