PLAAY

Overview

PLAAY stands for Preventing Long-term Anger and Aggression in Youth. It is a culturally responsive behavioral and emotional trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapeutic (CBT) intervention that integrates violence/microaggression devaluation and physical activity. Developed by Dr. Stevenson in 1995, PLAAY is designed for youth and their caregivers, aiming to enhance stress management skills during intense face-to-face conflicts[1].

Purpose

PLAAY primarily targets Black youth, focusing on reducing stress related to racial, gender, and academic conflicts in schools and communities. It aims to improve interpersonal skills, challenge racial and gender stereotypes, and foster stronger family bonds[1]. PLAAY emphasizes racial literacy, mindfulness, and social-emotional learning to mitigate the impacts of racism and improve mental health for Black youth[1].

Objectives

• Community Engagement: PLAAY partners with community agencies, leaders, and caregivers to implement its intervention across various settings.
• Training Institutions: The program trains community institutions to reduce youth violence retaliation and promote racial literacy.
• Support and Evaluation: PLAAY supports community agencies in implementing the intervention and gathers evaluation data to upscale and expand its reach[1].

Key Initiatives

PLAAY's major therapeutic goals include developing racial/gender literacy, cognitive-behavior trauma mindfulness, and promoting positive appraisal/reappraisal, emotional regulation, and coping self-efficacy among Black youth[1]. The intervention seeks to enhance academic engagement and achievement by reducing stress from violence and microaggressions.

Partnerships

PLAAY is supported by the SAMHSA National Network to Eliminate Disparities (NNEDLearn), which has facilitated annual training for over a decade, reaching more than 50 organizations across over 40 cities[1].