Sometimes I meet guardians who are surprised to hear I might spend a few sessions with a kid just...playing.
My training doesn't go away. I'm always making observations, tucking away new data for future clinical work, and thinking about possibilities.
Every tool in The Toy Toolkit helps me learn about the children I work with. But more often than not, a child is not going to feel comfortable with a stranger immediately and playing let's them get to know me.
At Parkside, we've invested in additional space for child interaction that doesn't feel as formal as an adult evaluation space. The space is structured so that children can gradually come to trust that the staff have their best interests in mind. We want them to know they are visiting a safe space.
All of that is built on the simple principle of making sure kids have the space and the time to play.
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