Everyone has both strengths and weaknesses; the goal is to use our strengths to heal or reduce our weaknesses. Sometimes we simply haven't been prepared to learn from our mistakes. The good news is it can all heal whether it is from the far past, right now or a concern for the future.
We can touch and heal deep pain better with some levity so my style is casual and appropriately humorous. Kids easily engage in discovering toys, writing on the board and reporting on their parents and siblings mistakes which makes it easier to report their own. Kids of all ages appreciate silliness, so I may inject some therapeutic humor.
Identifying reasonable goals, doing homework outside of session and spreading sessions out as soon as is reasonable are some of the ways to better use our time together. When working with children I rarely see them without a parent or guardian in the room. Coaching you on being more effective using filial play therapy and other strategies works well.