“I’m so glad that Ainsley will finally have someone to talk to about her problems”.
 
Well what if Ainsley (not a real client!) is four and you as her therapist are going to be doing Child Centered Play Therapy? 
 
AND what if her parents are concerned that you are “just playing” and “not doing the real work” if she isn’t sitting across the room from you, hands crossed articulating every emotion from her week and clearly identifying her cognitions and triggering events and then evaluating her behavioral options? 
 
Along with the help of Andrew and Andres there are 3 things I like to share with parents to help them understand the value (as well as developmentally appropriateness) of Child Centered Play Therapy. 
 
Child Centered Play Therapy is an evidence based practice 
The Association for Play Therapy has an excellent Evidence Based Practice statement and tons of research and resources that distinguishes Child Centered Play Therapy as one of the Evidence Based Practices according to the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices! 
 
I like to share with parents that this means that there has been a lot of research that goes into what types of therapy are effective, and that enough academic studies have been completed for Child Centered Play Therapy that we can be sure it is an effective way to help young people heal from the difficulties that bring them into therapy. 
 
Straight talk therapy isn’t developmentally appropriate for children 
Children’s brains are amazing and the development that is happening in childhood is so fascinating.  If I cut right to the chase (because I could talk about neuroscience and brain development for hours) children don’t have the abstract reasoning abilities and verbal processing skills to engage in talk therapy alone.  They are also significantly more right hemisphere developing (which holds their emotions and picture centers) so even if they wanted to they just aren’t able to process as “mini adults”.  Because they aren’t….they are children!  
 
Your child will be extremely bored and likely not want to come to therapy if we don’t incorporate play 
Okay - see note above that straight talk therapy is developmentally inappropriate for children. Well….. so is physics.  If we asked a 4 year old to do complex physics problems (even with an expert like Einstein as her teacher) she would feel overwhelmed, anxious, distressed and probably like a failure.  
 
AND those are the same feelings that will likely come up if we are putting pressure on children to do things that are outside of their scope and ability.  And when kids feel like this? Well, the last thing they want to do is come into your therapy office for another 45 minutes to an hour of feeling overwhelmed and like a failure! This leads to kids refusing to come to therapy and, well, if they aren’t in your therapy office they can’t do the work (or serious play) of therapy! 
 
In a recent consultation session one of my consultee's said "I just want to see how Ann does it, like in real life", so I thought you might want to hear how it sounds "in real life" too! 

So if you want in - swipe my script and check out this absolutely free short video of how I explain Child Centered Play Therapy to parents in my therapy practice! 
 
AND when I share this information with parents, 99.99% of the time they are absolutely on board and engaged in the Child Centered Play Therapy process! 
 
What else are your biggest struggles with explaining Play Therapy to parents? Drop a comment below! 

P.S. Please don't judge the 1,000 tabs I have open.  This is my life, literally every day! 

Looking for more support in your Child Centered Play Therapy practice?  Check out Child Centered Play Therapy: Troubleshooting the 13 Biggest Stuck Points! ​

Child Centered Play Therapy is one of my most favorite Play Therapy theories and modalities for younger children.  AND sometimes older children depending on developmental age.  But most definitely is a modality I am highly likely to be using for children 10 and under! 
 
If Child Centered Play Therapy is not one of the theories you use I would suggest you RUN not walk to check out Play Therapy and The Art of The Relationship OR Child Centered Play Therapy as well as sign yourself up for a foundational course. You can also check out these awesome video examples of Child Centered Play Therapy from Dr. Garry Landreth and Tammi Van Hollander! 
 
I do not say this lightly - getting trained in Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) was life changing for me as a therapist.  I remember the first time I observed a CCPT session I didn’t get it.  It seemed SO strange and so far away from the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy I was trained in at grad school. 
 
But once I started to put the key skills as a therapist, the model, and the way of being into the playroom it was transformational for my clients.  
 
It worked. Clients with significant dysregulation and anger outbursts were able to increase their emotional regulation and window of tolerance without learning one. darn. skill. They had the power within them to heal and integrate their distress with me holding them within the CCPT model.  
 
And it was fun.  Kids didn’t want to leave the playroom and looked forward to coming to session.  
 
I wanted to share this free download on the Child Centered Play Therapy model that I use to make sure I am having fidelity with my skills, facilitative responses, and way of showing up in the playroom.  It is also the sheet I use to track supervisee’s or consultee’s when they are sharing a Child Centered Play Therapy video or case! 

Looking for more support in your Child Centered Play Therapy practice?  Check out Child Centered Play Therapy: Troubleshooting the 13 Biggest Stuck Points! ​​

Check out the Child Centered Play Therapy Skills Cheat Sheet HERE! 

