Course Description

In this class, the instructor will use discussion, encouragement, videos, role playing, and actual work with children to help you refine your skills so that you will be able to use play therapy skills and techniques to (a) build relationships with children; (b) explore children's lifestyles; (c) help children gain insight into their lifestyles; and (d) help children make changes in their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and behaviors. You will also learn and practice strategies for developing a conceptualization of the child and consulting with parents and teachers as a part of the Adlerian play therapy process. Built into this class is the opportunity to make videos of your practice with a child in the playroom and receive supervision from the instructor. This emphasis in this class is on play therapy skills, Adlerian theory as applied to play therapy,  and working with specific populations using Adlerian play therapy. Required reading before class: Partners in Play: An Adlerian Approach to Play Therapy  (3rd ed.) (Kottman & Meany-Walen, 2016). 

 

Course Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. List and describe 4 basic concepts of Adlerian theory

2. Explain how each of these basic concepts of Adlerian theory apply to play therapy

3. Define the Adlerian concept of lifestyle

4. Explain the importance of the term “feelings of inferiority” in Adlerian theory

5. Describe each of the 4 phases of Adlerian play therapy

6. Explain the Adlerian stance on being directive sometimes and nondirective other times in play therapy

7. Describe the relationship between the phases and the degree of therapist directiveness in Adlerian play therapy

8. Describe 2 play therapy skills used in Adlerian play therapy for building the relationship with a child client

9. Demonstrate 2 play therapy skills used in Adlerian play therapy for building the relationship with a child client

10. Describe at least 1 Adlerian play therapy technique used for establishing a relationship with the child in play therapy

11. Demonstrate at least 1 Adlerian play therapy technique used for establishing a relationship with the child in play therapy

12. Explain the steps of limit setting in Adlerian play therapy

13. Describe the rationale for cleaning the room with a child at the end of the session in Adlerian play therapy

14. Describe each of the following elements of lifestyle and explain why exploring each of them in connection with every child client is important in Adlerian play therapy: (a) family atmosphere, (b) family constellation, (c) Crucial Cs, (d) personality priorities, (e) goals of misbehavior, (f) purposes of behavior, (g) assets and strengths, (h) lifestyle convictions, (i) mistaken beliefs, and (j) private logic

15. Explain at least one strategy for exploring each of these lifestyle elements in your sessions with a child in Adlerian play therapy

16. Demonstrate one strategy for exploring 3 of these lifestyle elements in your sessions with a child in Adlerian play therapy (This would total 3 distinct strategies—could be skills or techniques.)

17. Describe 1 skill used in Adlerian play therapy for exploring the lifestyle of a child client

18. Demonstrate at least 1 Adlerian play therapy skill for exploring the lifestyle of a child client

19. Describe at least 1 Adlerian play therapy technique used in exploring the lifestyle of a child client

20. Demonstrate at least 1 Adlerian play therapy technique used in exploring the lifestyle of a child client

21. Using the Johari Window, explain the rationale for using metacommunication in Phase 3 of Adlerian play therapy

22. Describe at least 1 Adlerian play therapy skill used in helping the child client gain insight in play therapy

23. Demonstrate at least 1 Adlerian play therapy skill used in helping the child client gain insight in play therapy

24. Describe 2 Adlerian play therapy techniques used in helping the child gain insight in play therapy

25. Demonstrate at least 1 Adlerian play therapy technique used in helping the child gain insight in play therapy

26. Define metacommunication in Adlerian play therapy

27. Demonstrate a here-and-now metacommunication

28. Demonstrate a metacommunication across sessions

29. Demonstrate a lifestyle metacommunication

30. Demonstrate a “bridging” metacommunication

31. Describe 2 Adlerian play therapy skills used in the reeducation/reorientation phase for teaching the child new patterns of feeling, thinking, and/or behaving

32. Describe at least 1 Adlerian play therapy technique used in the reeducation/reorientation phase for teaching the child new patterns of feeling, thinking, and/or behaving

33. Describe the role of encouragement in Adlerian play therapy

34. Demonstrate at least 1 Adlerian play therapy skill or technique used in the reeducation/reorientation phase for teaching the child new patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving

35. Explain the purpose of conceptualizing clients in Adlerian play therapy

36. Describe the relationship between conceptualizing clients and developing treatment plans for them in Adlerian play therapy

37. Demonstrate competency using Adlerian play therapy skills for establishing a relationship with a child client by attaining at least a 70% fidelity score on the Adlerian Play Therapy Skills Checklist for Phase 1

38. Demonstrate competency using Adlerian play therapy skills for exploring a child client’s lifestyle by attaining at least a 70% fidelity score on the Adlerian Play Therapy Skills Checklist for Phase 2

39. Demonstrate competency using Adlerian play therapy skills for helping a child client gain insight into his or her lifestyle by attaining at least a 70% fidelity score on the Adlerian Play Therapy Skills Checklist for Phase 3

40. Demonstrate competency using Adlerian play therapy skills for helping a child client learn and practice new patterns of thinking, feeling, and/or behaving by attaining at least a 50% fidelity score on the Adlerian Play Therapy Skills Checklist for Phase 4

 

Prerequisites

• Required reading before class: Partners in Play: An Adlerian Approach to Play Therapy  (3rd ed.) (Kottman & Meany-Walen, 2016). 

• You must have access to a playroom (or a space with toys where you can do play therapy) and a child (4-9 years old) for a half an hour on the second, third, and fourth days of class so you can do a play therapy session and video record it to share for class.  IF THE SITUATION WITH COVID 19 IN YOUR AREA IS PRECLUDING IN-PERSON SESSIONS, it is also acceptable to do your play therapy sessions during the class via a telehealth format. Your sessions using telehealth will work on some of the same skills as in-person sessions.   

• The child you use for your play therapy sessions should not be your own child or one of your clients, and you will need permission to video the session and share the video via Zoom.  The child needs to relatively mentally healthy, without any major psychological problems.  A child who is creative and mostly cooperative seems to work best for this type of activity.  

• You must be able to video record the session in a format that you can share via Screen Share on Zoom.

• You will need to interview at least one of the parents of “your” child sometime during the week of class, using the parent interview we will send you.

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Eligibility

Completion of AdPT 0: Introduction to Adlerian Play Therapy

 

Methodology

1. Multimedia Lectures

2. Trainings with opportunities for self-reflection and group discussion

3. Individual and group activities for processing

 

Certification of Attendance

Certificate of Attendance - will be presented to the participant at the end of each course.

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Certificate Recognition

This Certificate of Attendance is jointly awarded by Healing Hearts Centre and LEAPT inc.

Certificate training hours are recognised by the Association for Play Therapy (Singapore) for the individual who is working towards their Registered Play Therapist qualifications.