Play Therapy Questions & Answers
Q&A: Working With Kids With Sexual Behavior Or Abuse Backgrounds
In this episode of The Play Therapy Podcast, I address the critical topic of working with children who have experienced sexual abuse or exhibit sexualized behaviors. Combining questions from listeners Monica and Anna, I delve into three key aspects: acknowledging and...
My Complete Interview With Dr. Jennifer Baggerly About Child-Centered Play Therapy
When you've trained directly with Dr. Garry Landreth, you gain vast knowledge and helpful perspective on the child-centered play therapy model. Join me for an insightful chat with my mentor, Dr. Jennifer Baggerly, a specialist directly trained by the renowned Dr....
Q&A: How To Handle A Child That Makes Animal Noises And Behaves Like A Puppy In Session
Listener, Yanna, emailed me with a scenario... she is seeing a child that acts like a puppy all session and she was wondering how I would handle that. I actually have a client right now that is doing that! So this was a timely question. In this episode, I discuss the...
Q&A: What To Do When You’re “Stuck” With A Client On The Autism Spectrum
A listener from the UK emailed me with questions about a client on the autism spectrum. She is feeling "stuck" and was looking for some advice. In this episode I talk about the following topics: - Progress with ASD kids takes longer - The proper use of "I wonder"...
What Play Therapy Theme Does Board Game Play Fall Under?
Ethan from VA emailed me a question asking what play therapy theme board game play falls under. Secondly, Ethan asked what theme it is if the child makes up a game. The answer is not as simple as board game play falls under a specific theme. In this episode, I'll tell...
Staying True to the Model: Child-Centered Feedback for Pandemic-Related Anxiety
Listener Yanna, in MA, emailed me asking about a client who has severe anxiety related to germs, possibly related to the pandemic. I've posted her email below. "I am hoping you could provide some child-centered strategies and feedback on how to best support my client....
Defying Opposition: Unveiling the Potential of Child-Centered Play Therapy for ODD
Listener Cheryl emailed me with the following question: "How does a child with Oppositional Defiance Disorder heal through CCPT? I have one child I’m seeing that seems to have these symptoms and so I have recently started CCPT with him and it seems he is expressing...
Q&A: “Capturing Growth” – Documenting Goals, Objectives & Diagnosis while Honoring the Child-Centered Model in Play Therapy
Brooke in Utah & Cheryl in California both emailed me with questions that overlap in content, so I'm doing a double Q&A this episode! Brooke asked what goals and objectives I document and what wording I use that reflects CCPT tenants. Cheryl asked how I go about...
Q&A: Working Through Abuse Narratives In Play Therapy With A Child-Centered Approach
Listener Pam emailed me about a child she is currently conducting play sessions with. The child has a history of emotional and physical abuse, and has started playing it out in the play sessions. Pam wanted some insight and I'm going to share my thoughts in this...
Q&A: When “Aggression” Derails – Addressing “Aggression” With Parents To Prevent Premature Therapy Termination
Listener Beth from Wales emailed me with questions about a specific situation regarding caregivers prematurely terminating therapy because the child started showing increased aggression outside of the playroom. The social worker supported the decision to terminate,...
Q&A: Staying Child-Centered When A Child Invites You Into Their Play
Listeners Clay and Joss from Australia emailed me with a question for guidance on how to stay child-centered when a child invites you into their play. Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com Play Therapy Training HQ: https://www.playtherapynow.com Email me:...
Q&A: Interpreting the Child’s Play Through a Child-Centered Play Therapy Lens
Listener Anna, from Canada emailed me a question regarding interpreting a child's play for interventions and advisement at schools, etc. In this episode I best try to answer her question through the lens of pure child-centered play therapy. Podcast HQ:...
Q&A: Children Bringing Their Own Toys Into The Playroom
Kate from South Australia emailed me the following question: "I am wondering what your thoughts are on children bringing in their own soft toys into sessions. I have a new client who has been bringing in his favourite toy and including it into his play. This has...
Q&A: The Art Of Play Therapy Supervision (Getting The Most From Your Supervisory Experience)
In this episode, I answer a listener's question about supervision. Jeremy from the UK emailed me with the following question: "I am completing my training in the UK and I love every moment in my playroom, it’s a bit small but I’m working on that. We are encouraged to...
Q&A: How To Handle Children Shooting, And Using Swords On You
Cindy from Australia emailed me with a questions asking how I handle children who shoot and use swords on me. Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com Play Therapy Training HQ: https://www.playtherapynow.com Email me: [email protected] Follow me on...
Q&A: How To Best Communicate With Parents, Teachers, and School Counselors When Working With A Child
Jeremy from Illinois emailed me with the following question: "I have a six-year-old client who is getting angry and aggressive at school. History of witnessing domestic violence. I have had five sessions with him, and I would say we hit the resistance phase right on...
