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Latest podcast episodes
Play Therapy Challenges: From Credentials to Limit-Setting
In this episode, I answer questions from Sarah, a school therapist in Florida. Sarah's role as an in-school therapist for a therapeutic unit presents unique challenges, and I'm excited to address her questions about play therapy. I start by reassuring therapists that...
Beyond Techniques: Cultivating the Therapist’s Personality for CCPT Success
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue our summer school series on the essential personality characteristics of effective play therapists. We dive into the second and third principles: unconditional acceptance and creating safety and permissiveness in...
Resistance or Control? Responding to ‘Don’t Talk to Me’ Moments in Child-Centered Play Therapy
In this episode, I answer a question from Julia in New York about handling situations where a child tells us to "leave them alone" or "don't talk to me" during play therapy sessions. I explore two possible reasons for this behavior: resistance or power and control...
The Therapist’s Self: Unpacking Landreth’s Essential Qualities of Effective Child-Centered Play Therapists
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I dive into the essential personality characteristics of effective play therapists. Drawing from Garry Landreth's book "Innovations in Play Therapy," I discuss the first of Virginia Axline's eight basic principles that...
The Art of Understanding: Mastering the ‘Why’ in Child-Centered Play Therapy
In this episode, I dive into a question from Ethan in Virginia about understanding the "why" behind a child's behavior in play therapy. As someone who frequently emphasizes the importance of knowing the why, I share my thoughts on developing this crucial skill. I...
Understanding the Foundation: Landreth’s 10 Tenets of Child-Centered Play Therapy
In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue our ongoing summer school series, focusing on Garry Landreth's "The Art of the Relationship" (4th edition). I discuss the 10 tenets of relating to children from a child-centered perspective, which form the...
When a Child’s Outbursts are Limited to Home: A Child-Centered Play Therapy Perspective
In this episode, I answer a question from Tammy in Canada about a 9-year-old child who is well-behaved in settings like school and sports, but has outbursts, hits parents, swears, and calls names when experiencing big emotions at home. The child then deals with a lot...
Mastering Nuances of Reflective Responding in Child-Centered Play Therapy
In today's episode, I dive into the importance of being attuned and mindful in our play therapy sessions. Today I'm reading from the book A practical handbook for building the play therapy relationship. by Giordano, Landreth and Jones, I discuss how subtle things we...
How to Handle Runny Noses, Licking, Spitting, and Germs in the Playroom: A Child-Centered Approach
In this episode, I address a great question from Carley in Oregon about how to manage germs in the playroom in a child-centered way. Carley asked about a client who licks and spits on his fingers while playing card games, as well as how to handle kids with very runny...
CCPT is a Way of Being, Not a Technique: Wisdom from Art of The Relationship
In this episode, I dive into the true essence of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) by sharing powerful excerpts from Garry Landreth's seminal book "Art of The Relationship". Landreth emphasizes that CCPT is not just a set of techniques, but a way of being and a...
Q&A Lightning Round #6: Three Questions From Listeners Answered
In this lightning round episode, I tackle three listener questions about child-centered play therapy (CCPT). Cindy from California asked how to respond when parents say kids can learn academics, so why can't they learn coping skills the same way. I explain that...
Not Everything is a Theme! Landreth Sets the Story Straight
Today I'm beginning my "Summer School" Series where we are going to go back to the classical texts of child-centered play therapy. In this episode, I dive into the challenges of truly understanding the meaning behind children's play, and the importance of grounding...
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