341 | Art of the Session: Role Play in CCPT - Staying Centered When the Child Assigns You a Role

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You're listening to the Play Therapy Podcast with Dr. Brenna Hicks,

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your source for centered and focused play therapy coaching.

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Hi,

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I'm Dr. Brenna Hicks,

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The Kid Counselor.

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This is the Play Therapy Podcast where you get

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a master class in child-centered play therapy

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and practical support and application for your

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work with children and their families.

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In today's episode,

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we are continuing in art of the session and we are almost ready to wrap up.

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So next week will be our close out of the Art of the Session series.

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And I hope that it has been a help to you.

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I hope,

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I know many of you have reached out

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and said that it's been really grounding and really

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helpful.

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So that's always been my goal,

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but I hope that it has encouraged and inspired

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you and given you more confidence in the playroom.

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So we are going to talk about role play today.

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And

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this is one of the most consistent struggles when I watch Play Session videos.

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When we are tasked with.

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Playing a role or assuming a role in the playroom.

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And sometimes we're not even asked to be in a role,

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but the child includes us in play and therefore

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we are interacting based on what's happening.

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We tend to go off the rails a little bit

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and so

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I think this is gonna be really helpful.

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I want to make sure that we are remaining adherent even when we are playing a role.

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And whether that's because the child has told us you're going to be fill in the blank,

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or

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they come up and they engage with us playfully

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in either scenario how we respond to that in a fully CCPT manner.

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So one of the things that I've talked about before with the I wonder technique

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is we reserve

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I wonder statements for clinically relevant and necessary information.

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And the really exciting news is role play is one of those moments.

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So you absolutely can use an I wonder statement.

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When you are not sure what you are supposed

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to do or say or how you're supposed to respond

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in a play session.

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In other words,

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child says,

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let's be pirates.

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All right,

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let me pause here because this is,

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I'm,

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I'm going off script rogue for a second,

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but it pops into my head and stream of consciousness is important.

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So

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what often happens is the child says,

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let's be pirates,

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and we go,

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I wonder what we were supposed to do.

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We so quickly

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react with an I wonder or a whisper technique,

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as soon as a child says,

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let's be pirates.

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Here's a really helpful tip.

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Reflect content and wait.

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So kid says,

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let's be pirates.

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Oh,

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we're gonna be pirates.

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And wait

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We rush the pace

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of sessions often

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and not intentionally,

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not because we want it to be quicker,

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but because we just

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are ready for the next thing

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and if we sit in the pocket and we wait and

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we give the child a little bit of time and space.

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The child will either go,

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come on.

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And then you say,

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I wonder what I'm supposed to do next.

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Or

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we wait

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and the child goes,

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all right,

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you're gonna go over there and you're gonna put

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that hat on and you're gonna have the treasure,

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and then I'm gonna go over here.

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I promise if you give it some space,

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just wait a beat.

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You will know exactly what should happen next.

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We do not need to immediately respond with Tell me what I'm supposed to do.

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Just reflect content and it will unfold.

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OK,

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so now I'm,

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I'm back on target.

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So the whisper and wonder techniques very important in those moments

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because we cannot just jump in.

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This is another thing that I see consistently.

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Child engages us in some way.

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Child tells us,

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I'm gonna be the robber,

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you're gonna be the cop.

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And we just

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roll with that.

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Like,

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OK,

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you wanted me to be the cop,

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so I have to,

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and we kind of have these expectations

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of role that we're supposed to fulfill.

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And I will never forget,

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I think I might have shared this on a podcast before.

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I know I've talked about it in the coaching.

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I will never forget,

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early on in my career,

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I had a little girl sit in front of the dollhouse and she got all the family people out

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and she said,

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OK,

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you're gonna be the mom and I'm gonna be the kid.

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And

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I sat and waited.

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I said,

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oh,

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OK,

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I'm the mom,

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you're the kid.

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And I waited,

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and she goes,

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yeah,

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OK,

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so be the mom.

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And I said,

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I don't know what the mom says.

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And I will never ever forget what came out of her mouth because

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my connotation of a mom,

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I wasn't even a mother at that point,

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by the way,

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but

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my connotation of a mom

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and how a mom would talk to a child and treat a child and interact with a child

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was

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my own construct.

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And it was about 180 degree difference than what she wanted me to say and do,

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because I said,

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I don't know what the mom says.

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And she goes,

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Get in your room.

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You're grounded.

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You're not even getting dinner.

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And I mean,

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she was yelling and angry and saying really aggressive things.

