Variables that Support Trauma-Informed Care Implementation by Registered Play Therapists™

Federal agencies, researchers, and professional associations have addressed concerns regarding the growing number of children who are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma. In response, they have recommended adoption of trauma-informed care (TIC) that provides care to children. However, there were mixed results in terms of successfully implementing TIC at places of employment. The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to investigate whether Registered Play Therapist™ (RPTs™) experiences, perceptions, and knowledge predicted their attitudes regarding TIC. This study involved exploring perceptions of RPTs™ regarding effectiveness of implementing TIC. The trauma-informed systems model guided this study. Research questions involved how vicarious trauma (VT), psychological ownership (PO), training with TIC, and professional data predicted attitudes toward TIC and perceptions of successful implementation. A total sample of 293 RPTs™ participated in online surveys. Data analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression indicated that variables were not statistically significant of predictive attitudes regarding TIC. However, this study found VT, PO, and training with TIC to be statistically significant in terms of predicting successful implementation of TIC at the organization. VT had a negative relationship, whereas PO had a positive relationship, and hours of training reflected positive relationships when predicting perceptions of successful implementation of TIC. This study may contribute to positive changes in terms of successfully implementing TIC at the organizational level.