Full Course Description
Polyvagal Meets Attachment-Centered Play Therapy: Engaging the Nervous System for Resilient and Socially Connected Children & Teens
You’ve likely witnessed moments in the playroom when a child suddenly withdraws, becomes anxious, or reacts defiantly, even while engaged in play therapy.
These reactions highlight the critical influence of biobehavioral states in the play therapy process.
In an engaging conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges, the developer of Polyvagal Theory, and Clair Mellenthin, creator of Attachment-Centered Play Therapy, you’ll gain essential insights into recognizing and adjusting these states to achieve better play therapy outcomes.
Through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, you’ll explore how your voice, facial expressions, posture, and movements affect both your and your client’s emotional states. By applying practical, play therapy strategies you’ll foster a calm, safe, and connected environment, empowering your young clients to fully engage in therapy and minimizing actions that could heighten defensiveness and hinder progress.
Join us for this transformative session and walk away with powerful, play-based tools to create meaningful breakthroughs for your young clients—don't miss the opportunity to elevate your play therapy practice!
Program Information
Objectives
- Determine the specific biobehavioral state of the client through voice, facial, expression, muscle tone, and posture in play therapy.
- Utilize signals of accessibility and calmness in play therapy that would promote in the client an optimal biobehavioral leading to a positive clinical outcome.
- Apply play therapy strategies to foster a calm, safe, and connected environment, empowering your young clients to fully engage in therapy.
Outline
Core Concept of Polyvagal Theory
- Biobehavioral state profoundly shapes behavior
S-O-R Model - Stimulus-Organism-Response
- Shift from Stimulus-Response to S-O-R emphasizes how a child’s autonomic state mediates response to stimuli
Three Autonomic States & Behavioral Implications in Play Therapy
- Social Engagement: calm, connected
- Fight-Flight: aggressive, oppositional
- Shutdown: withdrawn, avoidant
- Guide children into social engagement to support therapy and peer connection
Behavioral Manifestations in Children
- Resilient and Socially Connected: engage, co-regulate
- Aggressive, Oppositional: irritable, easily triggered
- Withdrawn, Avoidant: freeze, dissociate under stress
- Identify underlying states to tailor play therapy intervention
Neuroception - “Risk Detection System”
- Automatic process that senses safety or danger, adjusting autonomic state
- Create a safe, predictable play therapy space to promote calm and enable open engagement
Calming Autonomic State to Support Regulation in Play Therapy
- Grounding techniques, sensory tools, and routines help move a child toward regulation
Intervention Insight for Play Therapy
- Reducing sensory hypersensitivity is possible by calming the autonomic state
Risks & Limitations in Play Therapy
- Trauma histories may cause safety signals to unintentionally trigger vulnerability and defensiveness.
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Play Therapists
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Physical Therapists
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Speech-Language Pathologists
Copyright :
06/04/2025
Empowering Children Facing Cultural Trauma: Play Therapy Approaches to Build Resilience and Inspire Bravery
Many children of color carry the heavy weight of cultural and intergenerational trauma, often feeling isolated in their struggles and unable to express the complex emotions tied to their experiences. Play therapy offers a powerful avenue for them to process these challenges in a safe, expressive environment.
Join Carmen Jimenez-Pride and Catherine Denham for a play therapy workshop dedicated to helping children navigate their emotional landscapes and address the deep-rooted effects of cultural trauma through play therapy interventions.
You’ll explore principles from play therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and sandtray therapy to:
- Gain insights into the unique impacts of cultural trauma on children of color, including how systemic and intergenerational factors influence their emotional well-being and behaviors in play therapy settings.
- Cultivate a play therapy space that respects and celebrates diverse cultural backgrounds of children, ensuring their identities are acknowledged and integrated into therapeutic practices.
- Foster safety and trust in the play therapy relationship allowing children room for authentic expression and healing from past traumas.
You will learn how to create safe, empowering spaces that honor each child’s unique cultural identity within the play therapy setting.
Program Information
Objectives
- Examine play therapy and sandtray play therapy techniques to create a safe space for children to express complex emotions tied to cultural trauma.
- Integrate Internal Family Systems within play therapy to work through internalized parts carrying burdens of cultural trauma.
- Choose culturally sensitive play therapy interventions to support positive identity development for children of color.
