Inner Child

Overview

I wanted to make a project that would serve as a reminder of the many parts that make up a whole person. In April 2026, I created a piece of art that explored who I am and how I see myself. Given the props for this project, I decided to create a new piece that reflected my feelings towards play and play therapy. This piece represents what I believe my brain would like in an MRI with a focus on play and my feelings on play therapy. The background is a splatter of colors that represents the complexity of feelings and emotions a person experiences and a reminder that it is okay for feelings to be messy. The main subject of the piece begins with the greenery growing from the base of the brain. This represents the brain stem and the mind/body connection as well as my love of nature. Greenery and flowers can be seen throughout the brain, serving as a reminder that what affects the brain will also affect the body and vice versa.

Quotes

The ‘gray matter’ that makes up the outline of the brain shape is filled with quotes about the therapeutic process. The quotes are as follows: “If not now, when?”, “Parents do well if they can.”, “Don’t Rush.” “Toys are selected, not collected.” “Be curious,” “The things that we bury are buried alive.”, “Every toy has a purpose.” “You have a choice; you may also have consequences.” “All feelings are valid, even when behavior is inappropriate.”, “Limits anchor us to reality.”, “Children think with their hands.”, “Show me.”, and “When you focus on the problem, you lose sight of the child.” 
The ‘gray matter’ on the inside of the brain is the 10 Tenants of Child-Centered Play Therapy: “Children are not mini adults.” “Children are people.”, “Children are unique and worthy of respect.”, “Children are resilient.”, “Children have an inherent tendency towards growth and maturity.”, “Children are capable of positive self-direction.”, “Children’s natural language is play.”, “Children have the right to remain silent.” “Children will take the therapeutic experience to where they need to be.”, and “Children’s growth cannot be sped up.”

Brain Sections

From here, the brain is split up into 4 sections; Values, Areas of Growth, Educational Goals, and The Therapeutic Process. “Values” and “Growth” are placed at the base of the brain to indicate that these areas are where I know myself and where I need to improve are the foundations for my educational goals and therapeutic process. This is also a nod to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and “Bottom-up” therapy modalities that focus on the experiences of our limbic system and lower brain before engaging the frontal lobe and the higher brain that is more logic focused. The next sections describe each area and how they contribute to my desire to be a play therapist.

Temporal Lobe

Located in the Temporal lobe of brain, the “Values” section is the foundation for my world view and who I am as a person. Beginning with the goose in a clown costume, humor and silliness are at the core of who I am (a.k.a. a silly goose). My ethnicity is represented by the U.S. and Venezuelan flags. On the American flag is the last lines of the Pledge of Allegiance: “with Liberty and Justice FOR ALL” as well as the Equality Flag, a cat dressed as Rosie the Riveter, and a set of judicial scales. These items represent my desire for fairness, justice, and equality for all people and my desire to advocate for the voices of children who may not be heard (represented by the “Safe Place” sign). The globe and airplane represent my love of travel, the open book for my love of reading and stories, a family portrait for the people in my life who helped shape who I am, and the dancing tabby cat represents my love of dance and movement. Cats are a big love of my life (there are 5 in this piece). Each cat represents the 5 main “happy” hormones the body produces: Serotonin (the dancing tabby cat), Oxytocin (the snuggly gray and white cat), Dopamine (the orange surfing cat), Endorphin (the Rosie the Riveter cat), and Prolactin (the gray meditating cat). The art pallet with paint brushes is a nod to my creative side with the classic comedy/tragedy masks for my love of theater and playing pretend. Finally, we come to the blue and green dragon. This dragon has multiple meanings throughout this piece with the first representing my imagination and love of playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons.

Occipital Lobe

Moving from the Temporal lobe, my values bleed into my areas of growth. While I love music, these music notes (the first few notes from Debussy’s “Clair De Lune”) are a reminder to be calm and not get over excited to meet new clients. The clock and meditating cat are a reminder to slow down and working with children takes time a patience. The “Welcome to Las Vagus” sign and the cat riding the Polyvagal wave represent my desire to know more about Polyvagal Theory and become more knowledgeable on the subject. The 3 blue figures represent child development, an area that I want to do more research and study. The hand squeezing a red heart with ants crawling over it represents my feelings of being uncomfortable and nervousness to work with clients for the first time. In this section, the tail of the dragon represents my fears of making mistakes and accidentally doing harm to a client or family.

Parietal Lobe

Moving up to the Parietal lobe, this section of the brain is dedicated to the educational goals I want to achieve. The green calendar is a reminder that this will take years to fully accomplish and to not get discouraged. Below the calendar and purple flower is a sand tray that represents my desire to learn more about using sand tray in session. There is a little diploma, books, and graduation cap in this section, representing not only the completion of my degree program, but the amount of continuing education required to become a play therapist. The lightbulb is a reminder to be open to new ideas, to look for new research in the field of play therapy, and to grow in my career. The logos for the Association for Play Therapy, the American Counseling Association, and TramaPlay are also included as professional organizations and certifications I want to obtain as a therapist. The roller-coaster of Therapeutic Stages is a reminder to share that information with clients and be open (the open sign) about how the process works and educate clients and families about the ups and downs that come with change. The group of diverse people is a reminder to continue to educate myself on other people’s cultures and experiences and look for ways to connect with anyone who comes through the door. The stop sign is there to remind me to stop and “Don’t rush.” The back and wings of the dragon represent the unknown opportunities that await and the potential for growth that comes with education, experience, and time.

Frontal Lobe

The frontal lobe represents my views on the therapeutic process. At the forefront of this section are the two figures that are holding hands. The small yellow figure leads the larger figure through the toys and objects. This represents child center/child lead play therapy and the importance of the therapeutic connection, as highlighted by the heart underneath where the figures are holding hands. The small figure represents children and the light they radiate when allowed to fully be themselves and are accepted for who they are. The larger figure represents adults, who are connecting with the child (be it an inner child or actual child) and letting that light radiate out. The adult figure is encumbered by various toys while the child figure is almost completely free of the clutter in the mind. All of this is to remind me that it is not the tools or toys I have, but my connection to my client that is important. From the perspective of the therapist, the adult figure is one of the many tools the child client has to help let their light shine.
            The toys in this area represent the three main categories of play: acting-out / aggressive – release toys, real-life / nurturing toys, and creative expression / emotional release toys. The aggressive toys include: a fire-breathing dragon, sword, shield, a T-Rex, green army men, handcuffs, Thor’s hammer, a black thief mask, a space gun, and a drum. In the real life / nurturing category: a doctor bag, a stethoscope, a doll house, a baby doll, a wizard hat and magic wand, zoo animals, a flying unicorn, cars and trucks, and a video game controller. In the expressive/ creative category: a Mr. Potato Head, expressive hand puppets, different types of balls, and building blocks. Directive play items like board and card games are also represented near the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
            Finally, there are several non-toy related items to serve as reminders for me as a future therapist. The anchor serves as a reminder that limits and boundaries anchor us to reality. The map, compass, and magnifying glass represent looking for clues in the bigger picture. The binoculars are there to observe the child and their behavior. The “Slow Down and Play” is for adults to remember to connect to a younger version of themselves. The nesting dolls are a reminder to look for what is underneath a feeling or behavior. The electric plugs are there to make connections and help clients gain insight. The hand mirror is there to reflect what the client is saying or doing so they can see themselves. The Anxiety Umbrella is there to not only remind me of what are some ways anxiety can rain on our parade, but various umbrellas that cause different issues for different people.