An Interview With Garry Landreth: Play Therapy, Humanism, and the Future of Counseling

Garry Landreth is an international leader in child-centered play therapy with a long-standing commitment to humanistic education and counseling. Landreth recently retired from the University of North Texas after completing 45 years as a counselor educator. His work includes more than 150 journal articles, books, and training materials that are recognized by leading counseling organizations. During this interview, Landreth shared his thoughts on his professional journey, passions, and visions related to humanism, counselor education, and play therapy. Keywords: play therapy, counselor education, humanistic counseling ********** Garry Landreth recently retired from the University of North Texas (UNT) after 45 years as a counselor educator. He used a humanistic approach to counseling as the foundation for developing the first courses offered in play therapy at UNT. Landreth is widely acknowledged as a pioneer in the development and refinement of the child-centered play therapy approach. A result of his dedication and vision was the development of the Center for Play Therapy, which has grown to become the largest play therapy training and research center in the world. Because of Landreth's pioneering efforts and legacy, UNT is known nationally and internationally for its commitment to training students and professionals in person-centered counseling and child-centered play therapy principles and methods. Landreth exhibits a personal and professional lifestyle that reflects fundamental humanistic values. Throughout his career, Landreth's unwavering commitment to child-centered play therapy has been unquestionable. His more than 150 journal articles, books, and DVDs include his award-winning book, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (Landreth, 2012), which has been translated into several languages. In addition, Landreth's Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): A 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (Landreth & Bratton, 2006), which includes a treatment manual (Bratton, Landreth, Kellam, & Blackard, 2006), is a humanistic and relationship-based parenting model that was recently the winner of the Best Practices in Parent/Family Education for 2010 from the Texas Association of Parent Educators. Landreth has presented at more than 400 conferences and workshops internationally and nationally, demonstrating his leadership as a play therapy ambassador. Recently, UNT donated space for the Garry L. Landreth Endowed Play Therapy Research Library. Hundreds of individuals came together to offer their financial support for this endeavor, further demonstrating Landreth's influence. Because of his international reputation for child-centered play therapy and humanistic values, Landreth has also been a recipient of numerous awards. He is Director Emeritus of the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and received the first APT Lifetime Achievement Award and the APT Research Award. In addition, he has been the recipient of awards such as the Virginia Axline Distinguished Professional Award, Regents Distinguished Professor Award, and the President's Outstanding Professor Award. His receipt of the Gilbert and Kathleen Wrenn Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person from the American Counseling Association further evidences his impact as a humanitarian, and he was recently awarded the Humanistic Impact Award by the Association for Humanistic Counseling. It is evident that Landreth's humanistic impact transcends professional disciplines, geographical boundaries, and educational settings. Retirement for him is not a move away from work, but an opportunity to refocus--fewer administrative and other responsibilities, more time to teach what he loves, and more time to be with those he loves. Upon his retirement, I had the opportunity to visit with him and invited him to reflect on the journey of his career and the wisdom he would share with the field. EARLY CAREER AND MENTORING Kara Carnes-Holt (KCH): Describe what brought you to the counseling field. …