Outline
Foundations of Cultural Trauma and Its Impact on Children in Play Therapy
- Cultural Trauma in Young Clients
- Cultural traumas unique impact on children of color
- Signs of cultural trauma in children within play therapy sessions
- Building a Culturally Affirming Play Therapy Space
- Create a play therapy environment that honors each child’s cultural identity
- Tools for fostering safety and trust to encourage authentic expression
Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) to Unburden Cultural Trauma
- Mapping Internalized Parts with IFS in Play Therapy
- Help children recognize internal parts burdened by cultural trauma (e.g., feelings of fear, shame)
- Guide children in understanding and externalizing these parts in play therapy
- Healing and Unburdening Techniques
- Play therapy activities to release burdens and find self-compassion
- IFS play strategies for empowering children in their healing journey
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Play Therapists
- Child Therapist
Copyright :
06/04/2025
Playful Curiosity for Building Resilience: 5 Essential Domains in Assessing Medical Trauma with Play Therapy
Medical trauma often arises from a child’s experiences with illness, medical procedures, or long-term treatments, significantly affecting their emotional well-being and attachment. Play therapy provides a valuable framework for helping children process these complex feelings in a safe, supportive environment.
In this engaging session, experts Liliana Baylon, LMFT-S, RPT-S, and Maria Laquerre-Diego, LMFT, RPT-S, address the unique challenges of medical trauma in play therapy. They’ll provide practical, play therapy-based interventions designed to foster resilience and curiosity, creating a safe space for children to process and heal from challenging experiences.
In this play therapy training, you’ll learn to:
- Assess Five Critical Domains Play Therapy:
- Medical history, birth/genetic factors, perception of diagnosis, social media influence (including self-diagnosis), and resource availability (medical, familial, educational, therapeutic) within the framework of play therapy.
- Integrate Assessments into Play Therapy:
- Targeted play therapy strategies that encourage children to share their medical experiences and trauma, enhancing therapeutic conversations.
- Recognize and Address Trauma Responses in Play Therapy:
- Common trauma responses in children and adolescents with interventions to help them express their fears and anxieties effectively.
Equip yourself with essential play therapy tools to make therapeutic conversations with young clients more impactful, helping them navigate their medical journeys more confidently and resiliently.
Program Information
Objectives
- Identify assessments used in play therapy to evaluate five critical domains—medical history, birth/genetic history, perception of diagnosis/disability, social media influence, and resource availability.
- Utilize play therapy to process experiences with medical personnel and feelings regarding diagnoses or disabilities.
- Choose play therapy interventions to address common trauma responses in children and adolescents related to medical trauma.
Outline
Medical Trauma: Foundations for Play Therapy Practice
- Medical trauma and its impact on children's emotional health.
- Signs and symptoms of medical trauma in play therapy settings.
Key Domains for Assessment in Play Therapy: A Comprehensive Framework
- Evaluate medical history, birth/genetic history, perception of diagnosis/disability, social media influence, and resource availability.
- Assessment tools for each domain to better understand client backgrounds.
Play Therapy Techniques: Engaging Young Clients in Healing
- Specific play therapy interventions that align with each assessment domain.
- Creative methods to facilitate conversations about medical experiences and emotional responses.
Social Media's Role: Navigating Modern Influences
- How social media affects children's perceptions of health and illness.
- Strategize ways to incorporate discussions of social media impact into play therapy sessions.
Trauma Responses: Fostering Expression and Resilience
- Common trauma responses in children and adolescents related to medical experiences.
- Play therapy techniques to help clients articulate their fears and anxieties in a safe space.
Risks and Limitations: Navigating Challenges in Practice
- Potential risks associated with assessment techniques and play therapy interventions.
Target Audience
- Play Therapists
- Case Managers
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
Copyright :
06/04/2025
Advancing Trauma Treatment in Play Therapy: Integrating Parts Work for Profound Healing with TraumaPlayâ„¢
Complex trauma can leave children feeling fragmented, making it challenging for them to experience a sense of self and wholeness. But with TraumaPlay™, we open the door to exploring the different parts of a child’s experience in play therapy through various portals: autonomic, emotional, somatic, cognitive, relational, and developmental.
Join Paris Goodyear-Brown, LCSW, RPT-S and creator of TraumaPlay™, as we dive into nuanced concepts in play therapy:
- Critical periods in parts development
- Narrative splintering Countertransference
- Dynamics between parent and therapist parts
You'll walk away equipped with impactful play therapy interventions designed to invite powerful integration of these parts within each component of TraumaPlay™—transformative tools that can be immediately applied to support children on their journey to healing and resilience!
