In this episode, I answer a question about an 11-year-old with significant social anxiety who, seven sessions into CCPT, tells a parent that therapy is a waste of time because "all we do is play." I unpack what may actually be happening beneath that statement, including resistance, avoidance, parental expectations, and the overwhelming vulnerability therapy can create for an anxious child. I also explore the child's perfectionistic play and explain how anxiety, power and control, and low self-esteem often work together—especially when a child would rather destroy something than tolerate the experience of not getting it exactly right.
I also address whether the therapist should bring the child's comments into the playroom—and why I wouldn't. Instead, I explain why our job is to reassure and educate the parent while protecting the child's trust and allowing therapy to unfold at the child's pace. With anxious children, we don't force or rush the work, but we also don't reinforce avoidance by allowing them to escape it. Sometimes "therapy isn't helping" is actually a sign that the child has reached a difficult and necessary part of the therapeutic process.
New Live Training Events Announced:
New Jersey & Tampa dates are locked in and registration is open for New Jersey. Go to iamccpt.live for more information.
New Resource for Play Therapists: The Parent Companion for Play Therapy is now available at author pricing for therapists. Created specifically to help parents better understand the child-centered play therapy process, this book is designed to support parent engagement, improve buy-in, and reduce attrition throughout the therapeutic journey. As a listener of the Play Therapy Podcast, you can order a copy for just $8 (our cost plus shipping).
Click here to order your author-priced copy. ** Limit 1 per therapist, offer valid in the Continental U.S. only.
Order copies for your practice and save with discounted bulk pricing. Bulk ordering makes it easy to place Parent Companion for Play Therapy directly into the hands of the parents you serve.
PlayTherapyNow.com is my HUB for everything I do! playtherapynow.com. Sign up for my email newsletter, stay ahead with the latest CCPT CEU courses, personalized coaching opportunities and other opportunities you need to thrive in your CCPT practice. If you click one link in these show notes, this is the one to click!
Topical Playlists! All of the podcasts are now grouped into topical playlists on YouTube. Please go to https://www.youtube.com/kidcounselorbrenna/playlists to view them.
If you would like to ask me questions directly, check out www.ccptcollective.com, where I host two weekly Zoom calls filled with advanced CCPT case studies and session reviews, as well as member Q&A. You can take advantage of the two-week free trial to see if the CCPT Collective is right for you.
Ask Me Questions: Call (813) 812-5525, or email: brenna@thekidcounselor.com
Brenna's CCPT Hub: https://www.playtherapynow.com
CCPT Collective (online community exclusively for CCPTs): https://www.ccptcollective.com
Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapypodcast.com
APT Approved Play Therapy CE courses: https://childcenteredtraining.com
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Common References:
Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley.
VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press.
Landreth, G.L. (2023). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th ed.). Routledge.
Landreth, G.L., & Bratton, S.C. (2019). Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315537948
Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.
