Generational shifts profoundly influence family dynamics, parenting styles, and the unique challenges children face. Insights from generational research on Alpha children (born 2010–2024) and their Millennial and Gen X parents reveal how evolving societal pressures, technology, and global uncertainty shape these relationships. Play therapy offers a unique framework for addressing these dynamics, fostering connection, and supporting emotional growth within families.
Generation Alpha is growing up in a world of rapid technological advances and pervasive societal pressures that significantly impact their emotional and psychological development. Meanwhile, Millennial parents, often striving to balance work and family amidst these challenges, and Gen X parents, known for their pragmatic approaches, navigate parenting in distinct ways that influence their children’s experiences.
This workshop also looks to the future, exploring the potential parenting styles of Gen Z and how the emerging Beta generation (born 2025 and beyond) may redefine family dynamics. With these generational shifts in mind, play therapists can remain at the forefront of effective and compassionate interventions, ensuring they continue to meet the needs of diverse families in an ever-changing world.
Primary Area: Play Therapy Skills and Methods, Play Therapy Special Topics
Play Therapy Competencies Addressed: Clinical Play Therapy Skills
Theoretical Basis: Child Centered Play Therapy
