315 | Theoretical Integrity in Play Therapy: Why One Model Matters (The Case Against Integrative Play Therapy)

In this episode, I respond to a thoughtful question from Cassie in North Carolina about integrative play therapy and the belief that there’s no “one size fits all” approach. As a CCPT purist, I explain why I believe in full adherence to a single theoretical model and why integration—though well-intentioned—can dilute effectiveness, undermine empirical support, and blur the therapeutic process.

I lay out the research supporting non-directive, humanistic models like CCPT and explain why choosing one model and sticking to it isn’t just a preference—it’s a clinical responsibility. I also share how theoretical alignment leads to better outcomes for children, greater confidence for therapists, and a clearer framework for ethical and effective practice. This is an episode for anyone wrestling with theoretical commitment or wondering if their integrative approach is truly serving their clients.

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Ask Me Questions: Call ‪[phone]‬, or email: [e-mail]
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APT Approved Play Therapy CE courses: https://childcenteredtraining.com
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Common References:
Cochran, N., Nordling, W., & Cochran, J. (2010). Child-Centered Play Therapy (1st ed.). Wiley.
VanFleet, R., Sywulak, A. E., & Sniscak, C. C. (2010). Child-centered play therapy. Guilford Press.
Landreth, G.L. (2023). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th ed.). Routledge.
Bratton, S. C., Landreth, G. L., Kellam, T., & Blackard, S. R. (2006). Child parent relationship therapy (CPRT) treatment manual: A 10-session filial therapy model for training parents. Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Benedict, Helen. Themes in Play Therapy. Used with permission to Heartland Play Therapy Institute.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You're listening to the Play Therapy Podcast with Dr. Brenna Hicks,
your source for centered and focused play therapy coaching.
Hi,
I'm Dr. Brenna Hicks,
The Kid Counselor.
This is the Play Therapy Podcast where you get
a master class in child-centered play therapy
and practical support and application for your
work with children and their families.
In today's episode,
I'm answering a question from Cassie in North Carolina

(00:23):
about
the belief that
integrative play therapy is the most helpful approach.
So we'll dive into that momentarily.
I just wanted to say thank you to you all.
So many of you recently have been sending emails just sharing with me your journey
and your revelations,

(00:44):
your growth,
your change,
your healing,
what CCPT is doing in your life in the children with whom you work.
And their families,
and it's just been really encouraging to me for those
of you that have reached out with emails and just
shared your stories.
Thank you for those.
I love to hear that.
And one of the things that I was thinking about yesterday,

(01:06):
I,
I got one last night
and I was thinking yesterday,
what
gratitude I have for having it reinforced that I'm doing what I'm meant to do.
And I feel that very much God put me on this path for this reason,
for this time,
for this season in our industry,

(01:26):
and I'm very grateful that you all
listen and you hang out with me.
So thank you for the emails and I
just really appreciate y'all that have reached out and
been letting me have a sneak peek of what's
happening in your playrooms and in your lives.
OK.
So let me dive into a portion of Cassie's
email and then we'll talk through this together.
This is,

(01:47):
this is an important one.
So I'm actually,
thank you,
Cassie.
I'm really glad we get to talk through this.
So the email in part says a large portion of
my professors who are RPT-S's and RPTs and fellow students
swear by integrative play therapy and the philosophy that there
is no one size fits all solution in play therapy.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this as someone who is a CCPT purist.

(02:11):
Well,
Cassie,
I do have thoughts on this as a CCPT purist,
so I'm really excited.
Let's
start with
addressing the there is no one size fits all solution.
I think you could actually make that argument.
I don't disagree with that notion.
I don't think there is a one size fits all solution.

(02:31):
I don't think it's about one size fitting all.
I think it is about one theory fitting all.
So,
if we look at the meta-analytic data
that has been published
with decades' worth of research
and with all kinds of empirical validation,
All aggregated into one large meta-analytic study,

(02:54):
we know that it was proven
that non-directive approaches
and humanistic approaches are more effective
than directive non-humanistic approaches.
So that right there
leads toward
we should be humanistic and non-directive because we know it's more effective.
The entire premise

(03:15):
of therapy.
And counseling
and mental health.
is that we are ethically obligated
to use
theory
that is
empirically supported and validated.
We are not allowed
ethically,
legally,
morally,

(03:35):
professionally,
clinically,
whatever,
you name it,
we're not allowed
to go in and do whatever the heck we want in a session.
That's not counseling,
that's not therapy.
So we know if we look at research
that the humanistic non-directive models are more effective,
that in and of itself
lends itself in the humanistic theoretical model.

