Adlerian Play Counseling The Case of Brady

Basic Principles - All behavior is purposeful and goal-directed. - People have feelings of inferiority. - People are socially embedded and have a desire to belong. - People are self-determined and creative. - People are unique, integrated, holistic systems. - Reality is subjective.

Phases of Therapy - Phase 1: Building an Egalitarian Relationship - Phase 2: Exploring the Child’s Lifestyle - Phase 3: Helping the Child Gain Insight into His/Her Lifestyle - Phase 4: Reorienting and Reeducating the Child

Categories of Toys - Family/Nurturing Toys - Scary Toys - Aggressive Toys - Expressive Toys - Pretend/Fantasy Toys

Goals of Misbehavior - Attention - Power - Revenge - Display of Inadequacy

The Case of Brady * Brady is an 8 year-old male that was referred by his 2 nd grade teacher for stealing from his peers at school and for anger management difficulties. The teacher reports that Brady has been showing aggression towards his peers during the past six months, and he began stealing from his peers about 3 months ago. She also reports that Brady does not have many friends at school.

Family Atmosphere * Brady’s mother Sheryl reports that Brady’s father (Tom) and her separated over a year ago, but the divorce did not become final until six months ago. Sheryl had to return to work because of the divorce, and Brady started in the after-school program soon after the divorce. Sheryl also reports that she began seeing someone (J.C.) about three months ago, and that he sometimes stays at the house. She reports that Brady has been more irritable at home in the past few months.

Family Constellation * Brady is the oldest of two. His brother Mikey is five years-old, and he began kindergarten at the school Brady attends this past year. Mikey’s teacher does not report any aggressive behavior or stealing at school, although she does report that he has appeared more withdrawn over the past few months.

Phase 1: Building the Relationship with the Child - The purpose of this phase is to develop a relationship with the child. The therapist establishes an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance, trust, and respect. - Techniques used: Verbal tracking, restating content, reflecting feelings, tentative hypotheses, encouraging, questions, active interaction, setting, cleaning together

Phase 2: Investigating the Child’s Life-Style - This phase involves gathering information from the client through play, and from the family through play and questions, to form a hypothesis about how the child views the world. The therapist explores the family atmosphere and family constellation, as well as tries to find out the goals for the child’s behavior. The child might also be asked to think about and illustrate early recollections. The final portion of this phase involves formulating a lifestyle hypothesis for the child based on all of the information that was gathered.

Phase 3: Helping the Child to Gain Insight into Life-Style * Goal disclosure - Reveal the purpose of the child’s behavior to him/her; look for recognition reflexes after reveal * Sharing Inferences - Made directly to the child or through play media * Feedback about the Relationship - Use “I-statements” to share personal reactions to child’s behavior and attitudes or use play media to be more subtle * Pointing out Parallels - Make connections between child’s behavior and attitudes in and outside of the playroom

Phase 4: Reorientation/Reeducation * Generating alternative behaviors - Teach the child basic problem-solving skills - Ask the child how he/she could have done something differently - Model how to generate alternatives * Encouragement - Give positive feedback for child’s effort to try new behaviors, not results - Comment on child’s behaviors and attitudes * Consultation - After each session discuss progress child makes at home and school - Teach parents’ Adlerian concepts and play techniques for home use

Using Adlerian Techniques * The class will be divided into three groups. Each group will have the opportunity to use some Adlerian techniques with “Brady.” The group will then process what it was like to try out these techniques. Finally, each group will choose a spokesperson to describe the experience to the class.

References Kottman, T., (1995). The king of rock and roll: An application of Adlerian play therapy. In T. Kottman, & C. Schaefer, Play Therapy in Action: A Casebook for practitioners (pp ). Northvale, NJ: Aronson. Kottman, T. (1999). Integrating the crucial Cs into Adlerian play therapy. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 55(3), Kottman, T.T., & Warlick, J. (1989). Adlerian play therapy: Practical considerations. Individual Psychology, 45(4), Snow, M.S., Buckley, M.R., & Williams, S.C. (1999). Case study using Adlerian play therapy. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 55(3), Van Der Smissen, G. (1998, Spring). Adlerian play therapy. Virginia Association for Play Therapy Newsletter, 1(2). Retrieved from