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And I just thought I would have never

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been a mom that way.

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But that's what she needed me to be.

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She needed me to be the mom that she needed me to be.

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So if I would have said,

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Morning,

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sweetie,

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are you ready for breakfast?

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And

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however,

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I was going to paint mom.

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It was not at all what she had in mind.

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It was not what she needed.

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It was not what she was working through.

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This is why we cannot just jump into a role play

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because we have no idea

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and I'm gonna get to reactions in a minute,

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but

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let's talk about jumping in.

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We can't make assumptions,

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we cannot assume or presume to know

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what exactly it means when a child just gives us the title of the role,

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like you're the queen.

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You're the cop,

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you're the pirate,

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you're the turtle,

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you're the mom,

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you're the baby,

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you're the teacher,

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you're the principal.

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We have no way to know

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in the child's mind in that moment.

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And let's be real clear,

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that moment,

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it can be one thing and another moment it can be another thing.

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So sometimes it's not a consistent role that they want us to play,

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sometimes the teachers mean,

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and then 3 weeks later the teacher's nice.

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It doesn't necessarily remain static.

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But we certainly can't presume or assume we know what that looks like.

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Second of all,

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we do not want to ad lib.

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So,

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when the child gives us the title of our role,

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you're the queen.

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Oh,

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you want me to be the queen.

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Yeah,

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so go sit on your throne.

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Oh,

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I have a throne to sit on,

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so then we sit on the throne and we wait.

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And then if we're given

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only a little bit,

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we're going to whisper or wonder.

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If we're given

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a little bit more,

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we can go with what we're told to do or say,

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but we do not ad lib.

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In other words,

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if the child says,

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order people around.

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OK,

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well,

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that's not enough of a clue,

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because what are we ordering them to do?

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And so order around.

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A lot of times we would think,

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oh well,

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I,

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I was told I'm supposed to order people around.

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So we might start telling

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servants to feed us grapes and

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fan us with palm fronds.

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I don't know.

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I guess that's more like Egyptian,

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but

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you know,

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we might have this

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construct in our head of like,

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oh,

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well,

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I want people

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ordering to,

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you know,

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serve me.

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What if it was

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order someone around to

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Go

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to the knight's quarters and get the horses ready and we're gonna have a battle,

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and that's a totally different royal position,

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royal job.

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So,

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we can't ad lib,

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we have to say,

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oh,

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I'm supposed to order people around.

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I wonder who I'm ordering around.

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The

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The stable boy.

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Oh,

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I wonder what I say to him.

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OK,

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and you can see you're always getting a specific prompt.

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You don't just want to kind of go with where you think the child's play is taking you.

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And then finally,

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you do not want to react,

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and I think this one might be the the the trickiest of all,

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because we might master not assuming and we might master not adlibbing,

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but reacting is a little bit harder.

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So often when we are in a role,

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and or the child is engaging with us.

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We

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react to what's happening.

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Let me share an example,

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child puts a puppet on

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his or her hand.

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And comes up

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and with the mouth of the puppet wraps the mouth around your arm.

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Often,

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actually,

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probably most of the time.

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Therapists go,

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oh my goodness,

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it's biting me,

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oh,

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it's eating my arm.

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All right,

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well,

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that might be the case,

281
00:09:40,969 --> 00:09:41,599
or

282
00:09:41,770 --> 00:09:44,280
it might be far more helpful to say.

283
00:09:45,369 --> 00:09:45,820
oo,

284
00:09:46,419 --> 00:09:48,250
it's around my arm.

285
00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:51,219
What if it's

286
00:09:52,030 --> 00:09:52,659
Kissing you.

287
00:09:52,710 --> 00:09:54,020
What if it's hugging you?

288
00:09:54,309 --> 00:09:55,549
What if it's

289
00:09:56,030 --> 00:09:58,380
something we have no way to know

290
00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:00,309
unless the child gives us the word.

291
00:10:00,390 --> 00:10:01,859
If the child comes up and says,

292
00:10:02,119 --> 00:10:02,630
watch this,

293
00:10:02,710 --> 00:10:04,500
it's gonna eat your arm off.

294
00:10:04,710 --> 00:10:06,409
Well then absolutely we would follow that

295
00:10:06,409 --> 00:10:08,140
metaphor and we would reflect that content.

296
00:10:08,190 --> 00:10:09,900
It's eating my arm off,

297
00:10:10,109 --> 00:10:12,190
but notice even then we're not reacting.

