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This 1.5-hour recorded webinar, in the form of a roundtable discussion, delves into the evolving landscape of diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness in mental health, exploring how to create a more inclusive and culturally sensitive clinical practice. Led by Lisa Dion, guest panelists Marshall Lyles, Liliana Baylon, and Robert Jason Grant will share their insights and expertise on a range of essential topics, fostering a deeper understanding of the role culture plays in the therapy process, embracing neurodiversity, and creating inclusive play spaces to cater to individual needs. *The course is provided by the Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation. The Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation is dedicated to helping make play therapy trainings accessible and affordable to clinicians worldwide and to funding research initiatives in Synergetic Play Therapy. The Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation provides scholarships to clinicians seeking post-graduate training in Synergetic Play Therapy or another play therapy model of their choosing. Scholarships are funded through donations from webinars, donors, and supporters of Play Therapy. By purchasing this course, you are making a direct donation to the Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation. All proceeds will contribute to future scholarships and to the foundation itself! Please scroll down for course details and objectives. -
While adoption is often seen as the solution to the problem of child maltreatment, the disruption of primary attachments is also a risk factor for children after placement. Play therapists can play an important role in recognizing the impact of these attachment wounds as well as themes of belonging and identity formation that become increasingly pressing for children as they grow up in adoptive families, foster families, and kinship adoption. In this session we will look at a prescriptive play therapy approach to this work including the themes that can emerge in the child’s play, approaching the traumatic history of disruption and placement through the attachment narratives, and how to support the adoptive parents in adjusting their expectations and strategies. Of special note will be the important considerations related to race, ethnicity, and culture that often impact the adoption kinship network and ways to invite those themes in the play therapy process. -
This workshop equips play therapists with practical, role-affirming strategies to strengthen collaboration with educators. You’ll discover how to support teachers in ways that honor their expertise and responsibilities—while still bringing your own clinical lens to the table. In compliance-heavy, high-stress environments, educators often feel unseen or overwhelmed. Together, we’ll examine how we may unintentionally be “shoulding” educators—adding to their stress—and explore how to instead foster empowerment, clarity, and authentic connection. Blending clinical insight with hands-on application, this session helps you partner with educators in ways that build trust, reduce overwhelm, and create space for growth. -
Play therapists often believe that they are lost in understanding the play and perspective of children in the play therapy process. This limitation leads to doubts about how to respond to children and how to conceptualize what is happening in play therapy. Through discovering themes of children and their play, a play therapist can empathically respond to the individual nature of each child client, leading to greater understanding in the therapeutic relationship. This webinar will offer the process for identification of themes, understanding the progression of theme resolution, and ways in which the play therapist can respond more accurately within session. Therapists will walk away knowing the typical themes that emerge in play therapy and a process by which they can learn to be more empathically attuned to their clients. -
This webinar will explore the myriad ways in which children show us the hard things that have happened to them. There are as many ways for children to share their pain with us as there are stories to be told. After three decades of Storykeeping, TraumaPlay has identified three primary posttraumatic play pathways that children use to create coherence in their internal narratives. These three pathways allow for play-based gradual exposure to occur while integrating thoughts, feelings, and sensory impressions connected to the trauma. TraumaPlay gives permission for a “yes, and” approach to the sometimes overwhelming question of whether to use directive or non-directive play therapy approaches with traumatized children and expands our conceptual framework for following the child’s need in trauma processing. -
This course supports play therapists as they learn about setting boundaries from a neurobiological perspective, keeping the child’s brain and nervous system activation in mind! Drawing from Interpersonal Neurobiology and Synergetic Play Therapy, participants will learn how to set boundaries without shaming the child or stopping the child’s play, allowing for deeper integration and connection. Working with emotional flooding (the child’s and the therapist’s) will also be explored. Please scroll down for course details. -
Sandtray therapy prominently features the art of reflecting. In fact, it may be the therapy skill most associated with the craft. However, we can become so accustomed to the language of reflecting that we can lose contact with its intent. In this course, you will explore the skill of reflecting through the lens of the attachment theory concept of reflective functioning. Marshall Lyles will walk you through examples honoring this intersection through use of the sand tray. Scroll down for all of the course details! -
When play therapy intersects with the legal system, play therapists often find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Navigating legal processes can be daunting without proper guidance, leaving therapists feeling uncertain and ill-prepared to advocate for their clients effectively. Learn what you need to know to steer through the legal system with ease and confidence. You’ll leave this presentation empowered to effectively advocate for your clients, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met. Scroll down for all of the course details! -
Children who have been sexually traumatized are often in need of our clinical services. Both directive and non-directive play therapy approaches provide these traumatized children with healing and the repair of losses associated with sexual trauma, such as innocence, trust, and appropriate boundaries. In this course you will develop your expertise and become a more effective advocate for your child clients with the knowledge and insight offered through this presentation. You will learn about sexual development in children, the psychological markers of sexual trauma, and the special issues these children present in play therapy, including: consulting with non-offending parents, dealing with the powerful impact of countertransference, and setting limits. Scroll down for all of the course details! -
Transgender and gender-diverse children face unique challenges in navigating their identities and experiences. Their families face challenges, too, but can often be fearful of voicing them due to worries about how others may perceive them. Clinicians are often well meaning but can do unintended harm due to the blind spots they are not aware of when working with this population. Play therapy offers a dynamic and effective approach to support these children and their families in understanding and expressing themselves in a safe and affirming environment, given the appropriate knowledge offered by the clinician. This workshop aims to equip therapists with the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to provide effective and affirming play therapy for transgender and gender-diverse children - and their families! Scroll down for all of the course details! -
This dynamic, two-hour video course delves into the intricate interplay between trauma, neurocognitive processes, and communication patterns, shedding light on the challenges therapists face when working with survivors of trauma, especially those from culturally diverse backgrounds or with language barriers. Did you know that trauma's profound impact on neurocognitive functioning can significantly influence communication dynamics within therapeutic settings? This, coupled with cultural and linguistic disparities, can pose an added challenge when trying to establish rapport and foster healing with clients, particularly among Limited English Proficient or Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals! Join Mila Golovine, President & CEO of Masterword. and Lisa Dion, Founder & President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute as they navigate the intersections of cultural competency, trauma-informed therapy, and effective communication strategies. You will also get insights into enhancing the therapeutic alliance, fostering better client engagement, and ultimately improving therapeutic outcomes! Key highlights include:- Understanding how trauma affects neurocognitive processes and communication patterns.
- Exploring cultural competence in therapy and its significance in trauma recovery.
- Identifying challenges and strategies for effective communication with clients from diverse backgrounds.
- Best practices for working with Limited English Proficient or Deaf/Hard of Hearing clients.
- Practical techniques to promote therapeutic alliance and engagement.
- Ethical considerations and sensitivity when utilizing interpreters in therapy sessions.
