Child-Centered Documentation

Take your documentation to the next level!

Child-Centered Documentation (CCD) is a unique framework that allows Child-Centered Play Therapists to quantify symptoms for managed care requirements, while staying true to the theoretical underpinnings of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) theory.   

Implementing the Child-Centered Documentation framework will:

Increase your 
understanding of progress observed in CCPT sessions 

Provide you the 
language to communicate to parents and other providers 

Allow you to make 
clear and meaningful 
treatment plans
and clinical documentation

Have you felt the conflict?

Psychotherapy tends to prioritize an “outcome-focused” environment, making it difficult for play therapists to stay Child-Centered and trust the process. Child-Centered Play Therapists (CCPT) find themselves pressured to “do” more to “fix” the symptoms, even when it is counter to the CCPT theoretical orientation. The Child-Centered approach states, “when you focus on the symptom you lose sight of the child,” which is in direct conflict with symptom-focused goals often required by managed care and other providers (Landreth, 2023).

The Child-Centered Documentation Framework

The Child-Centered Documentation Framework is a theoretically informed framework for treatment planning, that utilizes symptom-focused approach,  while honoring the theoretical foundations of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). This framework is both theoretical and practical and provides participants with a toolkit of documentation resources that will help you create Child-Centered Treatment Plans and Progress Notes.

What CCD Training Participants Are Saying...

Training Organization

Because the Child-Centered Documentation (CCD) framework is both theoretical and practically informed, training is divided into three sections scheduled a month apart. This allows time for participants to integrate and practically apply the concepts from one training before learning more material. Please note that the trainings will give an overview of CCPT theory, but it is not the focus. As such, these trainings assume a basic understanding of CCPT theory and practice. 

[Section 1]

 Treatment Planning and Case Conceptualization in Child-Centered Play Therapy

[Section 2]

Assessing Progress in Child-Centered Play Therapy

[Section 3]

 Progress Notes in Child-Centered Play Therapy

[Section 4]

Building Bridges: Caregiver Involvement in Child-Centered Play Therapy

[Section 1] Treatment Planning and Case Conceptualization in CCPT

Treatment planning is antithetical to the person-centered philosophy, which discourages focusing on the problem. This can lead to a disconnect between what is required in most clinical settings, namely, long-term goals and short-term objectives, and the therapist’s way of being in the playroom. This training teaches participants to conceptualize treatment planning in a way that supports this need for measurable objectives based on managed care, while making space for clinicians to continue to focus on their own theory of change based on the person-centered philosophy.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Identify the key reasons for treatment planning for play therapists 
  • Describe the primary theory of personality and theory of change behind Child-Centered Play Therapy 
  • Demonstrate an understanding of case conceptualization in play therapy including measurable objectives and the theory of change 
  • Apply principles to create treatment plans that are quantifiable, allow for the way of being in the playroom, and emphasize CCPT theory

[Section 2] Assessing Progress in CCPT

This training provides an overview of existing methods for assessing progress in play therapy including themes, stages, and caregiver feedback. Most importantly, the training will introduce the importance of tracking progress towards incremental changes in play and provide a framework for doing so. Learning how to assess progress in play therapy can help clinicians build the language for communicating how change occurs in CCPT and ultimately be able to help caregivers understand this process of change.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Identify at least 3 common themes in play therapy 
  • Identify the stages of play therapy
  • Demonstrate an understanding of assessing progress towards internal growth and integration in play therapy by being able to name at least one example
  • Demonstrate an ability to translate progress examples from play therapy to parents in a way that speaks to growth while maintaining confidentiality

[Section 3] Progress Notes in CCPT

Documentation is a source of anxiety for many Child-Centered Play Therapists. Despite the prevalence and the need for  progress notes, many play therapists received very little training on how to complete progress notes. This training will review basic requirements for clinical notes, review types of note formats, practice using objective language, and track progress towards goals and objectives.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Identify the key components of a play therapy progress note as emphasized by APT Best Practices
  • Analyze progress notes to identify descriptive language versus interpretive language in a play therapy progress note  
  • Demonstrate ability to synthesize play and changes in play into language for a play therapy progress note. 

[Section 4] Building Bridges: Caregiver Involvement in CCPT

Working with caregivers is one of the most challenging parts of a child therapist’s job. This workshop aims to demystify the process of working with caregivers alongside child clients in ChildCentered Play Therapy. Using the Child-Centered Documentation framework, we will explore case examples of working with caregivers alongside child clients, to identify the caregiver’s needs, work towards parenting goals in caregiver consults and increase caregiver buy-in by learning new tools for explaining how change occurs.

Learning Objectives: 

  • Apply the CCD framework, of treatment planning, case conceptualization to working with caregivers alongside child clients in child-centered play therapy.  
  • Describe common challenges in working with caregivers and learn ways to address these issues.
  • Explain how progress in play therapy will address the caregiver’s behavioral concerns. 

What's included in the CCD Documentation Toolkit?

Access to which of these resources depends on which session of the three sessions you attend

  • Access to Treatment Planning map graphic to contextualize treatment planning for therapists and caregivers
  • Access to Case Conceptualization Templates that help you organize client information
  • Extensive Objectives & Interventions Example List that are ready to be incorporated into your treatment plan
  • Editable Treatment Plan Template and Progress Note Template based on the Child-Centered Documentation framework
  • A 14-day trial of CCD Treatment Plan Generator* and CCD Progress Note Generator*  that you can use to practice implementing the CCD framework. (*This trial version is for training purposes and therefore not HIPAA-compliant. Please note that CCD Generators are not required to learn or implement the CCD framework.)

Find Current CCD Training

Check out our Continuing Education page for more information.

Register for all 1, 2 & 3 sections and save $65!

Use the code bundle at checkout.
Continuing Education

Participants can take each section individually and receive CE credit, though it’s recommended that participants take all three courses together. Register for all 3 sections using the code “bundle” at check out. 

(Note: Section 4 is not yet included in bundle pricing.)

Child-Centered Documentation Consultation

Dive into clinical cases to create treatment plans, look at goals and objectives, assess progress towards goals, and gain support with translating change to caregivers using the Child-Centered Documentation (CCD) framework. Individual or group (max 4) consultation is available for booking.  

About the Author

Rosie Newman, LMHC, RPT-S

Rosie is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Rosie is the founder of Seattle Play Therapy, PLLC where she provides supervision to clinicians and therapy services to children and families. Rosie also is an adjunct faculty at Seattle University in the psychology department. 

I developed the Child-Centered Documentation framework based on my experience practicing Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) in a variety of settings. I consistently felt uncomfortable about quantifying symptoms in treatment plans, as managed care requires, as it is not my theoretical orientation and how I practice.   

I could feel that something magical was happening in the playroom as children began to believe in themselves and move towards self-actualization, but I struggled to communicate to caregivers how and why this change was occurring and how it was related to the treatment plan.   

Something crucial was missing: A way to integrate the theoretical frame of CCPT theory with measuring progress towards symptom reduction.  

The simple answer is that internal growth leads to external change and symptom reduction, and a meaningful treatment plan should reflect both of these aspects of the therapy.  

Over the last few years, I shared this conceptualization of CCPT treatment planning and assessing progress with supervisees and in international trainings. The response has been increased confidence in conceptualizing progress and less stress in completing clinical documentation.  

Now, I decided to share this information – Child-Centered Documentation – with others. Perhaps, it will help you too! 

Playfully yours,
Rosie 

APT Approved Provider 18-545

Shopping Cart