Community Demography Assessment. Now that you have identified the program, agency, service, etc., consider where the work will occur (place) and who it will serve (people). Using a source of data (such as the New Orleans Data CenterLinks to an external site. or The US Census BureauLinks to an external site. for your information, complete the community demography assessment tool in the text to conduct a community demography assessment describing the people and the place to be served.

Remember to carefully proofread before submitting to catch grammar and spelling mistakes. Also, adhere to A. P. A 7th Edition Style, using a tit.le page and a ref.er.ence page (you will certainly need to cite the source of data you use for your assessment, as well as any other sources you incorporate). This should require about two to three pages to complete. Remember, you are actually writing your final project proposal but in smaller installments each week. You will be grateful for this, at the end of the semester, for helping you along the way!

Play therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses play to help children express, explore, and process their experiences and emotions. The therapy is based on the premise that play is a child's natural medium of communication (Center for Play Therapy). It provides an opportunity for children to express their feelings and thoughts through a self-guided, self-healing process. Play therapy can be beneficial for children and youth in several ways. It can help them improve their behaviors and coping mechanisms, develop problem-solving skills, and enhance their self-esteem and self-awareness. It can also provide a safe and comfortable environment for them to express their feelings and thoughts. The importance of this project lies in the increasing mental health issues among children and youth (Koukourikos, 2001).

According to a study by Merikangas et al. (2010), approximately 20% of children and adolescents in the U.S. have mental health disorders. Play therapy has been shown to be effective in addressing these issues. For instance, a study by Bratton et al. (2005) found that play therapy can significantly improve the mental health outcomes of children. The proposed play therapy program aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for children and youth to express and process their feelings and thoughts. The program will include various play therapy activities, such as role-playing, art and craft, and storytelling. The target population will be children and youth aged 6-18 years with mental health issues. The program will be implemented and managed by a team of trained play therapists. They will conduct regular play therapy sessions and monitor the progress of each participant. The expected outcomes of the program include improved mental health, increased self-esteem, and enhanced problem-solving skills among participants.

These outcomes are supported by research studies. For example, a study by Ray et al. (2011) found that play therapy can significantly improve the self-esteem and problem-solving skills of children. In conclusion, the proposed play therapy program is crucial to address the increasing mental health issues among children and youth. The next steps for developing and implementing the program include securing funding, recruiting play therapists, and promoting the program to the target population.

References

Bratton, S., Ray, D., Rhine, T., & Jones, L. (2005). The efficacy of play therapy with children:

A meta-analytic review of treatment outcomes. Professional Psychology: Research and

Practice, 36(4), 376-390.

Center for play therapy. What is Play Therapy? | Center for Play Therapy. (n.d.).

https://cpt.unt.edu/what-is-play-therapy#:~:text=Play%20therapy%20is%20to%20children,through%20toys%20instead%20of%20words.

Koukourikos, K., Tsaloglidou, A., Tzeha, L., Iliadis, C., Frantzana, A., Katsimbeli, A., &

Kourkouta, L. (2021). An Overview of Play Therapy. Materia socio-medica, 33(4),

293-297. https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2021.33.293-297

Merikangas, K. R., He, J. P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S. A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., Benjet, C., Georgiades, K., & Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication--Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(10), 980-989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2010.05.017

Ray, D. (2011). Advanced play therapy: Essential conditions, knowledge, and skills for

child practice. New York: Routledge.