The Ethics of Touch in Child Psychotherapy and Play Therapy – Janet Courtney

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There are policies and actions that you can put into practice now to protect yourself.

• What if that simple caring hug you gave a child in a therapy session somehow triggered a report to your licensing board?
• Do you know what to do when a child hits you during a session?
• What about when a child tries to touch you inappropriately?

Dr. Janet Courtney in this engaging webcast explores these ethical considerations of touch including current research, cultural concerns, and the importance of touch to human development. Come away with over 20+ clinical and ethical best practice guidelines! Case examples are highlighted to demonstrate in-the-moment interventions with client populations (infants to teenagers) dealing with issues related to attachment, autism, ADHD, Sensory processing disorder, and physical and sexual abuse.

1. State 10 different types of touch that can occur in a therapy session.
2. Demonstrate four ways to evaluate for a child’s psychosocial experiences related to touch.
3. Describe how to apply 5 therapeutic interventions to handle in-the-moment ethical dilemmas in a play therapy session.

The Ethics of Touch in Context

• Clinical concerns of touch in child psychotherapy and play therapy
• No touch policies-more harm than good?
• Types of touch: greeting, accidental, task-oriented, attentional, and more

Assessment for Psychosocial Experiences of Touch

• 4 Child Drawing Assessments
• Rating scale questionnaires
  • Parent’s perceptions of child’s touch experiences
  • Teacher Touch Observation Rating Scale for child

Interventions and Case Examples: Ethical dilemmas of Touch- Responses, Interventions and Boundary Setting

• Risk/benefit decision making
• Child hits/slaps therapist
• Inappropriate touching of therapist
• Child asks to be touched inappropriately
• Child asks for appropriate touch
• Specific populations
  • Infants-behavioral cue indications
  • Teenagers
  • Attachment Disorders
  • Autism/Sensory Processing Disorders
  • Sexually traumatized children
• 10+ Recommendations for working with abused children
• Engaging parents in problem touch occurrences

20+ Top Ethical Touch Best Practice Guidelines

• Practitioner Touch Awareness Questionnaire
• Informed Consent-for therapy approaches that use touch
• Informed Consent-Mandated Reporter of all forms of abuse
• Unethical Forms of Touch
• And many more…