Beginning Adlerian Play Therapy - Online

Financial aid may be available for this class. Go to https://adlerianplaytherapy.com/financial-aid-for-leapt-classes/ for details.

In this online 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). 
Due to COVID-19 health concerns, this one-time online event has been approved by APT for 35 CONTACT CE Hours. (includes 20 hours on Play Therapy Seminal or Historically Significant Theories, 11 hours on Play Therapy Skills and Methods, 3 hours on Play Therapy Special Topics, and 1 hour on the History of Play Therapy)  5 hours of play therapy consultation/supervision are included in the class.   

APT Approved Provider 99-055

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 vehicle for exploring each of these lifestyle elements in your sessions with a child in Adlerian play therapy
16. Demonstrate one vehicle for exploring 3 of these lifestyle elements in your sessions with a child in Adlerian play therapy (This would total 3 distinct tools for exploring lifestyle—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

Progress toward masters degree in mental health 

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

This is a 5-day class—you will need to be available during the posted class times.  You must have a spot in your house or your office where you can set up your iPad or computer so you can be undisturbed for class.

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 three times during the week of class. One way this can happen would be for you to work with the child for a half hour during the lunch break 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.  The rest of that time period, is your lunch break. Alternately, if you cannot find a child who is available anytime during that "lunch" time, you could also do your sessions after class on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th days of 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 the week before the start of class, using the parent interview your instructor will send you.

You must do your best to take precautions to keep your child clients, the parents, and yourself safe from Covid-19.