Q&A: How To Engage A Client Who Colors Silently (And How To Explain It To Their Parents!)

Apr 28, 2023

Jen in the UK emailed me with the following question: “I have several recent new clients who are choosing to be silent colorers in my room. I’m spending a lot of time tracking coloring behaviour and wondering if I’m doing anything at all! That’s not strictly true, as I do believe and feel that embodying the ‘be attitudes’ and being truly present with the children in relative silence is giving them what they need at the time. They don’t want to leave and seem happy to come. I also trust that at some point the nature of the sessions will shift. I guess I would feel more confident knowing what other NDCCPT therapists believe or do in these situations. I also wonder what their parents will think when children say, ‘I coloured for an hour without talking!’ And, can a therapist color too? There’s also the issue of working with selective mutism which is not uncommon in our child population in London.”

I answer her questions and go into the following topics:

– What is the “Why” behind their play
– The purpose and intent of the child-centered process
– The therapist’s role

Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com
Play Therapy Training HQ: https://www.playtherapynow.com
Email me: [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter: @thekidcounselor https://twitter.com/thekidcounselor

listen on apple podcast
listen on google podcast
listen on spotify

Subscribe to my email newsletter JUST FOR THERAPISTS!

Get Brenna’s Latest Book

Device Detox: A Parent’s Guide To Reducing Usage, Preventing Tantrums, And Raising Happier Kids.

Device Detox Book

“Dr. Brenna Hicks does an excellent job of sketching the problem, but the book shines brightest when Dr. Hicks offers a suite of practical, evidence-based strategies for coping with screen overuse in children. A valuable book that deserves to be read by parents everywhere.”

ADAM ALTER

New York Times bestselling author of IRRESISTIBLE and DRUNK TANK PINK