Therapeutic skills in CCPT for school-aged Filipino boys with externalizing problem behaviors

Abstract In Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), it is the therapeutic relationship that has been emphasized as the driver of behavioral change. Underlying such a relationship is the administration of therapeutic skills. Hence, the study examined underlying processes of CCPT, particularly the use of therapeutic skills in building the therapeutic relationship in CCPT for 23 school-aged boys who present with externalizing problem behaviors. Raters who were experienced in providing CCPT examined recorded sessions, focusing on the play psychologists’ use of therapeutic skills. Across 8 sessions, separate Friedman tests with Wilcoxon signed rank test as post hoc analyses revealed significant differences in the usage of tracking, reflecting feelings, reflecting content and limit setting. This indicates a dynamic nature of using such skills across different sessions in short-term CCPT. A methodical use of therapeutic skills develops empathy, which facilitates the building the therapeutic relationship, eliciting reduction of externalizing problem behaviors in school-aged Filipino children.