439 | The Floor Belongs to the Child — Wait Until You're Invited to Sit on the Floor

Play Therapy Podcast: A Master-Class in Child-Centered Play Therapy · Oct 6, 2026 · 12m · transcript

In this episode, I focus on a deceptively simple part of what it means to let the child lead in child-centered play therapy: the floor belongs to the child. Landreth is clear that when therapists automatically sit on the floor, children may interpret that as an expectation that we want to be included in their play—even when they never intended to invite us. I explain why we should begin each session in a consistent place off the floor and wait for the child to invite us into that space. The floor is the child's territory, and respecting that boundary preserves their autonomy and keeps us from…