International Journal of Play Therapy, Vol 34(4), Oct 2025, 145-157; doi:10.1037/pla0000242
Relationship-centered early care and education focuses on curriculum and teaching practices that nurture children’s development and learning through warm, responsive relationships. For children whose development and learning outcomes are at-risk due to adverse conditions, the need for early intervention that targets social emotional learning is particularly pressing. The present study investigated the effects of child–teacher relationship therapy on social–emotional competencies, total behaviors, and the student–teacher relationship for 18 teaching participants and 18 children in Head Start programs. A repeated measures single cohort design was used to examine the impacts of the child–teacher relationship therapy intervention at pretest, midtest, and posttest. The results showed that the intervention significantly increased the children’s social–emotional competencies, decreased total negative behaviors, and increased the student–teacher relationship. Post hoc analyses demonstrated positive effects over the three time points. Implications for practice and future research directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)