298
00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:15,169
Because we're prone

299
00:10:15,479 --> 00:10:17,030
if we get bitten

300
00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,450
or stabbed or shot or punched

301
00:10:20,799 --> 00:10:21,469
or

302
00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:22,359
eaten

303
00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:23,309
or

304
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:24,200
whatever,

305
00:10:24,210 --> 00:10:25,549
whatever the scenario is

306
00:10:26,239 --> 00:10:27,710
we tend to

307
00:10:28,119 --> 00:10:29,429
exaggerate

308
00:10:29,799 --> 00:10:30,919
our response.

309
00:10:32,190 --> 00:10:36,320
I don't know if a child walks up with a knife and stabs me in the neck.

310
00:10:37,109 --> 00:10:39,919
Y'all have those retractable knives in your playroom

311
00:10:40,229 --> 00:10:42,909
where they can walk up and it literally looks like they stabbed

312
00:10:42,909 --> 00:10:44,659
you because the hilt goes all the way to your skin.

313
00:10:44,869 --> 00:10:45,510
Those are amazing,

314
00:10:45,549 --> 00:10:46,219
by the way.

315
00:10:46,390 --> 00:10:46,909
But

316
00:10:47,229 --> 00:10:49,500
if you have one of those and you get stabbed in the neck.

317
00:10:50,770 --> 00:10:51,679
You can say,

318
00:10:52,010 --> 00:10:52,669
oh,

319
00:10:52,849 --> 00:10:54,299
the knife's in my neck.

320
00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:56,070
But

321
00:10:56,239 --> 00:10:58,650
are you supposed to be crying in pain?

322
00:10:58,919 --> 00:11:00,549
Are you supposed to be dead?

323
00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:02,840
Are you supposed to be gushing blood?

324
00:11:03,239 --> 00:11:04,659
Are you supposed to be moaning?

325
00:11:04,799 --> 00:11:06,349
Are you supposed to be stoic?

326
00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:08,510
Are you supposed to just sit there?

327
00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:09,679
Are you supposed to be shocked?

328
00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:10,880
Are you supposed to be scared?

329
00:11:12,049 --> 00:11:12,760
We don't know.

330
00:11:14,059 --> 00:11:16,409
So your most helpful strategy

331
00:11:16,739 --> 00:11:17,210
is

332
00:11:17,340 --> 00:11:18,450
to be calm

333
00:11:18,739 --> 00:11:20,130
and to be factual,

334
00:11:20,380 --> 00:11:24,099
and to be accurate in your acknowledgement of what has happened.

335
00:11:25,359 --> 00:11:26,210
No reaction.

336
00:11:26,340 --> 00:11:27,890
You get shot with

337
00:11:28,179 --> 00:11:29,099
a dart gun.

338
00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:32,559
So many therapists

339
00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:34,510
pretend to keel over and die.

340
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:35,280
I mean,

341
00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:35,559
like,

342
00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:35,960
seriously,

343
00:11:36,159 --> 00:11:36,880
eyes rolled back,

344
00:11:37,039 --> 00:11:38,070
tongue hanging out,

345
00:11:38,799 --> 00:11:42,169
and like arms open wide and they like splay back across the chair.

346
00:11:43,179 --> 00:11:44,289
Did the child say,

347
00:11:44,539 --> 00:11:44,710
Ha,

348
00:11:44,830 --> 00:11:45,609
I killed you.

349
00:11:47,809 --> 00:11:48,960
If not,

350
00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:50,320
you don't know

351
00:11:50,570 --> 00:11:51,559
whether or not

352
00:11:51,729 --> 00:11:52,599
that bullet,

353
00:11:52,809 --> 00:11:54,119
you might be invincible,

354
00:11:54,330 --> 00:11:55,799
you might have superpowers,

355
00:11:55,969 --> 00:11:57,599
you might have immediate healing,

356
00:11:57,929 --> 00:11:59,940
you might have bulletproof armor on,

357
00:12:00,250 --> 00:12:02,340
you might be an armadillo and

358
00:12:02,570 --> 00:12:04,440
bullets can't go through your shell.

359
00:12:04,650 --> 00:12:05,169
You might,

360
00:12:05,489 --> 00:12:06,650
who knows.

361
00:12:07,489 --> 00:12:08,250
The child,

362
00:12:08,359 --> 00:12:09,429
but no one else.

