Exploring varying layers of culture, including the national culture, the local cultural milieu in which the child was raised (eg, northern versus southern, urban versus rural), the religious culture, the ethnic culture, and the family culture are some of the layers that a culturally competent play therapist should consider. If the family culture or larger culture is such that adults take the lead on discussing sensitive matters or set rigid boundaries around such topics, then the youth of this culture may be particularly uncomfortable in speaking about adverse experiences. In these cases, gentleness, patience, and sensitivity, as well as exploring what meaning the youth makes of 


Even when the clinician or interpreter speaks the same language as  accent, or cross-cultural interpretation of technical terminology. Take          (Gaub, 2024).


Treatment Planning: The Mountain Peak Unaccompanied immigrant children present to the play therapist with immensely complex needs. With younger youth, child-centered play    it allows the child to communicate their concerns and build coping skills. With older youth, a collaborative approach to treatment planning that includes structured play therapy activities may be 


treatment goals, the clinician could ask them to draw a mountain or provide a mountain coloring page. The clinician could encourage the youth to put their long-term goal at the top of the mountain and then  or steps to reach the top.


Creating a New Sense of Home The concept of home may be complex for forcibly displaced immigrant children. There may be loving recollections in addition to harrowing and frightening memories (Cassina et al., 2023). Compounding this, the immigrant youth may now live in an unfamiliar and temporary home. Home-related activities, with a sensitivity that home may be 


Cassina’s book, The Magic Home: A Displaced Boy Finds a Way to Feel Better (2020), provides a bibliotherapy intervention and structured activities to help an immigrant child develop an inner imaginary home for an accessible sense of peace and safety. Exploring concrete as well as emotional ways to create a temporary sense of home through words, relationships, drawing, or collaging, can aide in transitional time as unaccompanied youth.


Acknowledging the Journey In a robust clinical relationship, the youth may draw a picture of a suitcase or backpack or create a toy suitcase out of a box. Within the suitcase, they may write or draw what they took (including positive


6 | PLAYTHERAPY December 2024 | www.a4pt.org


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