Program Information
Objectives
- Utilize one play therapy parts work intervention for each core component of TraumaPlay.
- Use a parts work paradigm in play therapy for countertransference during posttraumatic play.
- Design Parts Work Interventions to engage children through play to integrate fragmented parts.
Outline
Introduction to the TraumaPlay™ Umbrella Framework
- Exploring different portals:
- autonomic, emotional, somatic, cognitive, relational, and developmental
Applying a Parts Paradigm in Play Therapy
- Understanding Parts
- Nuancing parent parts and child parts
- Dynamics of working with child and parent parts
Exploring Countertransference in Play Therapy
- Understanding Therapist Parts
- Identifying and managing countertransference
- Applying a parts work paradigm to the therapist's own experiences
Practical Play-Based Interventions
- Each Component of TraumaPlay™
- Autonomic regulation
- Emotional expression
- Somatic awareness
- Cognitive processing
- Relational development
- Developmental integration
- Utilizing Parts Work Interventions
- Engaging children through play to integrate fragmented parts
Scope of Practice in Play Therapy
- Ethical considerations in using TraumaPlay™
- Recognizing the limits of practice
Risks and Limitations
- Overview of the risks and limitations associated with TraumaPlay™ research
- Ensuring informed application in clinical settings
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Play Therapists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Case Managers
Copyright :
06/04/2025
Intergenerational Healing in Play Therapy: Rebuilding Family Bonds through Systemic Trauma and Attachment
Join renowned experts Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S, and Jessica Stone, Ph.D., RPT-S, for an engaging session that dives deep into the impact of generational trauma on attachment, family dynamics, and play therapy.
This lively presentation will guide you through the essential concepts behind systemic trauma and uncover the subtle ways it shapes your clients' relationships and behaviors in play therapy. Through an experiential exercise, you’ll encounter a transformative play therapy intervention you can put into action immediately, empowering you to strengthen and heal family systems directly in your play therapy practice.
Whether you're exploring these concepts for the first time or looking to expand your play therapy toolkit, this session will open new avenues to support families, equipping you with fresh insights and powerful play therapy tools to address trauma at its roots.
Don’t miss out—join us and bring renewed vision and transformative play therapy techniques back to your clients!
Program Information
Objectives
- Evaluate and assess the level of impact of systemic and generational trauma on attachment and family dynamics and apply to the play therapy treatment plan.
- Apply one or more activities designed to foster secure attachment and promote generational healing into your play therapy practice.
- Show how generational patterns influence client attachment styles, especially in child-focused play therapy sessions.
Outline
Understanding Systemic and Generational Trauma in Play Therapy
- Key concepts of systemic and generational trauma within the context of play therapy
- Generational patterns influence client attachment styles, especially in child-focused play therapy sessions
- Clinical Takeaway: Develop an awareness of the pervasive impact of trauma beyond the individual, helping clients, through play therapy, understand their struggles
Attachment Dynamics and Family Systems in Play Therapy
- Link between generational trauma and attachment disruptions, particularly in children and families engaged in play therapy
- Systemic influences shape family dynamics and relationships, impacting the play therapy process
- Clinical Takeaway: Use insights from play therapy to guide clients in understanding their attachment behaviors and relational challenges
Experiential Exercise: Fostering Secure Attachment in Play Therapy
- Introduction to a practical exercise within play therapy that promotes self-knowledge and secure attachment
- Participate in a hands-on play therapy activity designed for immediate application in your practice
- Clinical Takeaway: Equip yourself with a ready-to-use play therapy intervention to help clients, particularly children and families, work through relational trauma and strengthen family bonds
Engaging Families in Trauma Work through Play Therapy
- Importance of involving family members in trauma-informed care, particularly through play therapy approaches
- Strategies for encouraging family participation in play therapy to enhance the healing process
- Clinical Takeaway: Learn techniques for involving family members effectively in play therapy while respecting client autonomy
Risks and Limitations of Research and Techniques Taught in Play Therapy
- Current research on systemic and generational trauma in play therapy
- Potential challenges and ethical considerations when applying these play therapy techniques in practice
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Play Therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Teachers/School-Based Personnel
- Nurses
- Occupational Therapists
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Physical Therapists
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Speech-Language Pathologists
Copyright :
06/05/2025
The Intersection of Sexual Trauma and Play Therapy: Interventions for Treating the Complexities of Abuse
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a heartbreaking reality that many clinicians encounter throughout their careers. As play therapists, we’re in a unique position to create healing spaces for these young survivors.