Q&A: What Is The ONE THING I Need To Know To Be A Better Play Therapist?
I talk to a lot of play therapists, and I review a lot of sessions. I get a version of a question from everyone I interact with who is looking for advice in their play therapy practice: What is the one thing I need to know to be a better play therapist? After thinking...
Q&A: How To Engage A Client Who Colors Silently (And How To Explain It To Their Parents!)
Jen in the UK emailed me with the following question: "I have several recent new clients who are choosing to be silent colorers in my room. I'm spending a lot of time tracking coloring behaviour and wondering if I'm doing anything at all! That's not strictly true, as...
Q&A: How Do We Explain To Parents Why We Allow A Child To Curse In The Playroom?
Listener Ethan emailed me with another question. This time he asked my opinion on how I explain to parents why I allow cursing in the playroom. This is a fantastic question, and I'll do my best to explain the CCPT response and viewpoint. I'll also give you tips for...
Q&A: What To Do When A Child Is “Stuck”
This week's question comes from Yanna in Massachusetts. She poses the question: "I have been working with a 6 year old girl for over 6 months now, my interventions have consisted of child-centered play therapy with emphasis on promoting interoceptive skills. I feel...
Q&A: Child-Centered Play Therapy With Toddlers
IAlicia from Colorado wrote me an email saying "My background is actually Early Intervention, working with families with kids birth to three, so if you feel like discussing your thoughts on Filial/Child-Centered for toddlers, that would be amazing!!" So in this...
Q&A: What If Kids Don’t Move From Aggression To Nurturing Play?
As a result of listening to the podcast on aggression in the playroom, listener Ethan emailed me "I was wondering if you have worked with a child who has ever played out the aggressive part but never seemed to move towards the nurture part?" In this episode, I answer...
Q&A: How To Become A Registered Play Therapist
Tricia emailed me the following question: "Hello! I am currently a graduate student in mental health counseling in the state of New York. Unfortunately there aren’t many resources for play therapy in the upstate area. I’m wondering if you could share your knowledge on...
Q&A: What To Do When A Child Does Not Want To Leave The Playroom?
Listener Sandi from Iowa emailed me this question: "I am hoping you will assist me with a common issue I find in the playroom. Please share an example of how you respond to a child who doesn’t want to leave the playroom..." Thank you so much for emailing me this...
Q&A: Exploring The Sensitive Topic Of Abuse And Neglect In The Playroom: A Guide For Play Therapists
In this episode, I take on a question that was asked of my by listener Rachel. She asked: "I’m wondering what you do in situations where you have concerns of abuse/neglect. Do you ever take a different role with the child for the purposes of safety or assessment? Do...
Q&A: How Do You Do Child-Centered Play Therapy With Older Kids (11-14 Year Olds)
In this episode I respond to a listener, Rachel, who asked "I would be interested to learn more about child-centered play therapy with older kids (like 11-14). You’ve mentioned before at your facility that you do kind of a 'modified' version for older kids and I would...
My Playroom Was Absolutely Destroyed By A Client (A Debrief, And How I Handled It)
Last week I had, arguably, the most challenging session with a child that I've ever had to deal with. I've had a lot of questions from listeners about how to handle aggressive play, so I thought this would be good to debrief with you to explain how child-centered play...
How To Conduct Sibling/Group Play Sessions
In this episode, I give my input to a listener who emailed me about their client's Mom, that was interested in sibling sessions. The listener wanted to know if there was anything that I would mention or do. I have done quite a few sibling and group sessions, and I...
The Use Of Aggressive Toys In The Playroom
In this week's Q&A episode, I give my take on a listener's question: "I'd love to hear your take on the controversy of using aggressive toys in general." I break down my commentary into the following topics: - Thematically speaking, why aggressive toys are important -...
The Use Of Games In The Playroom (And What To Do About Cheating!)
Jen, a listener from the UK, wrote me an email and asked "I’m wondering if you might be up for doing a podcast on your take on the use of games- uno, table football and guess who are regulars in my sessions and I would love to hear your perspective. There also seems...
6 Assessments To Support What You Are Doing In The Playroom
As promised in the last episode, I'm going to go over 6 assessments that can support your work in the playroom. I frequently hear from play therapists that they don't feel supported by peers or employers, or that play therapy is treated as an inferior modality to the...
What To Do When You Are Not Feeling Supported As A Play Therapist At Your Place Of Work
In this episode, I'm taking a break from the regular curriculum to answer some questions that have come in from listeners. One of the questions that I get consistently is what do I do when I'm not supported as a play therapist at my work? So I talk about how to handle...