The Karate Kid's "The Jacket": A Metaphor for Child Centered Cases (1)

Metaphors are powerful means of communication and other new ways to think about themes, ideas, and abstract presentations that can occur with clients in play therapy (Courtney & Mills, 2016; Kottman & Meany-Walen, 2018; Mills & Crowley, 2014; ). Oftentimes, when working complex cases, it can be di8iculty to conceptualize all of the play themes that arise as many dynamics unfold with children and parents. In this session, we will utilize the

movie clip from Disney’s (2010) “The Karate Kid: The Jacket” as a way of identifying and conceptualizing themes of play and presenting problems. Participants will be given an opportunity to conceptualize three fictional cases to illustrate the power of metaphor in play. We will also engage in a creative activity in which participants will discover and/or create a metaphor for themselves to support their work as play therapists.