Play Therapy

Chapter 6The Therapist

The Relationship Critical to success

Child must feel empowered, valued, accepted

Unique because child gets undivided attention and therapist strives to understand the child through the play

Memories

Get with a classmate and talk about important adults in your life when you were a child. What made the relationship meaningful?

Personality Characteristics Objective and flexible

Does not judge or evaluate

Open-minded

Patient

Believe that child has self healing power

High tolerance for ambiguity

Future Minded- see potential

Personal courage- admit mistakes

Be real, display warmth and caring, acceptance and understanding

Personally Secure

Sense of Humor

Therapist Self Understanding Utilize personal counseling, consultation and/or supervision

Consider:

Are my needs being met in play therapy?

How strong is my need to be needed?

Do I like this child?

Do I want to be with this child?

What impact do my attitudes and feeling have on this child?

How does this child perceive me?

Intangibles Do I want to change this child?

Am I allowing the child to be really free to set his/her own direction, or am I hoping the child will play?

Am I accepting of some behavior and not others?

Do I have a low tolerance for messiness?

Do I have a need to rescue the child from pain or difficulty?

Do I have a need to be liked by the child?

Do I feel safe with the child?

Do I trust the child?

Do I expect the child to deal with certain issues?

The person of the therapist is more important than anything the therapist knows how to do.

How the therapist feels about a child is more important than what the therapist knows about the child.

Therapist Self Acceptance A child will not change until the child is free not to change.

Create a climate where child is free to be him/herself

You cannot accept another person’s weakness until you are able to accept your own.

Role of Therapist Be emotionally active

Facilitate release of creative potential that already exists