Integrative Play Therapy for Children with School Behavior Problems

Integrative Play Therapy for Children with School Behavior Problems

The most common student referral is for disruptive classroom behaviors (Abidin & Robinson, 2002), with children's aggressive behavior the most common presenting problem (Cochran et al., 2010). Disruptive and challenging behavior is defined as“any repeated pattern of behavior, or perception of behavior, that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning, or engagement in pro-social interactions with peers and adults”(p.5) (Smith & Fox, 2003). Disruptive behaviors include externalizing behaviors that interfere with the teacher's ability to teach and for children to learn (Meany-Walen et al., 2014). When a child becomes disruptive, the critical relationship between the teacher and student, as well as with other students, often becomes damaged and strained (Hamre et al., 2007; Myers & Pianta, 2008). Without intervention by a school counselor/play therapist, these disruptive behaviors often lead to serious problems over the child's life span, and may include psychiatric diagnoses, antisocial behavior, violence, drug abuse, and juvenile delinquency (Barkley, 2007), as well as school suspensions and school dropout (Mayer, 1995).