Compliance in therapy does not mean that there is a therapeutic alliance, and it can be difficult to discern the difference. In this episode, Dr. Murrow speaks about the ways play can be an indicator of the therapeutic alliance, and she shares ways therapists can observe and assess this to understand more about how their alliance is working in the session and beyond.

Play is an important capacity all throughout the lifetime, and it can be a signal of improvement because in order to be able to play, people have to feel safe and stressors needs to be manageable. At any age, when someone begins to play more in session, this is a good sign for the therapeutic alliance as well as overall therapeutic outcomes.

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References:

Panksepp, J. & Biven, L. (2012). The Archaeology of mind: Neuroevolutionary origins of human emotions. New York, NY: Norton (pp. 552-355).