#444 Child-Centered Play Therapy for Raising Emotionally Resilient Kids

Love, Happiness and Success with Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby

Marriage, Mental Health, Success, Emotionalintelligence, Selfhelp, Wellness, Mentalhealth, Selfimprovement, Career, Health, Society & Culture, Careerdevelopment, Mindfulness, Lifeadvice, Dating, Parenting, Breakups, Relationships, Productivity, Positive, Happiness, Goals, Health & Fitness, Communication

4.6 • 849 Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ever wonder why your child melts down over the tiniest thing—or how to actually help them navigate big emotions? Today, we’re diving into the world of Child-Centered Play Therapy, an evidence-based approach that helps kids build confidence, self-regulation, and emotional resilience… all through PLAY.

I’m joined by the amazing Dr. Brenna Hicks, a specialist in helping parents use these techniques at home to create a happier, calmer family environment. Whether you have a preschooler, a strong-willed school-age kid, or a moody teen, this conversation will give you powerful tools to understand your child’s emotional world—and strengthen your bond in the process.

We’re covering:

What makes Child-Centered Play Therapy different from other approaches
How play can help kids process emotions (even when words fail!)
What really causes tantrums and dysregulation
Simple therapist-approved parenting strategies you can start using today
How to know if your child might need therapy—and how to find the right therapist

Timestamps:
03:29 - What is Child-Centered Play Therapy (and why does it work?)
09:27 - The parent’s role in play therapy (and why it’s a game-changer!)
16:03 - Why kids “act out” and what’s really going on
23:09 - The surprising science behind play as therapy
34:41 - How therapy transforms kids from anxious to confident
36:27 - What to do if your child is struggling emotionally
43:20 - How to tell if a therapist is actually qualified to help your child
47:58 - Parenting tips: What to say (and what not to say) to your kid
53:11 - When to seek professional help & what to look for in a therapist
01:02:49 - Resources, next steps & final thoughts

I know how much you love your child and want the absolute best for them. Parenting is one of the most rewarding—and challenging—jobs in the world, and sometimes, we all need a little extra guidance and encouragement. That’s why I created the Happy Families Collection—a curated set of expert tips, strategies, and insights designed to help you build a stronger, more connected, and emotionally healthy family. ✨

👉 Access the Happy Families Collection here!

And if you loved this episode, let’s stay connected! Find me on Instagram for daily inspiration and expert-backed advice, and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube for even more deep-dive conversations so you can create love, happiness, and success in your life.

You’re doing an amazing job, and I’m so honored to be on this journey with you!

Xoxo
Dr. Lisa Marie Bobby
www.growingself.com

P.S. If you know a parent who could benefit from this episode, share it with them! I know personally that us parents really appreciate the love and support.

Transcript

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0:00.0	There has to be a relationship in which there is safety and security, and there has to be an
0:14.6	environment that's conducive to change and healing.
0:17.8	Welcome, Dr. Brenna Hicks.
0:25.3	Today's episode is all about helping kids thrive emotionally and also about how to create a happier and more peaceful atmosphere at home.
0:32.3	They live in the moment 100% of the time and they experience life. And today we're going to be exploring child-centered play therapy.
0:42.3	And if we want to raise confident, competent, capable children,
0:47.3	we have to help them feel that their worth is not tied to what someone thinks about what they've done or said.
0:53.3	You are going to discover how creating a safe and also playful environment at home can help kids
0:59.8	work through big feelings, improve their self-esteem, and strengthen their relationship with you.
1:15.6	Thank you. Well, thank you so much for having me, and I'm so excited about this. This is probably one of the most exciting things for me as a clinician is to meet with parents and coach
1:22.8	and train parents to implement some of the strategies that I've learned in my career and how that
1:30.4	transforms the parent-child relationship in the home. And that is cyclical change, which is what I
1:36.6	love, because I can intervene and help a family for a short period of time, but parents can
1:42.7	help their children for the rest of their
1:44.3	lifetime. And I think that that transfer is so powerful when parents really can understand how
1:49.6	the relationship is at the heart of parenting. This is what I love so much about your approach,
1:55.7	child-centered play therapy, because you are really equipping parents to be doing these things at home as opposed
2:04.4	to like sending the kids off to treatment. And then, you know, for an hour a week at most with
2:11.0	somebody like you, only to then come home and like the rest of their time is with their parents.
2:17.1	And what happens in that relationship is really where the rubber meets the road.
2:21.6	So first of all, I think it would be so helpful for our listeners just for you to explain a little bit about what child-centered play therapy is and how you feel like it is different for maybe other play therapy models even
2:38.2	or other types of therapy that are designed for kids. Like what makes this special? Let's start with
	...

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