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Play Therapy
Play is a child's work and this is not a trivial.
Alfred Adler
What Is Play Therapy?
According to the Association for Play Therapy, play therapy is defined as "the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained Play Therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development." In play therapy, there is no expectation that the child has to talk about their thoughts or feelings. In play therapy, the play is the communication! In the world of play therapy, there are many different models or theories of play therapy that a therapist may utilize. Adlerian play therapy is just one of over thirty different types of those theories or models.
What Is Adlerian Play Therapy?
Adlerian therapists focus on learning about your child’s lifestyle. “Lifestyle” is the Adlerian term for a person’s subjective view of the world and how he or she fits within that world. Adlerians believe that lifestyles are formed as young children in reaction to both positive and negative experiences. Through individual lifestyles, it is hypothesized that people want to repeat the good things and avoid the negative things that occur in life. Sometimes, lifestyles can lead to difficult emotional and behavioral patterns that are problematic to the child, as well as those around the child. Adlerian play therapists work with you and your child to see problematic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviors and help you and your child to learn new skills to make changes. I will work with you and your child to set therapeutic goals to help your child to learn skills to develop into their best self. Adlerian play therapy allows for therapists to individualize treatment to each person’s unique needs. Adlerian play therapy allows me to work with people of all ages in ways to build on each individual person’s assets and interests. In Adlerian play therapy, I am able to provide a child, teen, and even adults with a variety of ways to communicate using many different techniques including free play, therapist–directed play, games, art techniques, metaphorical storytelling, therapy utilizing books, sand tray activities, movement and dance, music, and more.