When parents plan to take their children to a therapist, it can be a confusing and intimidating event. What do you say? Do you say anything? The answer is yes. Parents and children will benefit from an age-appropriate talk about what to expect. Children often become dysregulated when faced with the unknown, and easing that discomfort can alleviate some of their worries.
Keep It Simple and Positive
The simplest approach is to tell them, “You get to play and have fun!” We encourage caregivers to tell children they GET to meet with someone the parent has already met. The child will go into a room with toys and games for almost an hour and GET to have a lot of fun. There is no pressure to talk (because that’s for the grown-ups), and what they do will have therapeutic significance for the Play Therapist, but it creates a comfortable atmosphere.
Present the News Neutrally
We advise parents to be as neutral as possible when presenting the news. Avoid labeling the therapist as the “feelings doctor” or saying, “You have to talk about what is going on.” In the playroom, the child is in control and chooses what to do. The more the child feels heard and understood, the less they will resist the first session.
The Therapeutic Benefits of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT)
As children are provided with an environment characterized by safety, acceptance, and freedom to explore self, they are empowered to build self-concept, personal responsibility, self-direction, self-acceptance, decision-making skills, sense of control, self-reliance, coping awareness and skills, internal source of evaluation, and trust (Landreth, 2012).
CCPT is based on acceptance of the whole child, prizing their uniqueness, and sensitivity to the child’s world, with an understanding of the child’s wants, needs, and feelings. CCPT is operationalized through verbal and non-verbal responses by which counselors send the healing messages of “I am here. I hear you. I understand. I care” (Landreth, 2012, pp. 209–210) using the medium of play.
Rather than focusing on the child’s deficits or problems, CCPT involves building encouragement, self-regulation, and self-concept to enhance the child’s ability to develop resilience to cope with external circumstances beyond their control. In a self-directed and relationally supportive process, children learn to regulate themselves during exploration as they learn the power of choice that comes with self-responsibility (Ray, D. C., Burgin, E., Gutierrez, D., Ceballos, P., & Lindo, N., 2021).
Child-centered play therapy and adverse childhood experiences: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Counseling & Development, 1–12.* [https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12412](https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12412)