G. Landreth
Dec 1, 2002
Citations
11
Influential Citations
66
Citations
Journal
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Abstract
One of the most perplexing challenges confronting therapists in conducting play therapy is the need to consistently apply limits in the face of angry, hostile, aggressive, or resistant children, and the difficulty in doing so. This article presents a rationale for why limits are needed, describes what behaviors need to be limited, and provides a three-step therapeutic limit-setting model that helps children exercise self-control by saying "no" to themselves. The pressing issue of what to do when a child breaks a limit is dealt with in an ultimate-choice-giving procedure that helps children assume responsibility for their own behavior.