Podcast Episodes
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...
Navigating Play Therapy with Siblings: Practical Tips for Child-Centered Play Therapists
In this episode, I answer a listener question about working with siblings in play therapy. I share that joint sessions can be beneficial if siblings experienced the same stressful event, but recommend having individual sessions first to build rapport. If a therapist...
The “I Wonder” Blunder: Avoid Directive Questioning and Master “I Wonder” Statements and Whispers in Child-Centered Play Therapy
In this episode, I dive into the proper use of "I wonder" statements and the whisper technique in child-centered play therapy. I've noticed these skills are sometimes being misused or overused, so I wanted to provide some clarification. I discuss how "I wonder"...
Safe Play: What It Means When a Child Picks the Same Toys Every Time
In this episode, I address a great question from Katie in Florida about what to do when kids seem unsure of what to play with in later play therapy sessions and gravitate toward the same activities each time. First, I discuss how this pattern could indicate the child...
Making the Transition: How to Shift from Directive to a Child-Centered Play Therapy Approach
In this episode, I discuss how to transition from a directive or eclectic play therapy approach to a fully child-centered play therapy model. I share tips for communicating this change to both parents and the child in a direct, transparent way. When making this...
How Child-Centered Principles Transformed My Art Classroom: Gabby’s Transformation Story
In this episode, I shared an inspiring email from Gabby, an art teacher in South Africa who has been applying child-centered play therapy principles in her classroom. Gabby stumbled upon my podcast "by accident" and found that the CCPT approach deeply resonated with...
The Moment It All Clicked: Unexpected Paths to a Career in CCPT
In this episode, I share some fascinating unofficial data I collected from my email subscribers about their journeys to finding child-centered play therapy (CCPT). I was curious to learn more after noticing a pattern of people mentioning they came to CCPT as a second...