Publication success early in academic career of PhD student Megan Campbell

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Megan Campbell, a counselling psychologist and PhD student registered in the Psychology Department, recently had a research article accepted for publication in the US journal, International Journal of Play Therapy. The publication is based on research conducted as part of her Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology and was supervised by Jan Knoetze, the Director of the Psychology Clinic. The article uses a case study to illustrate how repetitive symbolic play can be understood as a therapeutic process that allows children to process the emotional pain related to their lived experiences. It demonstrates how a six-year-old boy who presented for therapy with significant anxiety and adjustment problems, was able to achieve healthier adjustment in both his school and home environments by the end of a 30 session long play therapy process. In the paper, Campbell and Knoetze suggest that the child's use of repetitive symbolic play in revisiting painful emotional experiences, allowed for the processing and mastery of these emotions, which led to improved adjustment. The full title of the article which has been accepted for publication is ‘Repetitive symbolic play as a therapeutic process’, by M.M.Campbell & J.J.Knoetze. Megan will also be presenting a paper based on the article at the PSYSSA National Conference in August.