The implementation of a Gestalt therapy play group in a rural school and the percevied effect on student emotional regulation

Childhood mental health issues are, and will continue to be, prevalent around the world. While many methods exist to help treat childhood mental health issues in community and school settings, there are barriers to treatment access. One specific area of concern in children's mental health is emotional regulation, particularly in schools. An inability to regulate emotions can be detrimental to the overall school success of children. However, the school setting is an optimal location to provide services to treat mental health concerns and emotion regulation issues in children. Currently, minimal research exists regarding the treatment of emotion regulation in schools and the use of gestalt therapy play groups in schools to treat emotion regulation. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to understand the perspectives of four students who participated in a six-week, twelve session gestalt therapy play group focused on emotion regulation. The four research participants who met criteria for this study engaged in two semi-structured audio-recorded interviews following participation in the gestalt therapy play groups. Transcript analysis brought out six themes which demonstrate participants' perspectives of the potential benefits and limitations to a gestalt therapy play group focused on emotion regulation in a school setting. Key findings from this study offer implications for school counselors, counselor educators, professional organizations, and funding sources. Last, recommendations for future research are discussed.