Childcare Practitioners’ Knowledge and Perceptions of Play Therapy

This study investigated the awareness of play therapy in childcare practitioners working in the areas of health, social care, education and childcare. Questionnaires were distributed to 65 workers drawn from these occupational categories in order to investigate their understanding of issues such as the nature of play therapy, the referral process, and the distinction between play therapy and other forms of play based interventions. In addition, one child care professional from each of the four sectors was selected to take part in a follow-up interview to build on the information generated from the questionnaires. The results from the questionnaires and follow-up interviews showed that while most of the child care professionals had heard of this approach, they had a limited knowledge of the nature of play therapy. There was also much confusion amongst the child care professionals around the difference between play therapy and other play based interventions as well as around different professionals’ roles and responsibilities for referring children and young people to therapeutic interventions. The implications of these findings for the practice of play therapy are considered

Communicating with children using play and the creative arts techniques

Participants will be introduced to various skills in working with children through the use of play and creative arts techniques. This will include the use of therapeutic and play based techniques including Sandplay, Sensory play and Projective play. Attendees will experience techniques which are used to assess, engage and communicate with children in a playful manner to promote emotional wellbeing. This presentation will be relevant to a broad range of practitioners (including therapeutic play specialists, play workers, education, health, social workers, youth workers, voluntary sector and academics within the field of play and therapy) with an interest in developing their knowledge and understanding of the therapeutic value of play. Attendees will gain an understanding of the following: (i) How to engage children and young people in therapeutic play, (ii) Explore how attendees can use therapeutic techniques in assessments of children, (iii) Help attendees experience different ways of working with children through the use of play and the creative arts

Play therapy: theory, practice and research

Within the field of child psychotherapy, debates on the inclusion of play therapy as a psychotherapeutic approach remain contentious; opposing schools of thought are yet to agree. This paper will present both perspectives; differentiating between models of child psychotherapy and play therapy used to promote mental wellbeing in young people. The merits and limitations of each model will be debated. Within Europe, there remains a lack of consistency and understanding of these two roles. While some countries use the terms ‘play therapist’, ‘child psychotherapist’ and ‘play psychotherapist’ interchangeably, most view these as very distinct disciplines. It is therefore essential that practitioners clearly understand the role of each discipline. This paper aims to raise awareness of play therapy, its efficacy and where it fits within child psychotherapy. It will specifically focus on the effectiveness of play therapy in enhancing emotional wellbeing for children and young people with psychological difficulties. It will provide an overview of play therapy, outlining its historical roots in child psychotherapy before charting its progress to contemporary child-centred play therapy. It will draw from relevant empirical research and current literature in the field of play therapy to highlight key factors required for successful therapeutic outcomes for children and young people. Case studies will be included to explore the effectiveness of these techniques in clinical and educational practice

Everyday resilience: Supporting resilient strategies among low socioeconomic status communities

People experiencing financial hardship often possess resilient and resourceful behaviors when handling their day-to-day activities. Understanding how these individuals manifest resilience during adversity could provide insights into how technologies can support their existing efforts. In a partnership with an Australian community care center, we identified resilient practices of people with low socioeconomic status. Following a strength-based approach, we collected data via home visits and semi-structured interviews involving 14 participants, and observed activities at the care center over 8 months. Our participants exhibited three key facets of resilience: (1) resilience as an integral part of their everyday lives, (2) a spirited phenomenon, and (3) a social and care-focused process. We contribute empirical insights into our participants' situated resilience and articulate ways through which design can support their existing social and collaborative practices. We compare and contrast our findings within and outside CSCW literature and advocate for a strength-based approach

Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms

International audienceAngiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods 1,2 . A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome 3,4 . Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins 5–7 . However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes 8 . This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies 9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade

Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms.

Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods1,2. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome3,4. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins5-7. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes8. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies9 provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade