1. Play Therapy with Gifted Children
Amy Ray LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist

2. Objectives Learn characteristics of individuals defined as gifted
Identify common concerns with gifted children
Learn techniques to address concerns with gifted children in play therapy

3. What does Gifted mean?

4. Defining Giftedness
“Children are gifted when their ability is significantly above the norm for their age.” National Association for Gifted Children (

5. Defining Giftedness Aptitude versus achievement
Criteria varies from state to state
Found in all SES
Innate ability

6. Defining Giftedness Presents as any of the following:
Overall intellect or in specific subjects
Creative
Artistic
Leadership

7. Common Characteristics
Diversity within population
Asynchronous development
Creative
Sensitive
Excellent memory

8. Common Characteristics
Learns new information fast
Intense
Intrinsically motivated
Perfectionism
Enjoys problem solving/puzzles

9. Common Characteristics
Vivid imagination
May or may not be high achievers
Desire for deep understanding of topics
Thinks outside the box
Enjoys organization
Overexcitabilities (Dabrowski)

10. Overexcitabilities: Intellectual

11. Overexcitabilities: Imaginational

12. Overexcitabilities: Sensual

13. Overexcitabilities: Psychomotor

14. Overexcitabilities: Emotional

15. Twice Exceptional
Autism
ADHD
Learning Disabilities

16. Common Concerns Social Skills Perfectionism Emotional Regulation
Intensity
High Expectations from others
Disruptive Behavior
Questioning Authority
Academic Performance
Sensitivities
Educational Environment Challenges

17. Common Misdiagnoses
ADHD
OCD
ODD
Bipolar Disorder
Depression

18. Important Considerations
Ask about cognitive ability/giftedness during assessment process
Assess for common concerns with gifted children
Consider gifted traits when making a diagnosis
Normalize common gifted characteristics with child and family

19. Important Considerations
Assist in developing skills to help cope with asynchronous development, social skills, and overexcitabilities (OE)
Explore using a multi-disciplinary approach
Include play therapy activities that allow them to use their skills related to their OE
Do not assume they are too advanced or too mature for play therapy!

20. Activities for Emotional Awareness
Feelings Candyland (Lowenstein, 1999)
Bugs & Wishes ( wish.html?spref=pi)
Draw/Express an intensity scale
Anger Buttons (Goodyear-Brown, 2002)
You’ve Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave (Fortino Barnes, 2017)

21. Relaxation Activities
Mindfulness Eating Jelly Bean (mindfulness handouts at exercises.pdf)
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Deep breathing with bubbles (Goodyear-Brown, 2002)

22. Social Skills Activities
Totika game
Uno/Therapy cards mix ( 12.blogspot.ca/2012/02/combining-card-games-uno- ungame.html)
Book- Have you Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud

23. Other Activities Imagination Storytelling Drawing Poetry Psychomotor
Beach ball
Movement for answers
Sensual
Sandtray
Play-doh

24. Allow them to come up with ideas too!
Other Activities
Allow them to come up with ideas too!

25. Resources Overexcitabilities checklist
Clinical Guidelines for working with gifted clients
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG)
Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings by Christine Fonseca

26. References
Colangelo, N. & Wood, S. M. (2015). Counseling the Gifted: Past, Present, and Future Directions. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93,
Cross, J. R. & Cross, T. L. (2015). Clinical and Mental Health Issues in Counseling the Gifted Individual. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93,
Fonseca, C. (2016). Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students: Helping Kids Cope with Explosive Feelings. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Goodyear-Brown, Paris. (2002). Digging for Buried Treasure: 52 Prop-Based Play Therapy Interventions for Treating the Problems of Childhood.
Lowenstein, L. (1999). Creative Interventions for Troubled Children & Youth.
Peterson, Jean S. (2015). School Counselors and Gifted Kids: Respecting Both Cognitive and Affective. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93,
Fortino, J. & Barnes, M. (2017). Top 12 Creative Play Therapy Interventions for Working with Teens and Tweens APT Annual Conference

27. References https://www.nagc.org/ http://sengifted.org/
card-games-uno-ungame.html
wish.html?spref=pi

28. One Last Thing…. Consider “liking” Kids Inc. on Facebook
Please me at one thing you learned from this presentation.
Thank you!