S3E28 - Parent Companion for Play Therapy: Externalizing Behaviors (When Big Feelings Come Out as Big Behavior)

Play Therapy Parenting: Real Parenting Questions Answered by a Child Therapist · Feb 6, 2026 · 12m · transcript

In this episode of the Parent Companion for Play Therapy series, I explain externalizing behaviors — what they are, why they happen, and how child-centered play therapy helps. Externalizing kids show their distress outwardly through behaviors like yelling, hitting, throwing, running, or melting down. These children are big feelers with intense internal experiences, and their behavior is their way of showing how overwhelmed they feel. They aren't trying to manipulate or get attention — they're trying to get relief from feelings they don't know how to manage yet.

I walk through what happens in…