In this episode, I addressed a question from a listener, Kianna in Pennsylvania, who is in an internship and recently inherited a playroom. She's working with three boys whose parents are going through a divorce, and one of the boys has been falling asleep during the...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I dive into the theme of mess making play in child-centered play therapy. Mess making play is when a child intentionally creates chaos and disorder within the therapeutic playroom. I explain that this behavior can manifest...
In this episode, I respond to a question from Kaylee in Georgia regarding how to support parents in child-centered play therapy. It's crucial to prepare parents for the fact that behaviors can initially worsen before improving during therapy. This knowledge helps them...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I'm excited to explore the cleaning play theme. As a child-centered play therapist, I've observed various ways children engage in this type of play, from physically cleaning toys to tidying up the playroom. I break down the...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I address a common concern from our listeners: how to handle children's questions during play sessions while maintaining a child-centered approach. Three listeners share their experiences and questions on this matter. Lily...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, we're diving into the theme of instability. It's a theme that often partners up with others like good versus bad play or rescue play. Picture this: in a child's play, things are always on the edge of falling or falling...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, we dive into a question raised by three listeners: Nneka from England, Anna from Canada, and Grace from California. They're curious about adjusting child-centered play therapy for tweens and teens, a topic important as kids...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I explore the world of bridge building play, a theme within the broader category of control and safety. Bridge building play isn't just about literal bridges; it includes structures children create to connect various...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I delve into a topic of the power of tone of voice in play therapy. A listener from Maryland named Batsheva posed an excellent question about how our tone can profoundly impact a therapy session. I discuss the significance...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I delve into a significant theme: self fixing in the context of play therapy. We've explored fixing and failure to fix before, but self fixing presents a unique perspective. It's when a child perceives something broken...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I respond to a thoughtful question from Julia in California. Julia's concern revolves around children's progress not aligning with the standard timeline or phases seen in therapy. She specifically asks about children not...
In this episode, I delved into another control and safety theme—the "failure to fix" theme. It's a counterpart to the "fixing play" theme we explored last time. Understanding these play themes is vital for effective therapy. Failure to fix happens when a child...
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I delve into the crucial topic of managing messy play within the therapeutic setting, especially when dealing with limited resources (if you don't have an office manager to help you clean between sessions). I stress the...
Today, we're diving into the "fixing play" theme in child-centered play therapy. This theme often follows "broken play" and is closely tied to control and safety themes. In essence, it's about a child or character working to mend something broken through actions like...
In this episode of The Play Therapy Podcast, I address the critical topic of working with children who have experienced sexual abuse or exhibit sexualized behaviors. Combining questions from listeners Monica and Anna, I delve into three key aspects: acknowledging and...
In this episode, we delve into the "Broken Play Theme" in child-centered play therapy's category of safety and control themes. Exploring Broken Play Theme: Children depict brokenness in their play through two lenses: a broken self or a broken object. This theme delves...
In this episode, we're delving into the intriguing burying or drowning theme, a part of our ongoing exploration of control and safety themes. Burying involves hiding characters or objects under sand, toys, or even clothes, symbolizing various intentions. It can...
When you've trained directly with Dr. Garry Landreth, you gain vast knowledge and helpful perspective on the child-centered play therapy model. Join me for an insightful chat with my mentor, Dr. Jennifer Baggerly, a specialist directly trained by the renowned Dr....
Today, we're entering the realm of control and safety themes, marking a transition from our previous categories. Specifically, we're exploring the intriguing concept of fire play. Children engage in fire play with remarkable diversity, expressing it through a spectrum...
Listener, Yanna, emailed me with a scenario... she is seeing a child that acts like a puppy all session and she was wondering how I would handle that. I actually have a client right now that is doing that! So this was a timely question. In this episode, I discuss the...
In this concluding episode of the Nurturing & Caregiving category, we delve into the intriguing realm of the Adult Activity Theme. This distinctive theme revolves around activities that distinctly mimic adult behaviors. Join me as we explore the nuances of this theme...