ABSTRACT
Play therapists often cite working with parents or guardians as the most challenging aspect of counseling with children. To have access to working with children, play therapists must forge a positive and collaborative relationship with their parents. When parents feel alienated, blamed, or ignored in the therapy process, they will typically terminate services. Whether viewed as right or wrong, this is the legal right of a parent. Hence, play therapists benefit from keeping the acknowledgment of this legality at the forefront of their work with parents. By respecting parents’ legal rights, play therapists will naturally move to creative means to keep the parent involved so that the child remains in play therapy.
