Adlerian Play Therapy

Individual Psychology

According to Carlson, Watts, and Maniacci, Individual Psychology holds that people develop interpersonal approaches to living, called life-styles, which subsequently inform the feelings, behaviors, and thoughts they experience. Life-styles are mental and emotional “maps” that are shaped by past experiences, provide explanations and motives for behaviors of the self and of others, and determine how individuals respond to certain situations in life. Adler asserted that individuals possess a pervasive need to belong to a social system, and it is within this social system that the individual enacts his or her experi-entially derived life-style. Life-styles are said to stem from the individual's experience within his or her first social group, the family. The family is thought to be a system that encourages or discourages the individual's development oí social interest, or the quality of being connected with and concerned for others.

The extent to which an individual possesses social interest purportedly affects his or her satisfaction and functioning in daily life. Inevitably, people are believed to be socially embedded, and according to Adler, they cannot be understood or analyzed independent of their social roles, purposes, and perceived worth. Through the family, [Page 10]and in relating to members therein, people acquire a self-concept, such as “I am intelligent and competent,” “I am lazy,” or “I am successful if I impress others,” which flavors their expectations of the world and of the self. These self-concepts provide the basis for the development of one's private logic, or the global belief system that individuals form and employ to make sense of the world. Examples of private logic include “it is better to control than to be controlled” and “people will think you are worthless if you don't win.” Life-styles may be adaptive or maladaptive and are malleable if the individual becomes aware of them and chooses them to be so.

The Process and Purpose

Adlerian play therapists use the framework of Individual Psychology to help children and parents understand the child's pertinent life-styles that are propelled by their private logic and, subsequently, decide when and how to use, discard, or modify them to create positive change in their lives. The therapeutic process, following this modality, involves four predominant phases: rapport or relationship building, exploring the child's life-style, helping the child gain insight, and reorientation or redirection. In her book titled Partners in Play: An Adlerian Approach to Play Therapy, Terry Kottman describes these phases and their purposes.

During the initial phase, building the relationship, the therapist approaches the child in a way that is nonthreat-ening, egalitarian, and respectful of the child's feelings and interpersonal stance. Trust and mutual power and respect between child and therapist are integral to the effectiveness of therapy. A therapist attempting to build a therapeutic relationship may meet the child with the parent present, introduce him or herself to the child using first names, spend a few moments relating to the child, and with the child's readiness, invite the child into the playroom. The therapist works to maintain this therapeutic alliance with the child throughout each phase of therapy.

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