Join Sueann Kenney-Noziska, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S, specializing in clinical practice with abused, maltreated, and traumatized children and families for an engaging and insightful workshop utilizing a trauma-informed cognitive behavioral play therapy (CBPT) lens to examine the intersection of play therapy and childhood sexual abuse.
She’ll dive into the short- and long-term effects of CSA on children and adolescents, equipping you with the knowledge and play therapy tools to make a difference in their lives.
In this must-see session, you’ll:
- Gain an understanding of the dynamics and impacts of CSA, through the lens of play therapy, grounded in current literature and research.
- Explore case examples that highlight the unique challenges and strengths of children who have experienced CSA with a focus on how play therapy can support their healing.
- Discover play therapy interventions specifically designed to address the complex emotional and behavioral responses arising from trauma.
- Learn to maintain a clinically sound and theoretically grounded play therapy practice that prioritizes the well-being of your young clients.
Together, let’s transform the narrative of trauma into a journey of resilience, healing, and hope through the power of play therapy!
Program Information
Objectives
- Examine current research findings on using play therapy to treat childhood sexual abuse.
- Determine ways in which play therapy can be utilized for children & adolescents who have been victims of childhood sexual abuse.
- Choose trauma-informed cognitive behavioral play therapy (CBPT) interventions for victims of childhood sexual abuse.
Outline
Case Example of the Intersection of Play Therapy and Childhood Sexual Abuse
What Therapists and Play Therapists Need to Know About CSA
- And Its Impact on Children and Adolescents
Clinical Considerations and a Review of Current Research/Studies
- For The Frontline Play Therapist
Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy Interventions
- Case Examples and Experiential Learning
Limitation Of Research and Interventions When Using Play Therapy
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Play Therapists
Copyright :
06/05/2025
Transforming Fragmented Parts through Play Therapy for Dissociative Children & Youth
A traumatized child’s use of dissociation has a profound influence on relationships for the rest of their lives. Play therapy offers a safe projective space for all the parts of the child to gradually increase connection internally and to others.
We will get to the heart of how this fragmentation of the self can be recognized through our case examples within a play therapy framework and offer practical play therapy tools, including Gestalt play therapy and other prescriptive play therapy invitations to move the child towards healing. Our play therapy-based techniques help children describe their inner life, including fragmented self-states and lay the groundwork for trauma processing. You will:
- Be able to recognize and describe core dissociative symptoms as they present in the play therapy room and describe examples of how they form
- Learn how to talk to parents about the aggressive and defiant parts of the child and promote attachment repair through play therapy
- See how to apply a “parts work” perspective though play therapy with dolls, sandtray and movement to support trauma processing
Program Information
Objectives
- Utilize 3 strategies to engage parents and caregivers in recognizing and managing dissociative symptoms as they present in the play therapy room and at home.
- Apply 3 prescriptive play therapy activities to explore dissociative parts and encourage internal cooperation.
- Assess formal and informal screening for dissociative symptoms.
Outline
Applying the Lens of Dissociation in Play Therapy
- Apply formal and informal screening for dissociative symptoms
- Connect how dissociative parts relate to the neurobiology of trauma
- Mobilize caregivers as agents in their child’s healing through involvement in play therapy and processing
Inviting Parts to Play and Heal in the Play Therapy Setting
- A parts lens to respond to child’s projective play through a case example and video clip
- Sand tray prompt to encourage parts to come together in the sand tray play therapy with an experiential demonstration
- Play therapy setting for a titrated approach to healing from trauma as described in a case example, including movement and play
Grounding these topics in current research and the limitations of comparative clinical research in children
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Play Therapists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- School Administrators
- Social Workers
- School-Based Personnel
Copyright :
06/05/2025
Play Therapy for Adoptive Children and Families: Navigating the Seven Core Issues in Adoption to Create Healthy Self-Expression, Attachment, and Trauma Healing
Adoption introduces unique emotional and behavioral complexities that significantly shape a child's needs and experiences.
When working with adopted children in play therapy, understanding the Seven Core Issues in Adoption—loss, rejection, guilt/shame, grief, identity, intimacy, and mastery/control—is essential for effective intervention.
