According to Adler (1927/1969), at the root of all human behavior is a goal that governs how each individual moves through the world (and the play therapy space). In Individual Psychology, this foundational concept is referred to as teleology (Manaster & Corsini, 1982). Furthermore, due to human beings’ natural teleological instincts, the conscious and unconscious are always working together towards a shared personal goal, even if they are doing so outside of the individual’s awareness (Mosak, 2005). In Adlerian Play Therapy (AdPT), it is the play therapist’s responsibility to conceptualize how each of these parts are working together in order to communicate this lifestyle back to the play therapy client, increasing their insight and awareness. This metacommunication allows the play therapy client to better understand their goal-directed behavior so they may make a conscious decision to keep or modify this goal.
While it is easy for adults to fixate on the unwanted behaviors children and adolescents may be exhibiting, play therapists need to look beyond the behavior to recognize their play therapy clients' underlying goals and identify the purpose this behavior ultimately serves. Adlerian scholars often refer to these behavioral interactions as goals of misbehavior, typically categorized into four types including attention, power, revenge, and proving inadequacy (Carns & Carns, 1994; Dreikurs, 1959/1967; Kottman & Meany-Walen, 2016). The narrative around youth misbehavior, however, may perpetuate a misunderstanding about why children and adolescents engage with the world in the creative ways that they do. Therefore, this workshop aims to address adult biases around play therapy clients' behavior and encourage curiosity about our play therapy clients’ intentions to strengthen both interpretation and intervention within AdPT.
Primary Area: Play Therapy Seminal or Historically Significant Theories, Play Therapy Skills and Methods
Play Therapy Competencies Addressed: Clinical Play Therapy Skills
Theoretical Basis: Adlerian
Webinar Schedule:
8:30-10:00 am Present content
10-10:15 am- Break
10:15-11:45 am Present content
