The Playful Minds Coping Skills Program

The effects of chronic illness on children can be temporary or long-term depending on various factors such as complexity of treatment regimens, quality of life, family dynamics and the childs coping skills. The importance of coping in childhood chronic illness has been extensively studied in the literature. Studies show that play therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are both effective strategies in increasing positive coping. The focus of this program is to improve adaptive coping skills in children with pediatric cancer after participating in a manualized cognitive-behavioral play treatment program. Specifically, the treatment protocol will incorporate strategies such as modeling, medical play, cognitive appraisal, relaxation, guided imagery, bibliotherapy, and homework assignments. The efficacy of this program will be evaluated through pre-and post-test measures including the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-4th Edition-Child/Parent Version (ADIS-IV-C), Revised Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), Childrens Behavioral Style Scale (CBSS), Child Depression Inventory (CDI), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS).