Events

Friday, April 8, 2022
Play Reveals What Words Conceal: Using Play Therapy to Confront What Families Avoid

Nick Cornett
Nick Cornett, PhD

Progress in therapy often requires children and families address feelings and experiences that generate significant discomfort. How can we help children and families face what they tend to avoid? How can we promote more congruent family communication? In this workshop, participants will strengthen their knowledge and skills in working with families through play therapy. Participants will learn how to identify problematic family system dynamics that tend to interfere with family communication, such as family secrets, family rules, and communication stances. Participants will learn strategies for promoting congruent family communication through utilizing foundational play therapy skills and family play therapy activities. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to assess and promote their own congruent communication as play therapists as they apply the concepts and strategies to themselves through experiential exercises.

Saturday April 9, 2022
Family Ties: Using Family Play Therapy to Loosen Binds and Strengthen Bonds

Research reinforces the critical relationship between childhood family functioning and individual wellbeing throughout the lifespan (Bastiaansen et al., 2005; Felitti et al., 1998; Kessler et al., 2010; Paradis et al., 2011). Despite the increasing recognition of the importance of family-oriented clinical practices, research suggests that children are often left out of family therapy, and families are often left out of play therapy (Haslam & Harris, 2011; Sori & Sprenkle, 2004). This workshop will explore how family play therapy can be utilized to assess and to strengthen family relationships. Participants will explore rationale for using family play therapy, how to prepare for family play therapy, and how to process family play therapy sessions. Participants will be exposed to example family play therapy techniques, and case examples will be provided to demonstrate applications of family play therapy.

Optional Workshop: Friday April 8th. 4:30-6:30 pm Play Therapy Supervision: Regulating Up and Down with Our Supervisees
Susan Bundy-Myrow, Ph.D., RPT-S and David Myrow, Ph.D., RPT-S
2 supervision CEs

With an eye to the parallel process where the play therapy client, the supervisee and the supervisor are dynamically linked, this workshop uses the frameworks provided by Theraplay® and Polyvagal practice to explore the play therapy supervision experience. As play therapy supervisors, we provide a holding environment, in which safety and acceptance offer our students an opportunity to explore and develop their professional identity and orientation. In the process, both the supervisory relationship and the provision of play therapy activate our own physiological and emotional responses. Experiential activities will help bring home how these insightful methods can enhance our work in play therapy.