CCPT Mindset: When Progress Anxiety Undermines the Model

Jun 11, 2025

In this episode, I continue the CCPT Mindset series with a deep dive into something we all wrestle with at some point: progress anxiety. As child-centered play therapists, it’s easy to slip into the trap of wanting sessions to “go somewhere”—especially when outside pressures, whether internal doubts, school expectations, or parent demands, make us question whether anything is really happening.

I unpack the ways agenda sneaks into our work, often in subtle forms, and how our discomfort can lead us to drift from the model without realizing it. I share the concept of progress as something that emerges, not something we make happen, and offer some practical mindset reframes to help you stay grounded in radical trust. If you’ve ever felt anxious about your client’s progress, this is the episode to bring you back to the heart of CCPT.

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Ask Me Questions: Call ‪(813) 812-5525‬, or email: [email protected]
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Common 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. (2023). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th ed.). 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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