Play therapy Inner Child Journal - Therapist help your adult clients find their inner child with this play therapy activity for adults.

by Susan
(Play Therapy Student)

Inner Child Journal Cover: Help your adult therapy clients in play therapy.

Inner Child Journal Cover: Help your adult therapy clients in play therapy.

I think the inner child journal is one of the best ideas, especially for adults who need to go back in time. I can see how all adults could benefit from this process and it is wonderful to give adult clients some play therapy to use. To start my inner child play therapy journal I began looking through pictures from my childhood. I also looked at magazines to see what caught my interest. I also followed the outline of suggestions, some of which I would have never done on my own.
Before doing this play therapy inner child journal, I had not realized how much I had forgotten from my childhood! I used to love anything with fashion. I always followed the latest styles and was obsessed with how magazines looked. Knowing who the fashion designers were was always an interest of mine. As an adult I watch America’s Next Top Model. My husband always asks me if I am too old to watch that show. It was not until I did this journal that I realized why I watched this show. It was my inner child who was reminding me that I had partially forgotten about something that was so important to me.
I also realized that I had abandoned my inner child for a while. When I was ten, my world got turned upside down by the death of my grandmother and the divorce of my parents. However, my inner child had reemerged when I had my son. When he came along I remembered how much I love to play and be outside. So I saw glimpses of my inner child, but had forgotten about some of the things that my inner child liked.
Writing the apology letter to my inner child in my adult play therapy class was a difficult process. I had a great childhood, and still have a mother who loves me like I was still living at home with her! However, I do not talk with my father. It was hard to write the one sentence about dad leaving my inner child. I have forgiven him for leaving us and not being a good parent. But as a parent, I could never imagine not seeing my child. My inner child is still hurt over being abandoned by my father, but my adult self has forgiven him. I need to reassure my inner child that I will not be abandoned again.
In my adult life, I know I like being around children and working with them. This is part of why I am in school to me a school counselor. In general, I am a person who likes to play and have fun. It is the adult role that sometimes gets in the way! But for me to be a better school counselor, I do need to stay in touch with my inner child. From here on out I am making sure I play and use play therapy with my inner child on a weekly basis.


Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Submit Your Creative Counseling Ideas / Lessons with Other Professionals / Publish Your Ideas Here!.

Disclaimer: This website and its content is intended for trained licensed mental health professionals and school certified mental health professionals to use for their clients / students at their own discretion.

*If you ignore the disclaimer above are using these techniques on yourself and you feel any discomfort or upset it is highly suggested that you seek out a licensed  mental health professional immediately.

"Beyond Art Therapy" is the concept from Dr. Stangline that combines all creative fields in therapy. It is not the traditional "art therapy" but goes beyond to include sand tray therapy, play therapy, mindfulness, meditation, color therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and a vast majority of other therapies.

For any other type of mental health emergency call your local 911 / Police Number immediately.

Dr. Stangline does not offer advice / suggestions to anyone who is not a professional mental health provider, or a student who is studying this field and has questions about mental health programs of study.

Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

See our Exciting Selection of eBooks:

Award Winning:

Creative Counseling 101 eBook 
Our Best Seller!

Step By Step Therapy:

Learn how to be a more Creative Therapist with the Book that started it all!

- Graduate School Counseling book used by hundreds of graduate counseling students!

- Includes full color reproducible worksheets with most activities.

- Winner of the Counselor Writer of the Year Award, 2011, Georgia Regional Award

Download Your Copy Today Only $39.95: 

See Creative Counseling 101 eBook Information Here:

Get the Set
of all four  

eBooks for only $98.95:
An incredible collection of how to do therapy eBooks!
A $159.80 Value,
You Save Over $60!

Get your complete set of the Creative Counseling 101.com eBooks by Dr. Michelle Stangline for only $98.95, that's less than $25.00 per eBook (Regular Price is $39.95 for each eBook.).

Your complete set includes:

- Creative Counseling 101

- Creative Group Counseling 101

- Creative Play Therapy 101

- Creative Sand Tray 101

For more information click the link below:

See Complete Set of eBooks For Sale Here:

New!!! "Beyond Art Therapy" 101 eBook

Over 300 pages of Beyond Art Therapy activities and techniques. Learn what I teach graduate counseling students!

See the link below for more information.

Only $39.95

Art Therapy 101 eBook for Sale Link

See More Invividual eBooks For Sale:

Sand Tray Therapy 101 eBook:

Learn how to do Sand Tray Therapy or enhance your skills.

Sand Tray Therapy eBook for Sale Link

Play Therapy 101 eBook

Learn how to do play therapy or enhance your skills.

Play Therapy eBook For Sale Link

Small Group Counseling eBook For Sale:

Learn how to do creative group therapy and enhance your skills.

Creative Group Therapy eBook For Sale Link

School Counselor Guidance Lesson & Social Stories eBook for sale:

Get a year's worth of school counselor guidance lessons with "Creative Warm & Fuzzy Classroom Guidance Lessons eBook". Introduce your students to the "Warm & Fuzzy Way". Click the link below for more information:

Warm & Fuzzy School Counselor Guidance Lessons eBook