| Over the past twenty to thirty years, more and more evidence has shown that depression not only affects adults but also children and adolescents. The prevalence rate of major depressive disorder (MDD) for children is between 2% and 6 %. Cognitive-behavioral therapy has been effective in treating depression, but children may not have the verbal abilities to express their thoughts and feelings. Children utilize play to express themselves and play therapy has become a very useful therapeutic approach in helping children with social, emotional, and cognitive difficulties. Integrating cognitive-behavioral therapy and play therapy may be an effective therapeutic approach to treating children with depression.;A manual was created for treating children with depression utilizing cognitive-behavioral play therapy and child-centered play therapy. The manual serves as a guide for psychologists and other clinicians working with children with depression. The therapeutic program is one hour per week for 10 weeks. The sessions are divided between cognitive-behavioral play therapy and child-centered play therapy and cover topics such as exploring view of self, the world, and self in the world, identifying and expressing affect, building self-esteem, communicating, problem solving, and learning social skills and coping skills. The child and parent/guardian will be administered the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) prior to the first session and after the last session to assist in determining the effectiveness of this therapeutic program. |
