Session Savvy: Staying Neutral and Avoiding "Body" Commentary in CCPT

Play Therapy Podcast

In this Session Savvy episode of the Play Therapy Podcast, I talk about the importance of avoiding commentary on a child’s body or physical actions in the playroom, such as saying, “Your body is telling you it needs to move.” While well-intentioned, these types of remarks can lead to interpretation and assumptions, which go against the neutrality required in child-centered play therapy (CCPT). I discuss the need to simply track behavior or reflect content without imposing our own ideas on the child’s experience.

I provide examples of CCPT-adherent responses that avoid assumptions, highlighting how neutrality supports the therapeutic process by allowing the child to fully own their actions and feelings. This approach helps therapists stay true to CCPT principles and fosters a supportive environment where the child feels free to express themselves without judgment or imposed meaning.

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Common References: Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley. VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press. Landreth, G.L. (2023). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th ed.). Routledge. Bratton, S. C., Landreth, G. L., Kellam, T., & Blackard, S. R. (2006). Child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) treatment manual: A 10-session filial therapy model for training parents. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.