Whole Family Theraplay: Integrating Family Systems Theory and Theraplay to Treat Adoptive Families

Abstract

This article regarding the effectiveness of Theraplay for the clinical treatment of adoptive families both outlines a model for integrating family systems theory with Theraplay to create a new approach entitled Whole Family Theraplay (WFT), as well as provides a preliminary report of a pilot study demonstrating the efficacy of that model. WFT integrates Theraplay with family systems approaches (Structural and Experiential Family Therapies) to treat parents and all the siblings within adoptive families. The findings indicate that WFT treatment may lead to statistically significant benefits in regard to family communication, adults’ interpersonal relationships, and children's overall behavioral functioning.

KEYWORDS:

• adoption
• play therapy
• family systems
• Theraplay
• integration
• clinical efficacy

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Theraplay Institute for the training grant, support, supervision, and assistance with this project. We also express appreciation to Fresno Family Counseling Center, who provided the facilities to conduct the Whole Family Theraplay Project sessions.

Notes

See the appendix of Booth and Jernberg (2010) for full descriptions of Theraplay activities and games.

Note that this argument is not the extreme position of permitting any unexamined gimmick or therapy method with zero evidence basis to be utilized because “anything is better than nothing.” Rather this is a moderate position that when one finds statistically significant findings that a treatment works, the added cautionary posture of Bonferroni might be too rigorous when the alternative to the treatment is to do nothing for a patient, client, or family in need. There is a “window” between statistically significant findings of effective treatments and the increased desirable position that Bonferroni affords of near certainty. Apparently, these findings fall within that window and can be useful information until such time as a better-designed study with enhanced controls can be attempted and reported.