Adlerian play therapy

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · Terry Kottman, Kristin Meany-Walen

What it is

Adlerian play therapy (AdPT) applies Alfred Adler's Individual Psychology to play therapy. Its authors developed it mainly for children aged about 3–10, and they say it also suits teens, adults and families. It treats children as socially embedded, goal-directed, subjective and creative. A child's…

Format

• Safeguarding and mandatory reporting: reporting duties differ by jurisdiction. In the US they are set by state law. In the UK they follow statutory guidance and local safeguarding-partnership procedures, and other countries have their own rules. Know your local threshold, route and timescale before…
• Therapist directiveness increases across the phases. The child leads most of Phase 1, and the therapist leads more in Phases 3–4. Typical format: one 50-minute session a week, or two 30-minute sessions, for 8–16 weeks, delivered individually or in groups. There is no homework component for the…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Who may deliver it: CEBC lists the provider requirement as a master's degree in a mental health field, with the provider either licensed or working towards licensure under supervision.
• Model-specific training: the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists (LEAPT) runs Beginning and Advanced Adlerian Play Therapy courses. Each gives 35 CE hours plus 5 hours of supervision. LEAPT is an Association for Play Therapy (APT) Approved Provider (no. 99-055) and an NBCC-approved CE provider. The Beginning course requires Partners in Play (3rd ed.) as reading. Competence is benchmarked by fidelity…
• General play therapy credential: in the US the usual route is APT's Registered Play Therapist credential. In the UK the relevant bodies include BAPT and Play Therapy UK (PTUK). Kottman's own advice is to get solid play therapy training that includes observed sessions with children and feedback before adopting an approach.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Play is not evidence: treat play themes, sandtrays and drawings as material for building hypotheses about the child's lifestyle. Kottman says figures carry no fixed meaning and the client supplies the meaning. Never treat play content as diagnostic evidence of abuse. It can prompt a safeguarding…

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?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• 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

• the child goes quiet or plays less. Ask fewer questions.
• parroting word for word. It is working if the child elaborates.
• comments that sound like accusations. Keep them light in Phase 1.
• perfectionism about drawing quality. Encourage effort, not results.
• advice the child gives fluently but can't use themselves. Bridge gently.

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.