Play Therapy-based Counseling Intervention on the Spiritual Wellness of Neglected Children: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the views of counselor practitioners about conducting counseling interventions based on the Adlerian play therapy approach to improve the spirituality wellness of neglected children.  This research was mainly carried out as a qualitative exploratory study. The participants in this study consisted of 10 counselors selected through purposive sampling. The participants selected must have more than five years of experience as a practitioner who has used play therapy in the counseling setting. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, which in turn, resulted in the following four emerging main themes: (i) the fact that the Adlerian play therapy approaches can be used to explore the spiritual wellness of neglected children; (ii) the willingness to accept neglected children’s as a client; (iii) the challenges of using play therapy approach in counseling; (iv) recommendations. Findings of this study can inform the suitability of play therapy integrated into counseling sessions that involve children, considering that this therapy can effectively improve the spiritual wellness of neglected children.