363
00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:11,130
So therefore,

364
00:12:11,719 --> 00:12:13,109
if the child doesn't say,

365
00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:13,440
Ha,

366
00:12:13,570 --> 00:12:14,549
you're dead,

367
00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:15,719
then you can't say,

368
00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:16,190
Oh,

369
00:12:16,359 --> 00:12:17,000
I'm dead.

370
00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:17,950
You shot me.

371
00:12:18,119 --> 00:12:18,919
And here's the other thing,

372
00:12:19,039 --> 00:12:20,390
even if the child says,

373
00:12:20,479 --> 00:12:21,390
you're dead,

374
00:12:21,950 --> 00:12:23,840
we don't roll our eyes and stick out our

375
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,229
tongue and splay backwards with our arms open,

376
00:12:26,479 --> 00:12:27,049
we go,

377
00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:27,679
Oh,

378
00:12:27,729 --> 00:12:28,440
I'm dead,

379
00:12:28,510 --> 00:12:29,320
and we wait.

380
00:12:30,570 --> 00:12:33,130
Because we don't know what the reaction is supposed to be,

381
00:12:33,169 --> 00:12:34,200
and here's the beauty of this.

382
00:12:34,210 --> 00:12:35,719
If you are adherent to this,

383
00:12:35,849 --> 00:12:37,919
if you are consistent with this,

384
00:12:38,169 --> 00:12:39,380
you just calmly,

385
00:12:39,650 --> 00:12:40,369
factually,

386
00:12:40,489 --> 00:12:43,309
accurately acknowledge what has happened.

387
00:12:43,929 --> 00:12:44,169
Oh,

388
00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:46,679
it's around my arm back to the puppet.

389
00:12:46,849 --> 00:12:48,239
The knife's in my neck,

390
00:12:48,409 --> 00:12:49,559
back to the stabbing.

391
00:12:49,849 --> 00:12:50,099
Oh,

392
00:12:50,210 --> 00:12:51,130
you shot me.

393
00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:54,559
If you just acknowledge what happens,

394
00:12:54,719 --> 00:12:56,190
the child learns

395
00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:58,469
that if they need you to react,

396
00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,869
if they need you to say or do or feel something,

397
00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:02,869
they'll tell you.

398
00:13:03,849 --> 00:13:05,840
You won't even have to whisper and wonder

399
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,030
at some point because they will become so accustomed

400
00:13:09,409 --> 00:13:11,690
to giving you the cues and the prompt because

401
00:13:11,690 --> 00:13:14,090
they know that you're not going to react.

402
00:13:15,549 --> 00:13:17,320
And here's why this is so important.

403
00:13:17,409 --> 00:13:17,750
I don't,

404
00:13:17,780 --> 00:13:18,770
I don't want to

405
00:13:18,979 --> 00:13:22,289
belabor this if you don't understand the value of why we're talking about this.

406
00:13:23,260 --> 00:13:23,770
Kids

407
00:13:24,020 --> 00:13:25,539
work on what they need to work on.

408
00:13:26,359 --> 00:13:30,400
And every single thing they do in their play has meaning and significance and value.

409
00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:34,890
So the child has this train of thought going where

410
00:13:34,890 --> 00:13:37,679
they need ultimate power and they need ultimate control,

411
00:13:37,969 --> 00:13:41,530
and they're going to kill people because that's the most powerful thing.

412
00:13:41,609 --> 00:13:42,840
If you can take someone's life,

413
00:13:42,929 --> 00:13:44,880
you are absolutely the most powerful.

414
00:13:45,369 --> 00:13:47,809
And so there's this whole power control thing going on.

415
00:13:48,789 --> 00:13:49,299
And

416
00:13:49,510 --> 00:13:50,119
you

417
00:13:50,849 --> 00:13:52,299
Get stabbed in the neck

418
00:13:52,590 --> 00:13:53,299
and you go,

419
00:13:53,789 --> 00:13:54,469
oh my gosh,

420
00:13:54,549 --> 00:13:55,190
that's funny,

421
00:13:55,229 --> 00:13:56,469
you just stabbed me in the neck.

422
00:13:57,390 --> 00:13:59,580
That does not fit at all

423
00:14:00,270 --> 00:14:02,549
with the narrative that was going on in the child's head.

