Adlerian play therapy

Domain I · Psychodynamic & depth psychology · Terry Kottman, Meany-Walen · 2016

What it is

Adlerian play therapy (AdPT) applies Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology to play therapy with children aged about 3–10. It assumes children are social, goal-directed and creative, and that they build a lifestyle: private convictions about self, others and the world, formed mainly in the family,…

Format

• Format. Individual or group AdPT, chosen at intake. Either one 50-minute session a week or two 30-minute sessions a week, over 8–16 weeks. Parent and/or teacher consultation runs throughout, and its form depends on the setting (clinic or school). The original model is not strictly time-limited; the…
• Phase I – Building an egalitarian relationship (about 1–4 sessions).

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Spontaneous comparisons by the child.
• Your own priority clashing with theirs.
• The child generating options independently over time.
• Reports of trying it outside, which shows generalization.
• The child adopting your solution in later stories or play.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.