Play Therapy Podcast: A Master-Class in Child-Centered Play Therapy

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I address a common issue many of us face every year—how to handle requests from parents to take a break from therapy over the summer. Ethan from Virginia wrote in with a question about managing this situation when parents want to pause sessions due to scheduling conflicts like camps, vacations, and other summer activities. I discuss the potential impact...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I address a question from Jonathan, whos client wanted to leave the playroom to see her grandmother in the second session. I explore the challenges of handling this situation using the child-centered protocol. We discuss the importance of setting clear boundaries within the session, maintaining the child's time in the playroom, and offering appropriate...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue our Summer School Series by diving into a unique section from Garry Landreth's The Art of the Relationship, focusing on Moustakas' research about the differences in play between adjusted and maladjusted children. We explore how adjusted children tend to be more conversational, spontaneous, and exploratory in their play, while maladjusted chil...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I respond to a listener question from Terri in Ireland, who is navigating the challenges of a truncated therapeutic process. Terri shares her experience with two clients whose sessions were limited due to her training circumstances, and she wonders about the impact on the stages and phases of therapy. Together, we explore how children adapt their therap...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue the Summer School Series by exploring Garry Landreth's  Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship , fourth edition. I discuss how play serves as a vital medium of communication for children, allowing them to express feelings and attitudes that may be too difficult to articulate verbally. As therapists, it's essential to meet children at their...

In this episode, I address a question from Holly in Virginia about a challenging play therapy session with a 5-year-old child who has a significant trauma background. The child duct-taped Holly's mouth shut during the session, raising questions about setting limits and handling power and control dynamics in the playroom. I discuss why this situation didn't warrant setting a limit, as it didn't vio...

In this episode of our summer school series, I delve into a powerful passage from Garry Landreth's "The Art of the Relationship." I explore the concept of children's unique personalities and how they affect their therapeutic journey. Using Landreth's vivid analogies of children being like popcorn, molasses, mushrooms, or orchids, I discuss the importance of accepting and respecting each child's in...

In this episode, I address a question from an anonymous listener who called in.  This listener works in a multi-disciplinary practice where child-centered play therapy coexists with adult therapy. The practice owner is considering implementing restrictive rules for children's behavior in common areas, raising the listener's concerns about potential shame or guilt for families. I discuss three main...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue our summer school series by diving into "A Practical Handbook for Building the Play Therapy Relationship" by Giordano, Landreth, and Jones. I explore the five key goals of play therapy sessions and discuss how child-centered play therapy techniques help achieve these goals.   I break down each goal, explaining how reflective responding, conve...

In this episode, I dive deep into a concerning trend in child and adolescent psychotherapy: the use of video games in therapy. I address an email from Carolyn in Vermont, who asks about therapists using video games to engage "difficult" clients, often using person-centered language to justify this approach. I express my strong concerns about this practice, arguing that it dilutes the essence of th...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue our summer school series by diving into the eighth and final principle from Gary Landreth's "Innovations in Play Therapy." This principle focuses on establishing therapeutic limits that help children accept personal and appropriate relationship responsibility.  I explore the importance of setting limits in child-centered play therapy, emphasi...

In this episode... First of all, I'm thrilled to celebrate a major milestone with you all - the Play Therapy Podcast has reached 300,000 downloads! I'm deeply grateful for your continued support and dedication to child-centered play therapy. Your commitment to listening and applying these principles in your work with children and families is truly inspiring.   Next, I address a question from Beth...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I continue our summer school series, diving deep into the principles of effective play therapists as outlined in Landreth's "Innovations in play therapy: Issues, process, and special populations." book. We explore the sixth and seventh principles, which focus on trusting the child's inner direction and appreciating the gradual nature of the therapeutic...

In this episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I dive into a mini lightning round, answering five questions from three different listeners.  Before getting into the Q&A, I share a heartwarming email from Tammy in Ireland, who recounts her early experiences with child-centered play therapy (CCPT) and the amazing progress she witnessed in a young client. For our lightning round, I address the followin...

In this episode, I continue our summer school series on essential principles for effective play therapists. We explore two key principles from Garry Landreth's "Innovations in Play Therapy": 1. Being sensitive to the child's feelings and reflecting them to foster self-understanding. 2. Believing deeply in the child's ability to act responsibly and solve personal problems. I discuss how these princ...

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 you don't need specific credentials to be an effective play therapist. The key is focusing on the relationship with the child and ad...

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 the relationship, from Garry Landreth's book "Innovations in Play Therapy." I discuss how unconditional acceptance involves experie...

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 issues. I explain how to distinguish between these based on the child's tone and overall demeanor. I discuss various strategies for res...

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 guide interactions with children in play therapy. The first principle: the therapist's genuine interest in the child and the development...

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 begin by reassuring listeners that while understanding the why is important, play therapy can still be effective even when we don't full...

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 foundation for all our therapeutic work.   I explain how these tenets provide a framework for child-centered play therapy, helping therapi...

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 of shame afterwards. I explain that when a child is dysregulated predominantly at home but regulated everywhere else, it usually mea...

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 do as therapists can inadvertently make a child feel that something is wrong. From the way we reflect content to the tone and express...

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 noses during allergy season. For the licking and spitting, I explain that this is a behavior the child is choosing, so it warrants s...

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 philosophy for living one's life in relationships with children. It requires internalizing a deep belief in children's innate capacity fo...