When disaster strikes, children are often the most vulnerable population, requiring specialized, trauma-informed care. To address this need, Clinton School student Terri Thomas partnered with the Association of Play Therapy Kenya (APTK) last summer to create an emergency response framework.
Thomas, a concurrent Master of Public Service/Master of Social Work student from Fayetteville, Arkansas, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, from June to August 2025. Her work provided Kenyan counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals with a structured roadmap to move from initial triage to long-term community recovery for children involved in a crisis or disaster situation.
Building a Four-Step Response Framework
The core of Thomas’s project was the development of a four-phase emergency response guide and training for professionals when emergencies like floods or other community crises occur.
The guide begins with educating professionals on how to prepare for an emergency using resources like education and awareness campaigns, a local resource map, and child-led preparedness activities.
The framework moves from initial triage from 72 hours to six weeks after an emergency, which utilizes tools like a mobile play therapy van to support children. In the early recovery phase, professionals focus on individual and group therapy, teacher trauma training, caregiving support, family reunification, and community dialogue and resources. After six months, the guide focuses on assessing long-term needs and eventually handing off care to local professionals using community resources.
“I was really researching how APTK can plug in and work together with all the resources available for children when a disaster strikes,” Thomas explained. “Once a crisis happens, this organization comes in and helps children after a disaster. APTK is really there for the children and their families. They support and distract them from the ongoing crisis with play. The framework strengthens APTK’s role within Kenya’s broader child protection and emergency response ecosystem, ensuring children’s psychosocial needs are integrated into disaster response planning.”
Bridging Research and Practice
Thomas conducted extensive field research by conducting surveys, focus groups with children and professionals, as well as individual interviews with stakeholders from children’s homes.
Thomas noted that her first-year coursework at the Clinton School prepared her for the rigors of international data collection.
“I felt like I was utilizing all the skills I learned during my Practicum project,” Thomas said. “Anything I learned in my research methods, practicum, statistics, and data analysis classes really came in handy during this project. Dr. Andrea Sihotang’s Global Development class was also a great help in preparing me for life in Kenya.”
The project culminated in a presentation at the APTK’s Before Play Therapy Training Symposium, where Thomas shared her data and framework with certified professionals earning continuing education credit. Her work provided the foundational data for a future toolkit that will include referral pathways and trauma-informed checklists for professionals.
Cultural Immersion and a Professional Growth
Thomas’s experience was overseen by two supervisors, including Clinton School Online alumna Florence Mueni (‘16) and Orpah Apola. This connection provided Thomas with a unique support system, allowing her to participate in high-level public service, including attending a legislative session with her supervisor where they contributed to updating Kenya’s Mental Health Act.
Outside of her research, Thomas experienced the vibrant culture and natural beauty of East Africa. She visited Kisumu, which is Kenya’s third-largest city, a major port on the northeastern shore of Lake Victoria, and a key economic and transportation hub for western Kenya. She especially enjoyed celebrating her birthday on a Massai Mara Safari where she experienced the Great Migration to riding camels on the beach in Mombasa, the summer left a lasting impression.
The IPSP experience has clarified Thomas’s long-term career goals. Having presented her research at an international symposium, she now plans to pursue a Ph.D. in social work to continue studying play therapy and medical play research.
“It’s great that I’ve already had research in the play therapy realm,” Thomas said. “I hope it will set me apart as I continue this work in the United States and eventually pursue my doctorate.”