MEMBER STORYTELLING
Connecting with Oneself U
| YI-JU CHENG, PHD, LPC, RPT
pon completion of my bachelor’s degree in social work in
I chose counseling, and I am grateful that the counseling program at the University of North Texas (UNT) admitted me into their program.
Having the opportunity to learn play therapy from Dr. Garry Landreth, Dr. Sue Bratton, Dr. Leslie Jones, and, most importantly, Dr. Dee Ray changed my professional and personal life. Sitting in their classes was It would have been surprising to leave their classes without feeling child-centered play therapy (CCPT),
I did not identify as a CCPT
the positive are the most humbling attitudes that a play therapist could convey and the most powerful feelings that a child could experience.
everything I thought I knew about CCPT. I often use the limit-setting connections over being on time for school or worrying about a public tantrum, although I usually do not succeed. However, my daughter always reminds me that among the things I do not do well, there must be something that I have done right. Once I was very sick, with a runny nose, sore throat, and headaches. My daughter asked, “Mom, are you Me: Yes, baby. Me: Yes, I’m okay. Me: Hmmm…
I was completely caught off guard when she confronted me and pointed out my incongruence. I appreciate the fact that she conveyed her care for me while being able to recognize my feelings and status in the moment. She wanted me to know that it is okay to be not okay.
to continuously explore my personal beliefs and understand how they may have been consistent or inconsistent with a theoretical orientation. I learned that operating from a guiding theoretical orientation is not simply about implementing a collection of techniques or activities; it is instead about having a consistent, organized framework that guides our conceptualization of the client, supports our intentions behind the our work in challenging situations. Along with supervision, my various experiences and encounters with children and their families in play therapy have allowed me to explore who I am and practice being accepting of and congruent with myself. Gradually, I realized that my beliefs had been aligning with CCPT philosophies (even though I was and honor all parts of the child in front of me while believing that the relationship we are going to build together will mean something for both of us. In this therapeutic relationship, the unconditional positive regard
34 | PLAYTHERAPY
People sometimes assume that it must be less challenging for me to be a parent because I am a play therapist. The truth is quite the opposite. Being a parent and witnessing my child go through her own struggles further reminds me that I have to be someone who truly sees and validates a child’s experiences through their frame of reference and recognizes every effort and strength they put in to cope with
challenges in their life. ABOUT THE MEMBER
Yi-Ju Cheng, PhD, LPC, RPT, is an associate professor at Rider University. Her clinical and research interests center on play therapy and multicultural issues in counseling. She is a trainer for the Centered Play Therapy and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy, and Chair of APT’s Research Committee.
yijucheng@hotmail.com
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