In this episode, we cover the second of the limit setting principles, "limits are not needed until they are needed." This comes straight out of the CPRT training by Landreth & Bratton, with some practical application and stories from my playroom. Podcast...
In this episode, I take on a question that was asked of my by listener Rachel. She asked: "I’m wondering what you do in situations where you have concerns of abuse/neglect. Do you ever take a different role with the child for the purposes of safety or assessment? Do...
In this episode, I cover the first of the Limit Setting principles, "When A Child Is Drowning, It's Not The Time To Teach Them To Swim." This principle comes out of the CPRT training. What I mean by that is, when a child is "drowning", emotionally, it's not the time...
In this episode I respond to a listener, Rachel, who asked "I would be interested to learn more about child-centered play therapy with older kids (like 11-14). You’ve mentioned before at your facility that you do kind of a 'modified' version for older kids and I would...
This episode is the last of the choice giving principles. This principle comes straight out of the Landreth/Bratton CPRT curriculum. Topics I discuss in this episode are: - Age appropriateness of choices - How many choices you provide - The responsibility that comes...
Last week I had, arguably, the most challenging session with a child that I've ever had to deal with. I've had a lot of questions from listeners about how to handle aggressive play, so I thought this would be good to debrief with you to explain how child-centered play...
In this episode, I give my input to a listener who emailed me about their client's Mom, that was interested in sibling sessions. The listener wanted to know if there was anything that I would mention or do. I have done quite a few sibling and group sessions, and I...
This episode is a play therapy principle linked to choice giving skill. Topics in this episode: - Confidence-confidence spectrum - The playroom is the "antidote" to a child's negative inputs - Self-fulfilling prophesy Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com...
In this week's Q&A episode, I give my take on a listener's question: "I'd love to hear your take on the controversy of using aggressive toys in general." I break down my commentary into the following topics: - Thematically speaking, why aggressive toys are important -...
In this episode we dive into the first of the choice-giving principles of play therapy, "Empower kids by giving them credit for their decision" (Landreth/Bratton) Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com Email me: [email protected] Follow me on Twitter:...
Jen, a listener from the UK, wrote me an email and asked "I’m wondering if you might be up for doing a podcast on your take on the use of games- uno, table football and guess who are regulars in my sessions and I would love to hear your perspective. There also seems...
As promised in the last episode, I'm going to go over 6 assessments that can support your work in the playroom. I frequently hear from play therapists that they don't feel supported by peers or employers, or that play therapy is treated as an inferior modality to the...
In this episode, I'm taking a break from the regular curriculum to answer some questions that have come in from listeners. One of the questions that I get consistently is what do I do when I'm not supported as a play therapist at my work? So I talk about how to handle...
In episode #24 we are continuing with the "principles" of play therapy topics. The principle "Feelings Are Always Valid, Even If The Behavior Is Not Acceptable" connects with reflective responding (the first of the "4 Pillars" of play therapy), and is essential to...
In this episode, I do a deep dive into an aspect of "why" you reflectively respond (track behavior, reflect feelings, reflect content). I discuss three outcomes that should give you a better understanding of the principle behind reflective responding, and a goal for...
Another "Principle of Play Therapy"... "If You Know Enough To Ask A Question, Then You Know Enough To Make A Statement." Questions put children in their heads, but children live in their hearts. How do we reflectively respond without asking questions? This principle...
We're now moving from the "4 Pillars of Play Therapy", or the skills that we use in the playroom, to the "principles" of play therapy. The first principle comes from the Child Parent Relationship Therapy manual by Landereth & Bratton, "Questions Put Kids In Their...
In this episode, I discuss the 4th "Pillar of Play Therapy"... Encouragement! Specific topics: The difference between encouragement and praise How you would use encouragement in the play room Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.comEmail me:...
In this episode we explore the 3rd of the 4 Pillars of Play Therapy... Limit Setting. Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com Email me: [email protected]
In this episode we explore the 2nd of the 4 Pillars of Play Therapy... Choice Giving. Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com Email me: [email protected]
In this episode, I go into more detail on the reflecting responding skill used by child-centered play therapists. Reflecting responding consists of: reflecting feelings, reflecting content, and tracking behavior. I walk you through examples of each of these skills, as...