Let's Connect - click here to join my email list!​

Most therapists want to honor the requests, wishes, and desires (within reason) of children in the Play Therapy room.  
 
Yes we can play Uno! No you can catapult yourself off my couch like a rocket ship to the chair across the room.
 
Putting the child in the center of the therapy process allows children to have autonomy, independence and buy-in to their therapy experience. It also allows you as a therapist to build rapport and relationship with your client - which is the number one factor for client change! 
 
All of this sounds great right? BUT where does the line come in between Child Centered Play Therapy and child led therapy? 
 
This is such a common question and issue that pops up in the consultation and supervision part of my practice. Usually it is during a case consultation or video review when someone has identified their theory for a case as Child Centered Play Therapy but then in the process discusses significant questions they are asking the child OR talking about some sort of directive activity or suggestion for play they are giving the child. 
 
First things first - before trying any new theory or technique it is so important to get adequate training.  For Child Centered Play Therapy I definitely recommend the following texts of Play Therapy and The Art of The Relationship OR Child Centered Play Therapy as well as taking a foundational course.  
 
Now, on to the differences! 
 
Child Centered Play Therapy is a theoretical model complete with it’s own theory of personality, therapeutic phases, and therapeutic conditions that are unique to Child Centered Play Therapy.  This means there is a set of specific things a therapist will say and not say, do and not do, and a specific way of being in the Playroom - all to facilitate therapeutic change. There are also specific toys a Child Centered Play Therapy room will have and not have that is true to the Child Centered Play Therapy model. 
 
Some things that are not included in the Child Centered Play Therapy model? Asking the child questions - with a few exceptions and use of the “whisper technique”. Also, structured activities, interventions, or games. 
 
So when I have someone who is sharing their orientation is Child Centered Play Therapy but in case conceptualization will talk about an activity and questions they persistently asked during session - this is where I get really clear on re-assessing theory and orientation. 
 
Sometimes when clinicians hear the phrase “Child Centered Play Therapy” they can mistake it (and understandably so) for a type of therapy that places the child’s desires, wishes, and wants for their therapy session in the front and center of the therapy process.  More like a collaborative therapy process. 
 
And this concept - while it is absolutely necessary for rapport building and engagement with children, is not Child Centered Play Therapy. 
 
We can place the child’s needs and desires at the front of the therapy process AND be another Play Therapy orientation such as Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy.  If I am engaging in a CBPT therapy session I can absolutely ask questions and structure activities.  I can also have the child engage collaboratively on a project, activity, or game! 

BUT if we are using the phrase Child Centered Play Therapy that means we have specific training and are engaging in the model of Child Centered Play Therapy. 
 
Hopefully this can highlight the difference between child led therapy and Child Centered Play Therapy and help us get clearer as a field about how we are showing up in Play Therapy and why we are doing the things we do in session! 

Looking for more support in your Child Centered Play Therapy practice?  Check out Child Centered Play Therapy: Troubleshooting the 13 Biggest Stuck Points! 

The clock hits 4:55, you are just ushering your last client out the door (or clicking off your DoxyMe) and you wonder where the day went.  Specifically you wonder how it is almost 5:00 and you have a stack of undone notes. 
 
Ugh…you are now hit with the choice to grind them out right then and there (goodbye leaving the office on time) OR save them for another day.  Maybe tomorrow. Unless tomorrow turns into three Tuesdays from now and instead of several notes you have several dozen. Or mayyyybe a little more than that.
 
Notes can sometimes feel like being on a treadmill that is cranked up a couple of notches too high.  Hard to keep up, and if you're not really careful you could end up with skinned knees laying in a pile on the floor. Seriously, those things can be dangerous.
 
But what if interweaving your therapy sessions and notes could feel a little bit more like a walk in the park than the treadmill of doom? 
 
So, in order to get to a better pace you need to understand just exactly what is getting in the way of completing notes on time.  I wanted to share with you the top three things I hear from clinicians that get in the way of completing notes.
 
Not ending sessions on time 
Sometimes bombs go off at the end of session. As play therapists this can be either metaphorically or literally. Or you Play Therapy office may look like a bomb went off. 

Sometimes you are so in tune to what your client is saying or playing OR their parents forgot to tell you something and needs to follow up with you at the end of the session that turns out to be an extension of the session.  Hello top of the hour, and the next client in the lobby or virtual waiting room! 

All of the above can seriously eat into the time that you have in between sessions to catch your breath, take a quick break, annnd get your notes done. 
 
