Therapy drop-out: a descriptive case study of an imperfect sand-play therapy process with an aggressive 12 year old boy

Abstract

This case study sought to document an imperfect sandplay therapy process with an aggressive 12 year old male. Premature abscondment is a recognised issue in child and adolescent therapy. Extra-therapeutic factors like social support from family and friends have been found to be determinants of child psychotherapy outcomes. There is a significant gap in case study research documenting a failed child therapy process. This research aims to address the omission by using qualitative methods to elicit a nuanced account of such a process. The results of thematic analysis found that parents played a crucial role in the failure of the process. Not only were they instrumental in stopping therapy attendance but their disengaged attitudes infiltrated into the child's process. Implications for clinical practice were discussed and recommendations were made for more documentation of failed therapy processes. This case study hopes to form part of the ground work for future investigations.