Play Therapy Parenting Podcast

Dr. Brenna Hicks, known professionally as The Kid Counselor, has spent her career working with children through play therapy -- a clinical approach that uses play as the primary way kids express feelings and process experiences. Her podcast translates that professional expertise into guidance parents can use at home. Episodes are notably concise, often around 10-15 minutes, and each one zeroes in on a single topic: how birth order shapes personality, what a child’s drawing might tell you about their emotional state, why time-outs sometimes backfire, or how to respond when your kid shuts down instead of talking. The play therapy lens sets this apart from general parenting advice shows. Instead of telling parents what rules to set, Dr. Hicks explains how children actually think and communicate, then works backward to practical strategies. She uses case examples from her clinical practice (anonymized, naturally) to illustrate points, which makes the advice feel grounded rather than abstract. The show has been running since 2018 with over 200 episodes in the catalog, updating weekly. It carries a 4.8-star rating. Parents who have felt frustrated that their kids will not just talk about it will find this show particularly useful -- the whole premise is that kids tell you everything, just not always with words.