Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Adlerian Play Therapy with Preschool Children

Abstract

Recent calls for developmentally appropriate mental health services require counselors to evaluate their approach, especially with young children. Adlerian Play Therapy (AdPT) is a well-developed, manualized child-counseling model (Kottman, 2009) with an abundance of literature describing its theoretical tenets and practical application with elementary-age children. AdPT is one of the most widely used play-based approaches; thus, it is important to examine developmental considerations when implementing this approach with preschool-age children. This article is the first of its kind to address developmental considerations when using AdPT with preschoolers. The authors review developmental considerations of young children and basic constructs of Adlerian theory and AdPT, and they conclude with a case illustration that synthesizes developmental knowledge within the framework of AdPT with a preschooler.