(03:59):
All right,
so then we look at the humanistic theories.
And we see
that CCPT
has been proven effective
across the board
universally.
If you search CCPT and
diagnosis

(04:19):
issue,
presenting concern.
Race,
culture,
religion,
SES,
ACEs,
you name it,
CCPT and
whatever the scenario is.
You will find that CCPT has been proven effective.
So I am very much a CCPT purist,

(04:41):
but I'm not CCPT pure
because I like it the most,
although I do.
I'm not CCPT pure because
I've seen it work,
although I have.
I'm not CCPT pure just because I feel like I should be,
although I do feel that I should be.
I am CCPT pure

(05:02):
because it is the most effective approach.
I have science backing up
my choice.
And it resonates with me.
I think another factor here is you have to find the model
that fits you.
You have to be congruent
and you have to have a theoretical orientation

(05:24):
that aligns
with your personality,
your beliefs,
your ability to
engage therapeutically with a client.
If you are
trying to be adherent to a model that doesn't fit you,
it's only going to cause disruption and frustration
on all sides.
So I absolutely believe that

(05:45):
it is not a one size fits all,
and I think that there is a lot that goes into the decision
of what theoretical model to
Fully buy into.
I think another
factor here
is integrative play therapy
is dangerous.
And here's why I say that,
and I know that it's gonna make a lot of people bristle,

(06:05):
but
I have reasoning,
just hear me out.
When you start adding lots of things
into the pot.
There's no empirical support for it anymore.
If you do a little bit of EMDR and you do a little bit of CCPT
and you do a little bit of CBT and you do a little bit of Adlerian,

(06:26):
and you do a little bit of Jungian,
and you do a little bit of Gestalt and you
Are all of those theoretical models proven
independently and exclusively?
Meaning you are adherent wholly
to Adlerian play therapy.
Has it been proven?
Yes,
you are.
100% adherent

(06:46):
to.
Filial,
has that been proven?
Yes.
Has anyone tested
everything mixed together in one
theoretical soup?
No.
We have no evidence
that when we start adding things in or taking things away,
that it works.

(07:08):
That is dangerous.
Clinically,
it's unethical to do something that we
don't know has empirical support and validation.
So for me,
If you choose to be wholly Adlerian,
you choose to be wholly Jungian,
you choose to be holy whatever.
You at least have theoretical support and validation for what you're doing.

(07:33):
I actually am very supportive of that.
If CCPT is not the fit for you
and you feel more called and connected to a different theoretical model,
if you are 100% adherent to that model,
you know you're going to have success because it is proven.
You start adding,
subtracting,
multiplying,
including

(07:53):
whatever you have no idea
what you're doing
B that it's going to work.
C,
what the outcomes are,
and D,
if
one thing worked,
one thing didn't,
how will you ever know?
You have no sense of causality at that point.
And we are no longer operating
from a theoretically proven model.

(08:17):
So the eclectic approach,
the integrative approach,
while that has become a very popular notion,
and I understand lots and lots of people
believe that that is an appropriate way to work with children.
I caution against it because I don't think there's any support that it is effective.

(08:37):
So,
from a CCPT purism standpoint,
but also from a mental health
clinical
purism standpoint.
We are not allowed to just do whatever we want in session.
We are no longer operating under guidelines.
We have to have support and validation for every decision that we make,

(09:01):
and the only way we stay grounded,
the only way we know what we are to do,
the only framework that we possess
comes from our theory.
You can't mix 6 theories together
and think that you're going to have effective treatment.
Because we've convoluted the whole thing.
Now we have no idea what's up,

(09:21):
left,
right,
down,
and,
and what's going on.
And just anecdotally,
I have had so many therapists reach out to me
and say
I used to be.
Eclectic,
integrative.
Actually,
they usually say,
I know you hate this word
before they say that they were eclectic.
I know how much you hate that.

(09:41):
So I used to be all these things.
I used to do an activity one week and then I would be child-centered another week,
and then I would talk to them the next week and then
parents would sit in on the session the next week and then
And I was miserable.
My clients were miserable.
I saw no gains.
There was no progress.
Everyone was frustrated.

(10:01):
I was constantly stressed.
I was constantly
wondering if what I was doing was having any impact whatsoever,
and the list goes on and on and on
and then the pivot.
And when I decided to be wholly CCPT.
It has changed everything.
My kids are healing.
My kids are making change.

(10:22):
My kids are self-actualizing.
I feel more confident.
I feel more stable.
I feel like I know what's supposed to be happening in sessions.
Parents are more pleased.
Parents are seeing change.
The trickle effect is so quick and so big.
When we are wholly adherent.
You cannot be wholly adherent when you have 6 theories all at once.

(10:47):
So,
Cassie,
thank you so much for the question.
I hope that
that reminds us,
those of us that are all in CCPT I hope
that that reminds us why we're doing what we're doing.
For those of you that may have lots of
integrative theories and you do have an eclectic practice,
take this as a challenge to consider
whether

(11:08):
you're satisfied with your outcomes.
Take this as a time to question whether
it would be more helpful to be all in.
It doesn't have to be CCPT,
but if you're listening to this podcast,
I have a feeling that you are drawn to CCPT.
So if that's the case,
go all in.
But if you are not to that point where you have gone all in on a theory,

(11:30):
you should.
That's what's asked of us.
When we go to grad school,
one of the outcomes of our graduate study is that
we are supposed to leave knowing our theoretical model.
And if you did not do a theoretical orientation assessment in grad school,
do one online and figure out what resonates with you.
Mine was Rogers to the hilt

(11:51):
and hence I'm CCPT.
You might be a different
theorist.
And go in that direction.
But you have to pick a lane and you have to adhere and you have to stick to it
so that we know that we're going to have efficacy and the outcomes that we want.
I hope that encourages you.

(12:11):
I hope that
that challenges you.
Cassie,
again,
thank you for the question.
If y'all want to reach out to me,
please do.
[e-mail].
Love y'all.
We'll talk again soon.
Bye.
Thank you for listening to the Play Therapy Podcast with Dr.
Brenna Hicks.
For more episodes and resources,
please go to www.playtherapypodcast.com.