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How to Work with Resistance in Play Therapy: 4 Approaches for Reluctant Clients

How to Work with Resistance in Play Therapy: 4 Approaches for Reluctant Clients

Update: 2025-08-14
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What do you do when you keep getting frantic phone calls from caregivers between play therapy sessions telling you all the things going wrong with their child?


You feel the weight of these phone calls and the pressure to make everything better- quickly.


You’ve tried many times to get these caregivers to schedule an appointment with you but there’s always a reason they can’t meet with you.


So, you spend hours writing emails and responding to phone calls with little to no success.


Or - what about the client that seems to do the same thing week after week after week in their play therapy sessions?  


You begin to wonder if play therapy is really working and start to second-guess your clinical decisions about what to do in sessions.


You start to research new play therapy activities and frantically try anything you can in play therapy sessions - hoping that something will “work.”


Sound familiar?  Working with challenging cases in play therapy can leave you feeling defeated, frustrated, and wondering if you’re making the right decisions or making things worse for your clients.


If that’s you, then join me for this weekly podcast! I’ll discuss how to engage children and caregivers who are resistant to play therapy.  


I’ll share insights from neuroscience and attachment theory that provide the keys for engaging even the most challenging clients and their caregivers in play therapy.



Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

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How to Work with Resistance in Play Therapy: 4 Approaches for Reluctant Clients

How to Work with Resistance in Play Therapy: 4 Approaches for Reluctant Clients

Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S