This study reviewed 4,457 articles from 1998 to 2007 in American Counseling Association division‐affiliated journals to identify research articles published in counseling; 1,139 articles (25.6%) were quantitatively research based. The authors provide details related to quantitative research publications, including individual journal contribution to the research base, focus areas for research, and independent and dependent variables highlighted by researchers. One summary finding was that only 6% of counseling research articles explored effectiveness of counseling interventions.

To investigate the effectiveness of intensive child‐centered play therapy (CCPT) for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the authors randomly assigned 23 children with diagnosed ASD and symptoms of ASD on the Social Responsiveness Scale–2nd Edition (Constantino, 2012), to an intensive CCPT condition (n = 12) or a no‐intervention control group (n = 11). Children who participated in 24 sessions of CCPT showed a statistically significant decrease in ASD core symptoms and behavioral symptoms, such as externalizing problems, attention problems, and aggression, compared with children in the control group. Implications are discussed.

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This study evaluates the effects of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) on hyperactivity and irritability behaviors of two elementary-aged children identified with an intellectual disability.A single-case, ABA research design was used to examine the effectiveness of CCPT. Results indicate that CCPT decreased hyperactivity and irritability behaviors following introduction to the treatment intervention. For both participants, improvements in behaviors weremaintained. A discussion of limitations and implications for future research are presented.

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is a humanistic, evidence-based intervention utilized with young children to resolve a variety of mental health concerns. Because consultation with parents is a common adjunct to CCPT, in this article we describe a parent consultation model consistent with person-centered philosophy for use in research and practice.