Here is a post from Mulberry Play Therapy that was posted on the facebook page of Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. It explains how important emotional regulation is. Emotional regulation is not something the child learns once and is able to do forever. It is an everchanging skill that develops throughout life. Working with parents helps teach two generations about ways to work through problems by recognizing their own emotional state. I try to use this method in therapy because enjoy the fact that it is preventative and I get to assist two or possibly three generations at a time. Very efficient!

I made a previous post about synergetic play therapy. It helps parents know they are not alone in this process of raising their children. It addresses past traumas the parents may or may not even realize they have. When partners have different parenting styles it allows them to come together and decide how they want to parent.

When your child has difficult behavior the parent does not need to automatically punish the child. There are different options to help the moment become something where the parent can connect with the child and the child can learn better communication.

For example, if the child is supposed to keep their shoes in a basket next to the door. Later the child has put the shoes on the mat in front of the door. The parent could yell at the child and lecture about where the shoes are supposed to go. Or the parent could ask the child why they put the shoes there. The child may respond “You said we were running late, so I put my shoes in front of the door so I could be ready”.