424
00:14:03,770 --> 00:14:05,859
And we have to be really careful

425
00:14:06,190 --> 00:14:10,190
about allowing that to play out the way the child needs and wants it to,

426
00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:11,950
and that's why we don't

427
00:14:12,159 --> 00:14:14,030
assume or react or ad lib

428
00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:15,609
because the second we do,

429
00:14:15,669 --> 00:14:19,219
we run the risk of it taking the play in a different direction,

430
00:14:19,239 --> 00:14:19,719
#1,

431
00:14:19,780 --> 00:14:20,280
#2,

432
00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:23,150
distracting the child from what they're actually working on,

433
00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:24,270
or number 3,

434
00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,659
interfering with

435
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:27,070
the work that's being done.

436
00:14:28,070 --> 00:14:30,250
The child will always cue you

437
00:14:30,619 --> 00:14:31,630
if you don't

438
00:14:32,099 --> 00:14:34,369
make a judgment call on your own.

439
00:14:34,619 --> 00:14:35,770
And the longer you do it,

440
00:14:35,900 --> 00:14:37,020
the more kids learn,

441
00:14:37,179 --> 00:14:38,979
they have to give you prompts.

442
00:14:39,099 --> 00:14:40,609
So more often than not,

443
00:14:40,859 --> 00:14:42,260
now in play sessions,

444
00:14:42,940 --> 00:14:44,570
something will happen and the kid will go,

445
00:14:44,700 --> 00:14:45,409
say this,

446
00:14:45,859 --> 00:14:46,539
do this,

447
00:14:46,780 --> 00:14:47,530
pick that up,

448
00:14:47,700 --> 00:14:48,299
go over there,

449
00:14:48,419 --> 00:14:48,770
go,

450
00:14:48,780 --> 00:14:49,890
oh no.

451
00:14:50,869 --> 00:14:51,090
Uh,

452
00:14:51,099 --> 00:14:51,919
when I stab you,

453
00:14:51,929 --> 00:14:53,169
you're really scared.

454
00:14:53,859 --> 00:14:58,609
They've learned because I'm so neutral that they are going to give me

455
00:14:58,780 --> 00:15:00,580
the response that they want me to have.

456
00:15:01,450 --> 00:15:02,840
That is CCPT.

457
00:15:03,250 --> 00:15:05,239
That is child centeredness.

458
00:15:05,570 --> 00:15:06,799
That is being with.

459
00:15:06,969 --> 00:15:08,799
I'm never going to do anything

460
00:15:08,929 --> 00:15:11,010
that might derail if I can help it.

461
00:15:11,909 --> 00:15:13,299
what the child needs to do.

462
00:15:13,630 --> 00:15:15,900
That's why role play is so important.

463
00:15:16,349 --> 00:15:16,630
And I mean,

464
00:15:16,669 --> 00:15:20,539
this extends even to simpler things like when someone gives you

465
00:15:20,869 --> 00:15:22,070
food that they made for you.

466
00:15:23,059 --> 00:15:26,450
They do a whole lot of nurturing and caregiving play and they cook food,

467
00:15:26,739 --> 00:15:28,090
and they do

468
00:15:28,739 --> 00:15:29,729
a plate for you,

469
00:15:29,739 --> 00:15:31,619
and they bring it over to you and they say,

470
00:15:31,679 --> 00:15:32,099
eat it.

471
00:15:33,150 --> 00:15:34,140
Well,

472
00:15:34,590 --> 00:15:36,530
you're not supposed to go,

473
00:15:36,669 --> 00:15:37,020
mm,

474
00:15:37,109 --> 00:15:38,059
it's delicious,

475
00:15:38,109 --> 00:15:39,559
it's so good.

476
00:15:40,179 --> 00:15:41,900
What if it has arsenic in it?

477
00:15:42,190 --> 00:15:44,289
What if it was made with garbage?

478
00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:45,780
What if it

479
00:15:46,150 --> 00:15:47,979
has rotten milk in it?

480
00:15:48,429 --> 00:15:51,299
You have no way to know what your response is supposed to be.

481
00:15:51,710 --> 00:15:53,330
So you take a bite and you say,

482
00:15:53,469 --> 00:15:53,789
hm,

483
00:15:53,830 --> 00:15:55,210
I'm eating the food you made.

484
00:15:56,380 --> 00:15:56,969
And you wait.

485
00:15:57,880 --> 00:15:59,109
Because they might go,

486
00:15:59,479 --> 00:15:59,640
yeah,

487
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:02,229
tell me that it's amazing,

488
00:16:02,599 --> 00:16:03,590
or they might go,

489
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,500
do you taste the soap that I put in it?

490
00:16:06,679 --> 00:16:07,359
It's gross,

491
00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:08,080
isn't it?

