Application Of Adlerian Play Therapy With Multiracial Children

Adlerian play therapy is a developmentally appropriate intervention for children that emphasizes social interest, resilience qualities and family atmosphere that could help multiracial children from a healthy cultural identity. this article further presents the application of Adlerian play therapy with multiracial children through the use of a case study.  According to the U.S census (2010), the percentage of interracial couples increased 2.8% since 2000. Over 19% of the U.S. population is an interracial, and projections indicated that the majority of children with identity with a non-white race by the year 2020 (Colby & Ortaman, 2014). " What are you?" or asking them to identify with one racial identity, is evidence of the looming negative and inaccurate perceptions of general society. The unconscious and conscious negative attitudes, beliefs, bases and stereotypes about interracial families influence interactions and subsequently can have a negative impact on people's identity development. Such opinions, beliefs and attitudes can lead to major psychological, emotional, and social stressors for children of interracial marriages and can be an obstacle for healthy cultural identity development. Multiracial individuals go through cultural identity development that encompases three stages: racial ignorance (occurs in early childhood and refers to a lack of awareness of the social implications of race even through color consciousness may exist), racial ambivalence (Begins in preadolescence and can often be a time of confusion, frustration and internalized racism for multiracial youth), and racial transcendence (begins to solidify their racial identity in personal and public ways, which typically takes place in the late teens and early 20s.

Agarwal, S. M., & Meany-Walen, K. (2019). Application of Adlerian play therapy with multiracial children. International Journal of Play Therapy, 28(4), 207–217. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/10.1037/pla0000102