• Workload Management includes setting realistic goals for client care, maintaining manageable caseloads, and taking regular breaks. Supervisors support this by clarifying productivity expectations and professional development requirements so supervisees can plan for sustainable work-life balance.
• Personal Psychotherapy is a recommended support, particularly for therapists experiencing STS or with personal
When supervision prioritizes clinical development, systems literacy, cultural responsiveness, and sustainable workload expectations, early-career play therapists are positioned to grow successfully. The responsibility for retention and professional formation does not rest solely on the emerging clinician but also with the supervisory and
Conclusion: Strengthening the Next Generation Early-career play therapists enter a professional landscape that requires far more than clinical skill. They must learn to conceptualize, document defensibly, communicate with caregivers, navigate organization expectations, and manage the emotional impact of trauma exposure. Supervision serves as the primary context in which these competencies are integrated. When supervision narrows its focus to technique alone, clinicians are left to manage systemic pressures in isolation. Conversely, when supervision expands to include systems literacy,
cultural responsiveness, workload
development.
References Best practices in play therapy: Clinical, professional, and ethical issues. Association for Play publications/best_practices.pdf
retention and turnover among child welfare, social work, and other human service employees: What can we learn from the past Social Service Review, 75
Fundamentals of clinical supervision cultural play
supervision of play therapists. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32
The Therapeutic Powers of Play: Comparing Theories and Practice
status and future directions. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 34
Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. Brunner-Mazel.
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Art-based supervision: Cultivating therapeutic insight through imagery. Routledge.
Play therapy: The art of the relationship and predictors. Stress and Health, 19 Negative Patient Feedback: From Denial to Acceptance. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 63 Burnout: The cost of caring. Prentice-Hall Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Child Welfare Workers. Child Welfare, 82
adverse childhood experiences through therapeutic powers of play: International Journal of Play Therapy, 30
What hat am I wearing? Advancing Play Therapy in an Ever-Changing World [Advanced Discussion Session, 3 hr]. Association for Play Therapy, Houston, TX, United States.
Implications for Students, Interns, and New Professionals. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 39 Help for the helper: Preventing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma in an ever-changing world. W.W. Norton & Company.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michelle M. Pliske, DSW, LCSW. RPT-S™ serves in behavioral healthcare administration with expertise in clinical supervision, trauma, identity development, chronic illness, grief, and University with education and research focused on healthcare administration, adverse childhood experiences, counseling, and play therapy practice.
therapy supervision: Integrating RCT into the
Jamie A. Watson, MA, LMFT, RPT-S™ serves in clinical leadership and supervision and contributes to advancing play therapy through professional presentations and volunteer leadership. She is Adjunct Faculty at George Fox University and Oregon State University and Contributing Faculty at the University of Western States. Her work integrates attachment-centered, relational, and developmentally responsive approaches to supporting children and families across practice settings.
jwatson@georgefox.edu
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