Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) proudly inaugurated the international conference titled “Advances in Play Therapy Research: An Intercultural Dialogue” on 26th July, 2024. Funded by the University Grant Committee, the seminal event convened global scholars, researchers, practitioners, and educators to share the contemporary development in the field of play therapy and its adaptation to the cultural context of Hong Kong.
The conference, including pre-conference and post-conference workshops, was staged at the University’s Braemar Hill campus between 25th and 28th July. The opening ceremony was officiated by HKSYU Senior Vice President Professor Catherine SUN Tien-lun, HKSYU Vice President (Graduate School) Professor Catherine TANG So-kum, and HKSYU Associate Academic Vice President (University Research) Dr Alex LI Wang-on, together with representatives of the co-organizers.
In his opening speech, Dr Alex LI addressed the specific challenges and opportunities for play therapy in Hong Kong, underscoring the need for culturally relevant practices. “There is significant need for appropriate and effective support for children and their families in Hong Kong,” noted Dr LI, as he pointed to the increasing mental health issues among the city’s youth and the pivotal role of play therapy.
Professor TANG also introduced to the audience the distinguished panel of keynote speakers and thanked them for joining the event from around the globe. The keynote speakers for the event included:
Professor Sue BRATTON – Professor Emerita, University of North Texas, and Director Emerita, UNT Center for Play Therapy.
Professor Dee RAY – Regents Professor and Elaine Millikan Mathes Professor in Early Childhood education in the Counseling Program and Co-Director of the Center for Play Therapy at the University of North Texas.
Professor Judi PARSON – Associate Professor and Discipline Leader for Play Therapy at Deakin University, Australia, and Honorary Professor at Hong Kong Shue Yan University.
Dr Akiko OHNOGI – Co-founder of the Japan Association for Play Therapy (JAPT) and the International Consortium of Play Therapy Associations (IC-PTA).
Dr Tom YUEN – Chair of Hong Kong Academy of Play Therapy; Founder of Positive Counselling and Play Therapy.
Dr Jessica STONE – Licensed psychologist, co-creator of the Virtual Sandtray App for iPad (VSA) and the Virtual Sandtray for Virtual Reality (VSA-VR); past Chief Psychology Officer for AscendantVR; affiliate of the East Carolina University College of EducationNeurocognition Science Laboratory.
The keynote addresses and presentations offered during the conference covered a wide spectrum of topics in various themes relevant to contemporary play therapy practice, including research related to the effectiveness and process of play therapy, cultural adaptation of play therapy practice, play therapy training and education in cultural context, advances and digitalization of play therapy practice, and research into the resilience and wellbeing in children and families.
In 2022, HKSYU launched Hong Kong’s first locally developed professional Master’s training programme in play therapy. Run by the Department of Counselling and Psychology, the programme aims to establish play therapy training and research as a recognized professional discipline in local communities. The first cohort of students have completed their study and the programme is welcoming its third cohort in fall this year.
Cover photo： Group Photo of the International Conference.
Source： Autumn 2024 Issue