Join Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker, PsyD, a licensed psychologist and international/transracial adoptee, and adoptive parent alongside Sabra Starnes, LCSW, RPT-S, a transracial adoptee and adoptive parent with over 24 years of experience as an adoption therapist, as they bring unique perspectives and extensive expertise in adoption-related issues in play therapy.
You’ll learn how various adoption types—foster, domestic, kinship, and international; same-race and transracial; open, semi-open, and closed—can shape the content and dynamics of your play therapy sessions and influence how children express themselves and navigate their relationships.
Gain actionable insights, enriched play therapy techniques such as bibliotherapy, backstory exploration, Theraplay and more, and discover a deeper empathy for the unique experiences of adopted children.
Don’t miss this session to enhance your clinical skills and support the well-being of adopted youth and their caregivers in meaningful ways.
Program Information
Objectives
- Determine common behavioral patterns that arise in adopted youth during play therapy sessions through the framework of the Seven Core Issues in Adoption.
- Utilize four play therapy techniques to help children and their caregivers process core adoption-related issues.
- Assess and process complex emotions related to identity, grief, or control through symbolic play and specific therapeutic activities.
Outline
Common Types of Adoption and How They May Influence the Content of Play Therapy Sessions
- Foster, Domestic, Kinship, International
- Same-Race, Transracial
- Open, Semi-Open, Closed
Seven Core Issues: Loss, Rejection, Guilt/Shame, Grief, Identity, Intimacy, and Mastery/Control
- How each can influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in adopted children
Play Therapy Techniques: Impact on Play Therapy
- Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors: The Seven Core adoption issues can manifest as emotional dysregulation, attachment difficulties, or behavioral challenges. These are expressed in play therapy through themes of loss, rejection, or control.
- Emergence in Play Therapy: Offers a safe space to explore and process complex emotions related to identity, grief, or control through symbolic play and specific therapeutic activities.
- Play Therapy Interventions:
- Bibliotherapy: Using stories to help children process their adoption experiences.
- Backstory: Exploring the child’s adoption narrative for healing.
- Theraplay: Building attachment and relational connections.
- Sandtray Therapy: Symbolically expressing emotions using sand and miniatures.
Adoption experiences are diverse, and the research and techniques presented in this course may not fully address each client's unique circumstances. Clinicians who apply generalized assumptions about adoption risk overlook critical nuances in their clients' individual needs.
Target Audience
- Play Therapists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
Copyright :
06/05/2025
Play Therapy with the Modern Family: Healing Trauma, Honoring Identity, and Strengthening Resilience Across Diverse Dynamics
As family dynamics evolve, we're seeing more diverse structures in play therapy—single-parent households, biracial families, grandparents raising children, LGBTQ+ parents, and other non-heteronormative arrangements.
As therapists, it's essential that our play therapy approaches honor these unique family structures, ensuring that every child and caregiver feels seen, supported, and empowered.
Join experts Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S, and Holly Willard, LCSW, RPT-S to explore innovative play therapy techniques tailored for modern families experiencing challenges such as:
- Navigating identity and belonging in biracial and LGBTQ+ families
- Addressing trauma and loss in single-parent or grandparent-led households
- Fostering attachment and communication skills among diverse family structures
...offering a fresh perspective on healing and resilience for the unique needs of modern families!
This cutting-edge workshop provides a creative play therapy toolbox of tips and techniques, all grounded in attachment theory, providing valuable insights into family dynamics.
Program Information
Objectives
- Determine the application of attachment theory within the unique dynamics of modern family systems in play therapy.
- Determine the developmental stages of attachment needs and behaviors in play therapy to identify maladaptive responses in children and families.
- Choose two play therapy strategies aimed at fostering resilience within modern family systems.
Outline
Foundations of Attachment Theory in Play Therapy
- Overview of attachment theory and its relevance to modern family systems
- Attachment needs across developmental stages
- Case studies: Identifying attachment responses in diverse family structures
Play Therapy Techniques to Address Parent-Child Conflict
- Serve and Return
- Play techniques that enhance parent-child connection and resolve conflict
- Small group practice and feedback
Strategies for Resilience and Healing
- Examine the psychological impact of trauma on attachment
- Implement two resilience-based play therapy strategies to foster family cohesion and healing
- Guided imagery exercises to bolster self-esteem and self-worth
- Interactive group discussion and case examples
Target Audience
- Play Therapists
- Case Managers
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
Copyright :
06/06/2025
The Way of Play: A Neuro-Filial Approach to Repair Parent-Child Bonds and Build Trauma Resilience in Play Therapy
Join play therapist Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT RPT-S, co-author of upcoming The Way of Play (with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson) for an innovative approach to strengthening parent-child relationships through play therapy, trauma resilience, and brain development.
