You will need to have the following attributes if you are to work effectively and ethically with children
Empathy
Experiential training will increase your understanding of what the children are feeling during play therapy. You will also need to empathise with parent/carers, referrers and others involved.
Respect
Show appropriate esteem to others
Fairness
Treat all children equally - they will soon find out, if you don't
Sincerity
‘you do what you say’
Integrity - straightforwardness, honesty and coherence.
Wisdom
This comes through experience, clinical supervision, reflection on practise, clinical governance and continuous professional development.
Humility
No one is perfect, the children will respect your admission of mistakes and weaknesses.
Resilience
You must work without being personally diminished.
Competence
Play therapy competencies must be acquired through experiential training that is practice based.
Courage
Being able to take decisions and act in spite of known fears, risks, uncertainty and opposition.