Abstract
This study examined the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress among play therapists; what factors increase the chances a play therapist will experience secondary traumatic stress; and whether play therapist who followed a directive model of play therapy experienced secondary traumatic stress (STS) differently than those who followed a non-directive model of play therapy. The sample was made up of 23 licensed registered play therapists who were recruited from five different chapters (Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin) of the Association for Play Therapy. The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (Bride, 2004) was used to measure the STS symptoms. T-test and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The result showed: 21% of the participants met the criteria for STS; the biggest risk factor for secondary traumatic stress was the severity of the client's trauma. Research implications are also discussed.