RPT Ethics & Cultural Competency in Practice 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A play therapist working with a bilingual child whose dominant language is Spanish wants to ensure culturally competent care. The BEST approach is to:
- Conduct all sessions in English to improve the child's language integration
- Use a family member as an interpreter to keep the therapeutic relationship warm
- Arrange for a professional interpreter or bilingual therapist and incorporate Spanish language materials (Correct answer)
- Assess the child only in English using standardized instruments to ensure validity
Correct answer: Arrange for a professional interpreter or bilingual therapist and incorporate Spanish language materials
Culturally and linguistically competent care requires professional interpretation services and culturally appropriate materials; using family members as interpreters compromises confidentiality and clinical accuracy.
Question 2: The APT ethical standard of 'non-maleficence' in play therapy MOST directly requires the therapist to:
- Actively promote the child's positive development
- Avoid techniques or actions that could reasonably harm the client (Correct answer)
- Ensure that all play therapy interventions are evidence-based
- Maintain equal access to play therapy services across populations
Correct answer: Avoid techniques or actions that could reasonably harm the client
Non-maleficence is the ethical obligation to avoid causing harm, requiring therapists to refrain from actions, techniques, or relationships that could reasonably injure the client.
Question 3: A play therapist notices that a child of color frequently selects only white dolls and rejects dolls that represent their own racial background. The culturally competent response is to:
- Replace all racially diverse dolls with neutral materials to remove racial dynamics from the playroom
- Explore the meaning of the child's choices within the context of racial identity development and societal messages (Correct answer)
- Direct the child to use dolls that match their own racial identity to promote positive self-image
- Consult only with same-race colleagues to avoid imposing the therapist's cultural lens
Correct answer: Explore the meaning of the child's choices within the context of racial identity development and societal messages
Culturally competent practice involves exploring the meaning of the child's play choices, including doll selection, as a window into racial identity development and the internalization of societal racial messages.
Question 4: A play therapist who has been treating a child for two years is approached at a community event by the child's parent who invites the therapist to a family celebration. The MOST ethical response is to:
- Attend briefly to honor the cultural value of the invitation
- Politely decline and explain that professional boundaries prevent social participation with active clients' families (Correct answer)
- Accept only if the child has made significant therapeutic progress
- Consult with the child first to determine if their attendance preference should guide the decision
Correct answer: Politely decline and explain that professional boundaries prevent social participation with active clients' families
Maintaining professional boundaries prohibits social involvement with active clients' families regardless of cultural context, and the therapist should decline respectfully while acknowledging the honor of the invitation.
Question 5: A play therapist working with a child who has experienced complex trauma must obtain ongoing informed consent for each new phase of treatment. This practice PRIMARILY serves to:
- Reduce the therapist's legal liability if treatment does not achieve expected outcomes
- Continuously honor client autonomy and ensure the family understands evolving treatment approaches (Correct answer)
- Satisfy insurance requirements for treatment authorization reviews
- Document that evidence-based interventions were implemented throughout treatment
Correct answer: Continuously honor client autonomy and ensure the family understands evolving treatment approaches
Ongoing informed consent reflects continuous respect for client autonomy, ensuring that as treatment evolves, the family remains knowledgeable partners in the therapeutic process.
Question 6: When using a translated play therapy protocol with a non-English-speaking child, a culturally competent therapist should FIRST:
- Proceed with the translated protocol since standardized approaches ensure validity across cultures
- Evaluate whether the translated protocol has been validated with the child's specific cultural population (Correct answer)
- Use the original English protocol to maintain fidelity to the evidence base
- Have a bilingual colleague review the translation for linguistic accuracy only
Correct answer: Evaluate whether the translated protocol has been validated with the child's specific cultural population
A culturally competent therapist must assess whether a translated instrument or protocol has been validated with the target cultural population, as linguistic translation alone does not ensure cultural validity.
Question 7: A play therapist who learns of a colleague's unethical conduct should FIRST:
- Report the colleague to their state licensure board immediately
- Confront the colleague directly and publicly to deter future misconduct
- Attempt to address the issue directly with the colleague when appropriate, then escalate if unresolved (Correct answer)
- Do nothing if the conduct does not directly affect any shared clients
Correct answer: Attempt to address the issue directly with the colleague when appropriate, then escalate if unresolved
Ethical codes generally require therapists to first attempt to address concerns directly with the colleague when feasible and safe, escalating to supervisors or licensing boards only if the issue remains unresolved or poses ongoing risk.
RPT Ethics & Cultural Competency in Practice 5
A play therapist working with a bilingual child whose dominant language is Spanish wants to ensure culturally competent care.
The BEST approach is to: