“Using An ‘Inside/Outside’ Box in Play Therapy”-LCSW Clair Mellenthin Featured on PESI’s Website

I recently had the opportunity to share my insights about play therapy with PESI, a behavioral health non-profit that features work of different therapists to bring attention to important issues in the field. I chose to focus on an art-based intervention strategy known as an Inside/ Outside box. Here are a few key insights from the article:

In play therapy with older children (tweens) and teens, one of the important tenets is helping the child to establish a sense of self – Who am I? Who do I want to become? What are the innate things about me that are loveable and of value?

A powerful art-based play therapy technique is creating an Inside/Outside Box. This art-based play therapy intervention is focused on helping identify how a child sees themselves, as well as how they think other’s perceive them. In this activity, the making of a collage is used as a powerful, symbolic representation of the self.

The Inside/Outside Box is a wonderful tool that elicits powerful emotions and helps the tween and/or teen begin to see their whole self- creating a launching pad for blossoming self-esteem and self-worth.

To learn more about the Inside/Outside Box and gain instruction on how to utilize this activity in your practice, click here to view the full article.