Inside/Outside Box
In Play Therapy with older children (tweens) and teens, one of the important tenets is helping the child to establish a sense of self — Who am I? Who do I want to become? What are the innate things about me that are loveable and of value?
Too often, girls especially are targeted at a young age through media and savvy marketing to believe that “I am not enough,” “my body is not good enough, skinny enough, pretty enough.” This crushes a young girl’s self-esteem and confidence, placing them in even a more vulnerable, emotionally charged way of existing.
A powerful art-based play therapy intervention called the Inside/Outside Box is focused on helping identify how a child sees themselves, as well as how they think other's perceive them. In this activity, the making of a collage is used as a powerful, symbolic representation of the self.
Supplies:
- Shoebox (multiple sizes)
- Glue
- Scissors
- Various magazines
Instructions:
The child can choose (or can bring into session) a shoe box with a lid. Instruct the client to cut out different words and/or pictures from magazines that represent how he/she believes others view him/her. Glue them into a collage on the outside of the box and lid.
Explore how other’s perceptions may or may not be true, what the client thinks about and feels while looking at their “outside box”.
On the inside of the box, have the child repeat the process using different magazine pictures and/or words. However, on the inside of the box focus on how the child sees his/her true self and identity.
Ask the client to share what each symbol or word is, along with its personal symbolic meaning. Process any thoughts and feelings that may surface.
Suggested questions:
- How does it feel to look at the outside of your box in comparison to the inside of the box?
- What would you change about or add to the outside of your box, if anything?
- What would you change about or add to the inside of your box, if anything?
Note, this may take several sessions to complete, and you may want to assign this intervention as “homework” for older children and teen clients.
The Inside/Outside Box is a wonderful tool that elicits powerful emotions and helps the tween and/or teen begin to see their whole self, creating a launching pad for blossoming self-esteem and self-worth.
Learn more strategies to help children express emotions with the new workbook, My Many Colors of Me, by Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S.
Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S™, is an international speaker, author, psychologist, and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Throughout her career, she has specialized in providing play therapy to children, teens, and their families. She is currently the Director of Child & Adolescents at Wasatch Family Therapy. Ms. Mellenthin frequently presents professional play therapy and family therapy trainings on Attachment-Centered Play Therapy, Family, and Trauma issues both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Mellenthin is a sought-after supervisor, training graduate students and interns in play therapy, and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California MSW program. She is the past-president of the Utah Association for Play Therapy and remains an active member on the Board of Directors. She is the author of the books Attachment Centered Play Therapy; Play Therapy: Engaging & Powerful Techniques for the Treatment of Childhood Disorders; My Many Colors of Me Workbookand has authored several chapters and articles. In addition to being an experienced play therapist and professor, Ms. Mellenthin also appears on local and national TV and radio as an expert on children and family issues. She holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Clair Mellenthin has employment relationships with Wasatch Family Therapy and the University of Louisiana Monroe. She is a published author and receives royalties. Clair Mellenthin receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Clair Mellenthin is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Play Therapy.
