Many play therapists and other mental health professionals who work with children would describe their play therapy process as "eclectic," without really knowing what they mean. Research has shown that mental health professionals who have a consistent way of conceptualizing clients are more effective and efficient in helping clients than those who "fly by the seat of their pants." If you have yet to figure out a method for consistently conceptualizing your play therapy clients and planning treatment strategies, come play with me. We will explore your philosophical beliefs related to how people’s personalities are formed and how they change, your comfort on the continuum of directive to non-directive, and factors related to personality theory. We will examine the essential concepts of a variety of approaches to play therapy: child-centered, Gestalt, cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, Adlerian, Jungian, Theraplay, and prescriptive. By the end of our time together, you will have chosen a specific theory and be able to apply it to your play therapy process or you will ideas about how you will integrate several different theories, developing your own unique way of conceptualizing play therapy clients and developing treatment strategies.
Learning Objectives–Participants will be able to:
1. Articulate their own philosophical beliefs related to how people’s personalities
are formed and how they change; describe their comfort related to being directive
or non-directive in the play therapy process, and articulate their convictions about
the relative importance of cognitive insight, emotional awareness, and behavior change.
2. Describe how each of the selected theoretical approaches to play therapy deals
with all of the above.
3. Describe the basic constructs of the following: child-centered, Gestalt, cognitive-behavioral,
psychodynamic, Adlerian, Jungian, Theraplay, and prescriptive.
4. Describe which of the above theory (or theories) is the best fit with their own
philosophical and practical beliefs.
5. Articulate how they will use their chosen theory (or integrated theories) to conceptualize
play therapy clients and develop play therapy treatment strategies.