All of this, well - it happens.  BUT when it happens consistently it can be a huge barrier to completing notes! 
 
Getting caught up in email 
I don’t know about you, but my inbox can be a rabbit hole.  Especially if you have more than one email you may be trying to sift through parent emails, office email threads where the “reply-all” game is strong, and official business things that may need to be updated. 
 
Sometimes we can feel a time pressure if we are not available and ready 24/7 with a response and sometimes parents can feel so overwhelmed with whatever situation is presenting they want immediate answers, response and relief. 
 
It’s fair to say that you can’t just be in denial that your email exists and never open your box again, BUT this might be an area of your practice you need to assess if you find yourself trying to get your inbox to zero at the expense of your notes.
 
For a little comedic relief about working with parents and email from a teacher’s perspective check out this TikTok HERE! 
 
Heading next door 
If your therapy practice is anything like mine chances are you have some pretty amazing office neighbors.  Maybe next door, maybe a couple of doors down. 
 
That person you can decompress with after a tough session, share photos of your dog or adorable child with spaghetti all over his head, or get the best tips on what to do for the next session. 
 
However, if a force as strong as gravity is pulling you toward their office during time between sessions repelling you away from the stack of notes that is waiting for you, it might be something to consider that might need a little tweaking or changing. 
 


Now - I want you to do an audit of your day.  Seriously! Pay attention to what is getting in your way and leave a comment below on the biggest time traps in your therapy day! What’s not on this list? 

 
Need more support with writing notes faster and integrating them into your day?  Check out The 5 Minute Notewww.meehanmentalhealth.com/5-minute-note.html - the program that helps you shrink your note writing time and integrate it into your therapy day! OH - and if you are behind on notes, The 5 Minute Note program includes the course The Progress Note Catch Up as an on-the-house free bonus! 

Just how much do you spend on note writing per week?
 
With a little support from your trusty calculator and a couple of quick clicks the number might surprise you!  Okay - so if you see 20 clients per week and spend 5 minutes on each note that’s a little over an hour and a half per week - 100 minutes to be exact.
 
But what if you were spending more than that?  Like….let’s say more around that 10 minute range.  Well for 20 clients it would be a little under three and a half hours. If you are more around the 30 client range it goes up to five hours.  FIVE! 
 
Annnd that’s not even counting all the other things you need to do - like collaboration calls, stacks on stacks of emails, assessments or a bathroom break.  And when these notes pile one on top of each other and you leave the office exhausted like you are on the notes treadmill that just won’t quit, it’s hard to not carry that energy into your night or weekend! 
 
Now - how much more money would you have in your pocket if you could turn those hours into clients? What about turning those hours into extra time off for rest and relaxation? 
 
Okay - so here’s where you need to start thinking like a lawyer about your notes.  So what exactly am I talking about? Well...lawyers happen to charge per minute of their time.
 
If they are completing a task anywhere from 1-12 minutes that is a flat fee in increments of 6 or 12 minutes. If I spell this out - any task (even if it is just 1 or 2 minutes) gets charged at a 6 or 12 minute rate.  
 
If I head into make-believe-land for a minute (because we’re play therapists so why not!) that would mean the two minute email would be a minimum charge. The collaboration phone call, gathering and scoring assessments, and notes - would all be charged at a minimum fee. 
 
Now, back to reality.  Insurance companies aren’t really with this whole lawyer vibe, meaning they charge a flat fee per session depending on how many minutes you are with a client and what service you are providing. 

If you asked them to reimburse you for all the extras you provide clients they wouldn't be able to catch their breath from the giant laughing fit that would erupt.  It's a total no-go. 
 
SO even if we can’t charge insurance companies per minute for our time that it takes outside of the session to provide good quality care, that doesn't mean that you can’t shift your thinking.
 
Overall - lawyers see their time as precious and valuable. The task that takes them a couple of minutes is KEY to their client’s case and the amount of skills, knowledge, and experience is worth the money. It's not expected or taken for granted.

What if you shifted your thinking about your time? What if you saw the note writing process as part of the overall treatment?  As something that isn't an "extra" that you will do on your own time?
 
When you start thinking this way about your notes and the unpaid time that can go out the window you can then start thinking about what is getting in the way of writing the most efficient and streamlined note you can.  When you think about being intentional with your time and see it as valuable, you can begin increasing your note writing efficiency so you can get those minutes and hours back! 
 
If you struggle with notes take my absolutely free course on the 5 Step Roadmap To Writing Faster Progress Notes! 

If you need a little more take The 5 Minute Note Course - where 10 days transforms your notes from novels to efficient and effortless!