Comparing the Efficacy of Training based on Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and Training based on Narrative Therapy on Social adjustment and Assertiveness of Female Students with an Educable Intellectual Disability from Tabriz city families

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of Training based on Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and Training based on Narrative Therapy on Social adjustment and Assertiveness of Female Students with an Educable Intellectual Disability from Tabriz city families. This study followed a quasi-experimental research design with a pre-test, post-test, and a control group. The statistical population included all students with an educable intellectual disability enrolled in Tabriz elementary school in 1399-1400 academic year, of whom 45 students randomly, by using inclusion criteria, were assigned to two experimental( play therapy and narrative therapy) and one control group ( 15 per group) using convenience sampling. The Sinha and Singh's Adjustment Inventory for school students and the Gmbryl and Ritchie's Assertiveness Questionnaire (1975) were used to collect data. One experimental group received play therapy ( eight sessions of cognitive-behavioral play therapy) , the second experimental group received narrative therapy (eight sessions of cognitive-behavioral narrative therapy) and the control group has not received any intervention. The covariance analysis demonstrated a significant difference in social adjustment and assertiveness between cognitive-behavioral play therapy, narrative therapy and control groups ( P value: 0/001). The cognitive-behavioral play therapy was superior to narrative therapy in terms of increasing social adjustment. Moreover, the narrative therapy was more effective in increasing assertiveness than cognitive-behavioral play therapy .Thus, narrative therapy and cognitive-behavioral play therapy can be used in conjunction to alleviate psychological problems in students with educable intellectual disabilities.