Description:

Trauma-Informed Adlerian Play Therapy

According to Adlerian theory, early life influences, such as potentially traumatic events, can impact an individual’s lifestyle (his or her general orientation to life). For counselors working with children who have experienced traumatic events, it is essential to have a modality to conceptualize and provide efficacious interventions. In trauma-informed therapy, the therapist considers the widespread impact of trauma on a person’s life. This class will focus on applying AdPT in the context of trauma. Specifically, the basic tenets of AdPT will be described with the addition of how to utilize AdPT in a trauma-informed way.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to discuss the basic tenets of Adlerian play therapy (AdPT) (social embeddedness, goal-directed behavior, subjective reality, and creativity).

2. Participants will be able to describe the four phases of AdPT.

3. Participants will be able to describe trauma-informed care.

4. Participants will analyze how AdPT might be applied in a trauma-informed way.