# S3E43 - Reverse Pandora's Box: Can My Child Lose the Progress They've Made in Therapy?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-parenting-real-parenting-questions-answered-by-a-child-therapist-845974/s3e43-reverse-pandora-s-box-can-my-child-lose-the-progress-they-ve-made-in-therapy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-parenting-real-parenting-questions-answered-by-a-child-therapist-845974/s3e43-reverse-pandora-s-box-can-my-child-lose-the-progress-they-ve-made-in-therapy.md
Podcast: [Play Therapy Parenting: Real Parenting Questions Answered by a Child Therapist](https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-parenting-real-parenting-questions-answered-by-a-child-therapist-845974)
Published: 2026-05-14T19:51:00+00:00
Episode link: https://thekidcounselor.libsyn.com/s3e43-reverse-pandoras-box-can-my-child-lose-the-progress-theyve-made-in-therapy
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thekidcounselor/PlayTherapyParenting_3_43_ReversePandorasBox.mp3?dest-id=689050
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/play-therapy-parenting-real-parenting-questions-answered-by-a-child-therapist-845974/episodes/s3e43-reverse-pandora-s-box-can-my-child-lose-the-progress-they-ve-made-in-therapy
Duration seconds: 537

## Resource

In this episode of the Parent Companion for Play Therapy series, I talk about one of the biggest fears parents have after things begin improving: "What if we go backwards?" When life becomes calmer and more regulated, many parents worry that their child could suddenly return to the same level of anxiety, aggression, or emotional chaos they experienced before therapy. I explain why that fear is understandable—but why true growth in child-centered play therapy does not simply disappear. I introduce the concept of reverse Pandora's box to explain how healing works in CCPT. Children cannot "unlearn" the coping skills, resilience, emotional vocabulary, self-esteem, and regulation they develop through the therapeutic process. Once those capacities are built, they become part of who the child is moving forward. While children may still face hard seasons or need occasional "booster" sessions, they are never starting back at zero. This episode is meant to encourage parents that the growth their child experiences is lasting and continues to serve them long after therapy ends. Ask Me Questions: Call ‪(813) 812-5525‬, or email: brenna@thekidcounselor.com My Book: Device Detox: A Parent's Guide To Reducing Usage, Preventing Tantrums, And Raising Happier Kids - https://a.co/d/bThnKH9 Podcast HQ: https://www.playtherapyparenting.com/ My Newsletter Signup: https://www.playtherapyparenting.com/newsletter/ My Podcast Partner, Gabb Wireless: https://www.playtherapyparenting.com/gabb/ Common References: Landreth, G.L. (2023). Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship (4th ed.). Routledge. Landreth, G.L., & Bratton, S.C. (2019). Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (2nd ed.). Routledge.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/play-therapy-parenting-real-parenting-questions-answered-by-a-child-therapist-845974/episodes/s3e43-reverse-pandora-s-box-can-my-child-lose-the-progress-they-ve-made-in-therapy/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-parenting-real-parenting-questions-answered-by-a-child-therapist-845974/s3e43-reverse-pandora-s-box-can-my-child-lose-the-progress-they-ve-made-in-therapy.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.