Tenets of relating to children

from Dr. Garry Landreth, one of the cultivators and founders of

Child-Centered Play Therapy

✹ ① Children are not miniature adults.  The therapist does not respond to them as is they were.

✹ ② Children are people.  They are capable of experiencing deep emotional pain and joy.

✹ ③ Children are unique and worthy of respect.  The therapist prizes the uniqueness of each child and respects the person the child it.

✹ ④ Children are resilient.  Children possess a tremendous capacity to overcome obstacles and circumstances in their lives.

✹ ⑤ Children have an inherent tendency toward growth and maturity.  They possess an inner intuitive wisdom.

✹ ⑥ Children are capable of positive self-direction.  They are capable of dealing with their world in creative ways.

✹ ⑦ Children's natural language is play.  This is the medium of self-expression with which they are most comfortable.

✹ ⑧ Children have a right to remain silent.  The therapist respects a child's decision not to talk.

✹ ⑨Children will take the therapeutic experience to where they need to be.  The therapist does not attempt to determine when or how a child should play.

✹ ①⓪ Children's growth cannot be speeded up.  The therapist recognizes this and is patient with the child's developmental process.

—Landreth, Garry L. Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship.  Muncie, Indiana: Accelerated Development, Inc., 1991, p. 49-51. Print.