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The Child and the Counselor: Relational Humanism in the Playroom and Beyond
Author(s) -
RAY DEE C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the journal of humanistic counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.593
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 2161-1939
pISSN - 2159-0311
DOI - 10.1002/johc.12090
Subject(s) - humanism , intervention (counseling) , psychology , mental health , psychotherapist , political science , psychiatry , law
Child‐centered play therapy (CCPT) is a mental health intervention grounded in the philosophy of relational humanism. In CCPT, the counselor trusts in the child’s ability to move toward self‐ and other enhancement through the process of play therapy. As a humanistic intervention, CCPT recognizes the intersectionality of development, play, and relationship in service of deepening empathic understanding, communicating in the language of children, and activating the self‐actualizing tendency through relational connection. Principles of CCPT can be extended to mental health practices, systems of care, and institutions serving children in order to advocate for communities that support healthy development in children.