Tracking in Child-Centered Play Therapy: What It Is, What It Isn't, and What to Say

Tracking in child-centered play therapy is the skill of verbally noting what a child is doing without interpretation, praise, or judgment. It communicates presence and attunement while keeping the therapist out of the child's lead. Tracking is not narrating everything the child does, asking questions, or offering praise, it's a deliberate, attuned response that follows the child's tempo and communicates: I see you and I am with you.