I Don’t Use Case Conceptualization, But If I Did…

Feb 15, 2024

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I address a question from Alexa in Texas about case conceptualization. Alexa, soon to be an RPT, seeks guidance on how case conceptualization fits into the Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) model and how to document it. I emphasize that while case conceptualization is standard practice in the field and often tied to insurance, it’s not necessarily clinically necessary, especially in private pay settings like at my center. However, for those required to do it, I provide insights into how to align it with CCPT principles, focusing on assessing the child’s stage, phase, and timeline in therapy, identifying emerging themes in play, monitoring progress and shifts in themes, observing evidence of the four universal outcomes, tracking reduction in presenting issues, and documenting stability in the child’s behavior. I also discuss the importance of effectively communicating findings with parents.

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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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