Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

A Corpus Linguistic Analysis of the Child and Therapist Relationship in Play Therapy

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/8c97kz514

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  • Play therapy is a unique skill set within psychotherapy that combines the language of play with other forms of communication to promote healing and growth in children and adolescents. This therapeutic approach involves utilizing toys, pretend play, structured and unstructured activities, and various interactions to foster a therapeutic relationship. By employing linguistic techniques and text analysis tools, professionals can gain valuable insights into the verbal language utilized in play therapy interventions and its impact on the therapeutic process. This dissertation had two primary research goals. The first objective aimed to address a gap in the counseling literature by employing corpus linguistics to analyze child-therapist interactions in play therapy approaches. The second objective aimed to enhance counselors' understanding of language in play therapy by investigating its intricacies. For this manuscript-style dissertation, the two empirical research studies were completed. A language style matching (LSM) study using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) was done for Manuscript 1 (Chapter 2) and a keyness and collocation study was completed for Manuscript 2 (Chapter 3). MS1 examined the function word synchronization in the therapy dyads as a close proxy for therapeutic alliance. LSM was used to assess the alliance between six distinguished play therapists, three utilizing nondirective techniques and three employing directive methods. Results indicated nonsignificant findings and a trivial effect size in the frequentist analysis. Bayesian analysis suggested no evidence for differences or similarities between the two approaches. The MS2 study compared three nondirective play therapy sessions with three directive play therapy sessions, focusing on word usage. Keyness analysis examined word choices in play therapy interventions. #LancsBox X software analyzed the corpus to identify keyness and collocates of frequently used words. Results revealed common words across both approaches, including "ok" and "oh," while "hand" emerged as a strong positive keyword and "ok" as a strong negative keyword. The collocates of the word "play" included "today," "with," "gun," "room," and "our." The findings of the collective manuscripts offer valuable insights into the knowledge of the linguistic and psychological processes underlying play therapy. Like other forms of psychotherapy, the effectiveness of play therapy relies on the establishment of a strong therapeutic alliance. Through examining the language used in these sessions of prominent play therapists, the study revealed how both play therapy approaches foster a therapeutic relationship and yield positive outcomes for children. Based on these findings, several implications for counseling and research were derived for MS1 and MS2.
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