SMART Goals and Child-Centered Play Therapy: How to Bridge the Gap in a School Setting

In this episode, I respond to a question from Emery in New Jersey, a school-based child-centered play therapist, about setting therapeutic goals in a school setting that emphasizes SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals. Emery highlights the challenge of aligning the child-centered model with the school’s goal-setting approach. I address this by emphasizing that the child-centered model does have specific and measurable goals, contrary to common misconceptions. I break down the four universal outcomes of child-centered play therapy—increased self-esteem, increased regulation, increased worldview, and increased emotional vocabulary—and explain how these outcomes can be measured and applied as SMART goals.

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