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Therapists and clinicians are always experiencing a secondary impact when working with clients who have experienced or are experiencing trauma, crisis, or challenge. A big statement, we know, but it's true. We can't avoid being impacted and it has a lot to do with the brain's mirror neuron system. When we're in the midst of listening or playing through the trauma with the child, we're tracking our client's non-verbal cues. And as we're tracking our client's non-verbal cues, their non-verbal cues are giving us insight into what is happening within them. THIS puts us directly IN the experience with our clients. We'll experience the fear together, the anxiety together, the sadness together, the overwhelm together - Whatever is going on, we'll experience it together including the trauma. That's why we would love to have you join us for this FREE 1-hour webinar to help you navigate the secondary traumatization that can often come along with this profession that we love! -
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. -
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the play therapist to act as the external regulator supporting the child to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration. This 3 hour video course explores this need during trauma integration for two primary reasons: 1) The child need to borrow the play therapist’s regulatory capacity as they work through their traumatic thoughts, feelings and sensations in play therapy and 2) The play therapist’s ability to regulate themselves during the intensity increases the capacity for presence and attunement with the child, while simultaneously supporting the health and longevity of their own nervous system. Without the ability of the play therapist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises during trauma integration, both the child and the play therapist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a play therapist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to a child in sessions. This course is a recording of a 3 hour live webinar with Trusted Provider Network. See course details below. -
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! -
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® in collaboration with PIP Solutions presents “Working with Adopted Children in Play Therapy”. Many adopted children have unique challenges which present in different ways in the playroom. Play Therapists can often feel unsure but are aware of the importance of responding through a different lens. In this course, there will be an emphasis on the importance of working with the child’s neuro-biological processes such as regulation and dys-regulation, as well as the importance of educating and working with the child’s adoptive parents.
