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Promoting Collaborative Relationships in Residential Care of Vulnerable and Traumatized Youth: a Playfulness Approach Integrated with Trauma Systems Therapy

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An Erratum to this article was published on 11 February 2016

Abstract

Despite the importance of the therapeutic relationship between staff and youth in residential care, there is a dearth of information on how to improve the quality of those relationships. This evaluation study examined the impact of a play-based, trauma-informed training program for staff working in shelters for unaccompanied migrant youth. The play-based training is specifically designed to foster collaborative relationships and well-being among participants. We assessed staff’s beliefs about relational capacities, job satisfaction, and adverse incidents at four sites piloting the program, complemented by qualitative interviews. We found statistically significant improvement in group beliefs about safety, trust, intimacy, and control; group beliefs about the shelters’ capacity to address mental health issues; job satisfaction; and reduction in the incidence of restraints. These findings support the usefulness of therapeutic play-making skills for residential care staff working with vulnerable and traumatized youth, particularly when combined with clinical methods for addressing trauma.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement.

The authors wish to acknowledge: The Center for Trauma and Resilience, Boston Children’s Hospital, specifically, Heidi Ellis, Glenn Saxe, and Heather Baldwin, for their invaluable assistance with evaluation and sharing Trauma Systems Therapy; The Life is Good Kids foundation, Steven Gross and the Playmakers for sharing the playfulness training; Jennifer DeFlorio, Fanny Figueroa, and Francisco Sastre for their invaluable contributions to the development and implementation of this study; and the dedicated staff of participating residential facilities for their collaboration, enthusiasm, and hospitality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Latin American Health Institute, Boston, MA, USA

    José Hidalgo, Melissa Culhane Maravić & René C. Milet

  2. Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA, USA

    James C. Beck

  3. Law & Psychiatry Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    José Hidalgo

  4. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    José Hidalgo

  5. Eliza Corporation, Danvers, MA, USA

    Melissa Culhane Maravić

  6. Gandara Center, West Springfield, MA, USA

    René C. Milet

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  1. José Hidalgo
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Correspondence to José Hidalgo.

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Hidalgo, J., Maravić, M.C., Milet, R.C. et al. Promoting Collaborative Relationships in Residential Care of Vulnerable and Traumatized Youth: a Playfulness Approach Integrated with Trauma Systems Therapy. Journ Child Adol Trauma 9, 17–28 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-015-0076-6

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