What is it about?
Play therapists’ experiences of moving to teleplay, or online play therapy, during the early lockdown stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. Interviews explored the methods and strategies participants used to make the shift to teleplay, the challenges and opportunities they encountered, and their ability to maintain the therapeutic alliance in the online space. Thematic analysis yielded three primary themes: therapist skepticism, ensuring a relational focus, and developing and growing. Participants felt challenged and expressed doubt and uncertainty when considering the move to teleplay. However, they also recognized their responsibility to maintain contact with their clients. Maintaining a strong therapeutic relationship was identified as a particular priority for all participants as they made the switch to teleplay, often combating feelings of skepticism. The participants recognized that if they were to remain client focused, they had a responsibility to change from face-to-face to online work in order to support their clients. All participants were able to maintain the therapeutic alliance with some of their existing clients via the use of teleplay. Reflecting on their ability to develop and grow participants used the interview process to reflect on their own assumptions, the changes they made, and the additional support that might aid the transition to online work, including experiential learning, training, and supervision. Copyright
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Why is it important?
In the play therapy world, now that COVID-19 is no longer regarded as a world health emergency, most play therapy practices have returned to face-to-face play therapy. However,teleplay is still practiced and has become an acceptable way to deliver play therapy. Therefore,this research comes as an opportune time to reflect on how teleplay has evolved and what part teleplay will play in the future for play therapists. Moving forward, there is a need for continued research,reflection, training, and guidelines to ensure proficient and confident teleplay practice, as the field navigates the evolving landscape of play therapy delivery
Perspectives
In my perspective, whilst most practioners have returned to face to face delivery of play therapy since restrictions were lifted after COVID-19, there is a responsibility both from individuals who still practice telepaly and organisations that support play therapists to have look at the delivery of teleplay and online supervision and to really explore and understand this medium, to provide informed training to its practioners to ensure that safe standarads are being adhered to as it is a viable way to deliver play therapy in certain circumstances.
Denise O'Sullivan
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Moving from in-person play therapy to teleplay during the COVID-19 pandemic., International Journal of Play Therapy, October 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/pla0000225.
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