In this groundbreaking session Georgie equips you with play therapy strategies to support young clients and families facing stress, dysregulation, chaos and conflict.
You’ll learn to:
- Engage and retain caregivers in play therapy, even those initially resistant.
- Use creative filial play therapy techniques to foster neuroplasticity and inspire hope after trauma.
- Apply play therapy strategies to help children move from reactivity to resilience.
Georgie’s approach combines talk-based parenting support with play therapy, offering tools that build emotional skills, self-awareness, empathy, and more. Through case studies, videos, and lively demonstrations, she’ll show you how to help parents reframe challenging behaviors, promote relational growth, and transform everyday moments into powerful opportunities for post-traumatic healing.
Program Information
Objectives
- Choose 3 filial play therapy strategies to engage parents and caregivers and increase positive interactions with their children.
- Integrate 3 filial play therapy activities to reduce family reactivity and enhance parents’ and caregivers’ responsiveness to their children’s stress-related behaviors.
- Utilize creative filial play therapy techniques to foster neuroplasticity after trauma.
Outline
Defining Neuro-Filial Play Therapy, Attachment and Trauma
- Neuro-Filial Therapy
- Major Attachment Styles/ Research
- Developmental Effects of Trauma
- Assessment: Parent Child Interactions
- Why Engage Parents/Caregivers in Neurofilial Therapy
- Beyond Engagement: Parents as Play Therapy Partners
- Beyond Play: Parents as Therapeutic Play Therapy Agents
- Review of Efficacy Studies
- Assessment: Parent Child Interactions
Neuro-Filial Play Therapy and Parenting for Trauma Recovery and Resilience Strategies for Parents and Clinicians
- Think Out Loud (Mentalization of Self-Other)
- Make Yourself a Mirror (Attunement and Empathy)
- Bring Emotions to Life (Emotional Awareness)
- Dial Intensity Up or Down (Sensory and Emotion Regulation)
- Set Playtime Parameters (Behavioral Flexibility)
- Scaffold and Stretch (Executive Skills and Resilience)
- Narrate to Integrate (Trauma Narrative Re-Integration)
Tracking and Evaluating Therapeutic Change
Copyright :
06/06/2025
Affirming Play Therapy Approaches - The Agent of Change for Neurodivergent Kids
Neurodivergent children (autistic, ADHD, learning differences, sensory differences) represent a unique and large part of the population of children that participate in therapy, yet their needs are often misunderstood and neglected, not reaching their needed therapy goals.
Dr. Robert Jason Grant, creator of AutPlay Therapy, will share his 20+ years of experience in the field to explain the concepts of neurodiversity, ableism, neurodivergence, and how to be neurodiversity affirming. Many therapists often unintentionally implement interventions and techniques which can be harmful for neurodivergent children. Dr. Grant will share how to provide affirming approaches which give the child a voice, value the self of the child, empower the child, use play preferences as the agent of change, and address therapy needs and goals.
Your ability to recognize affirming vs. harmful interventions highlights the difference between effective vs. problematic play therapy work with neurodivergent children. This recorded session will provide you with the application of affirming play therapy processes to help neurodivergent clients grow and heal in their mental health goals while empowering the therapist to feel confident in their service to this most vulnerable population.
Program Information
Objectives
- Analyze the concepts of neurodiversity, neurodivergence, and neurodiversity affirming application regarding practical use in play therapy sessions.
- Support how play therapy theories and approaches can be implemented to be neurodiversity affirming and address clinical outcomes.
- Demonstrate at least 5 play therapy interventions that would exemplify neurodiversity affirming principles.
Outline
- Neurodiversity
- A paradigm and movement
- Variations and differences in neurotypes
- The neurodivergent client
- Neurodiversity Affirming
- Ableist vs affirming play therapist
- Affirming play therapy theories and play techniques
- Strength-based approaches
- Affirming Play Therapy
- Needs, healing, and growth outcomes
- Doing no harm
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Mental Health Clinicians
- Play Therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- School Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
05/13/2022
Integrating ShadowPlay in Play Therapy: A Creative Path to Safe Self-Expression for Teens
The shadow is our hidden self beneath our conscious awareness, influencing our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions in ways we often don’t fully understand. Play therapy offers a powerful avenue to examine the shadow.
