4 Stages Of Play Therapy (The Child’s Therapeutic Progress)

May 3, 2023

In the previous curriculum episode, we talked about the 4 phases of play therapy. This week I’m focusing on the 4 STAGES of play therapy. This differs from the phases, in the sense that the phases describe the therapeutic progress the child is working through. It is especially important to know and identify these stages when you communicate with parents.

The 4 stages of play therapy are:
– The warm up
– Aggressive
– Regressive
– Mastery

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References:

Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley.
VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press.
Landreth, G. L. (2002). Play therapy: The art of the relationship (2nd ed.). Brunner-Routledge.
Bratton, S. C., Landreth, G. L., Kellam, T., & Blackard, S. R. (2006). Child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) treatment manual: A 10-session filial therapy model for training parents. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.

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