492
00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:09,030
And then you can go,

493
00:16:09,119 --> 00:16:09,299
oh,

494
00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:10,080
it's gross,

495
00:16:10,119 --> 00:16:11,200
there's soap in it.

496
00:16:12,299 --> 00:16:15,080
But we're always waiting for the prompt.

497
00:16:15,179 --> 00:16:15,969
Similarly,

498
00:16:16,580 --> 00:16:17,140
with

499
00:16:17,549 --> 00:16:19,130
when a child tells you something,

500
00:16:19,380 --> 00:16:20,609
and this isn't really role play,

501
00:16:20,619 --> 00:16:22,119
but this goes along the same vein.

502
00:16:22,260 --> 00:16:23,690
When a child tells you something,

503
00:16:24,099 --> 00:16:25,539
it's my birthday this weekend.

504
00:16:27,059 --> 00:16:28,260
We're prone to go,

505
00:16:28,429 --> 00:16:29,179
oh my gosh,

506
00:16:29,260 --> 00:16:30,700
it's your birthday.

507
00:16:30,940 --> 00:16:32,330
That's so exciting.

508
00:16:33,450 --> 00:16:34,500
That's assumptive,

509
00:16:34,650 --> 00:16:35,739
it's presumptive,

510
00:16:35,849 --> 00:16:36,919
it's reactive.

511
00:16:37,710 --> 00:16:38,830
What if that kid

512
00:16:39,479 --> 00:16:40,400
for 3 years in a row,

513
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,789
no one's gotten them one present for their birthday?

514
00:16:43,299 --> 00:16:45,739
What if last year everyone forgot about their birthday?

515
00:16:46,719 --> 00:16:49,119
What if their birthdays this weekend and they're scared to

516
00:16:49,119 --> 00:16:51,270
death that mom's not gonna show up to the party?

517
00:16:52,510 --> 00:16:54,260
We have no way to know

518
00:16:54,630 --> 00:16:57,099
what is going on when a child tells us something,

519
00:16:57,669 --> 00:16:59,659
so reflect content neutrally,

520
00:16:59,989 --> 00:17:01,549
your birthdays this weekend.

521
00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:03,070
And wait

522
00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:05,479
If they need to process it,

523
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,469
if they want you to know feelings and deeper stuff,

524
00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:09,880
they'll let you see it.

525
00:17:10,239 --> 00:17:11,069
If they don't,

526
00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,189
you want to communicate that you heard them

527
00:17:13,358 --> 00:17:15,709
and that you're listening and that you understand,

528
00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:18,130
but you certainly don't want to assume and react.

529
00:17:19,170 --> 00:17:19,939
Because

530
00:17:20,209 --> 00:17:22,959
that's our way of leading and guiding

531
00:17:23,170 --> 00:17:24,800
what happens inadvertently,

532
00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:27,170
and we want to make sure that we caution against that.

533
00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:29,650
So I hope that that is helpful.

534
00:17:29,699 --> 00:17:33,500
We are going to wrap up Art of the Session series next week.

535
00:17:33,750 --> 00:17:34,859
Really looking forward to that,

536
00:17:34,869 --> 00:17:36,410
and then we'll dive into something new.

537
00:17:36,469 --> 00:17:39,939
We're gonna do some one-off topics for a little bit as kind of a palette cleanser,

538
00:17:39,949 --> 00:17:40,500
if you will.

539
00:17:41,109 --> 00:17:42,420
And reminder,

540
00:17:42,589 --> 00:17:45,479
we are meeting in Houston on October 11th.

541
00:17:46,420 --> 00:17:48,660
So if you are able to be there,

542
00:17:48,910 --> 00:17:52,670
please RSVP in the show notes so that I have a headcount.

543
00:17:52,869 --> 00:17:54,020
I'm really looking forward to that.

544
00:17:54,109 --> 00:17:55,430
So many of you have already signed up,

545
00:17:55,510 --> 00:17:57,339
so I think it's going to be so much fun.

546
00:17:57,589 --> 00:17:58,109
I love y'all.

547
00:17:58,189 --> 00:17:59,030
We'll talk again soon.

548
00:17:59,229 --> 00:17:59,430
Bye.

549
00:18:00,589 --> 00:18:03,349
Thank you for listening to the Play Therapy Podcast with Dr.

550
00:18:03,510 --> 00:18:04,469
Brenna Hicks.

551
00:18:04,589 --> 00:18:06,550
For more episodes and resources,

552
00:18:06,709 --> 00:18:11,459
please go to www.playtherapypodcast.com.