And, with the rise of shadow work on social media, more teens are exploring this practice, but without proper guidance from the powerful framework of play therapy, this journey can lead to confusion, retraumatization, and even suicidal ideation.
Join Cherie Spehar, licensed clinical social worker to discover ShadowPlay™—an ethical, engaging framework that uses expressive arts and play therapy to help teens safely explore and integrate shadow aspects.
You’ll learn:
- A creative, ethical framework for guiding teens in shadow exploration in play therapy
- Depth-psychology insights and ethical considerations in shadow work play therapy
- Play therapy strategies that foster autonomy and safety in and self-exploration
This presentation transforms shadow work and play therapy into a safe, insightful journey of self-discovery for teens.
Program Information
Objectives
- Choose expressive arts play therapy techniques, like shadow boxes and art journaling, to safely guide teens through shadow exploration.
- Integrate shadow work into play therapy with adolescents within an ethical framework to ensure emotional safety and age-appropriateness.
- Use pacing play therapy strategies to mitigate the risks of emotional overwhelm or retraumatization in teens engaging in shadow work.
Outline
Introduction to Adolescent Shadow Work
- Authentic understanding of the Shadow - unique relevance for teens
- Risks of Unguided Shadow Work in Play Therapy
- Why teens are drawn to shadow work and the emotional risks involved
Risks, Pacing, and Integration in Play Therapy
- Dangers of Overloading the Psyche
- Power of pacing and exploratory processes
- Meaning of integrating shadow aspects back into their conscious selves
- Foundational knowledge - appropriately pace and ensure proper integration
Ethics and Safety in Shadow Work
- Considerations for Shadow Work: Real-world examples
- How to hold space and support autonomy
- Ethically implement shadow work in your play therapy practice
ShadowPlay Play Therapy Process
- Steps and process of Shadow Play
- Practical tools and creative play therapy techniques to safely support in shadow exploration
Case Example and Discussion
- ShadowPlay to successfully guide a teen through shadow work.
- Reflection on how they can apply these methods in their own practice.
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Play Therapists and Expressive Arts Therapists
- Psychologists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- School Counselors
- Youth Workers
Copyright :
04/28/2025
Polyvagal and Play Therapy: Inside Out Approaches for Sensory & Somatic Regulation
Many clinicians are overwhelmed by the thought of integrating neuroscience into their work with children, and this course will demonstrate how important it is, and that it can be done in a playful, child-friendly way! Polyvagal theory, when integrated with expressive arts, body movement & play therapy, provides a unique avenue to teach children how to recognize their bodily nervous system states…and that they can change it with the help of good co-regulators teaching the way. Many educators and clinicians are at a loss in how to apply this knowledge, as it is often written in a tough-to-digest manner.This play therapy workshop will meet the needs of consumers by giving them not only application of knowledge, but also the ability to create tools in their schools or offices in a child friendly manner.
Program Information
Objectives
- Demonstrate an understanding of the components of polyvagal theory as they relate to play therapy and the therapeutic powers of play.
- Determine the therapeutic benefits of using creative methods, such as a brain hat, and mind & body connection log, in play therapy with children.
- Evaluate the benefits of role-play with children to help them learn to identify the body and senses to help change their states in their autonomic systems.
- Demonstrate the need to use movement & rhythm through the polyvagal framework and how it relates to play therapy.
Outline
Healing the Trauma Brain - Rewiring Broken Connections
- Therapeutic powers of play therapy
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion within play therapy & the body
- Foster emotional wellness
Polyvagal Theory & The Vagus Nerve Superhighway
- Nervous system is a bi-directional communication
- Always on alert for cues of safety/danger
- Ms. Polly VagaleTM & Neuro-Ception of Safety - getting to know your senses
Somatic & Sensory Strategies in Play Therapy
- Role Play, Rhythm & Movement
- Brain/body connection - expressive arts
- Create your own puzzle brain hat & body & brain detective tracker
- Manage somatic distress and big emotions with play therapy
- Co-regulate with kids – role play/mirroring
Target Audience
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Play Therapists
School Administrators
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Copyright :
05/10/2023