An Exploration of Limit-Setting in Child Counseling

ABSTRACT

Therapeutic limit-setting in child counseling can be a critical part of the child’s growth process. Intentional limit-setting is a critical skill for beginning and advanced counselors, who can use it for more than just helping a child bring their behavior under control. Therapeutic limit-setting can also serve the purposes of preventing harm, anchoring the session to reality, communicating boundaries in the relationship, preserving unconditional positive regard (UPR), and developing an internal locus of control. To set limits intentionally, counselors need to articulate a personal philosophy or approach to limit-setting. To develop this personal philosophy, counselors can consider their personal beliefs about the level of permissiveness appropriate in the playroom, the relative importance of experiencing and expressing congruence in the playroom, the importance of empathy, the mechanism for change, and the role of the consequences for broken limits.

KEYWORDS:

• Play therapy
• limit-setting
• theories of counseling
• boundaries
• child counseling

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Alison Hamilton-Fay for her review of a draft of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.