3.5 Day Online Learning Retreat

• Explain “the Values” framework and discuss how this applies to the families you work with and yourself in play therapy
• Demonstrate how to work with fears as a way to develop yourself as a play therapist through the play therapy process
• Explain the importance of Interoception for developing the capacity for self regulation and co regulation in play therapy
• Identify the 5 types of reflection statements used in Synergetic Play Therapy® 
• Explain the 4 steps of how the Mirror Neuron system works in Synergetic Play Therapy® 
• Explain how attunement between therapist and child is essential in order to re-pattern the states of activation of the autonomic nervous system in a play therapy session.
• Determine how the play therapist’s ability to use mindfulness to be congruent and authentic in their language and non-verbal signals during play therapy sessions allows the child to feel safe in the relationship and engage in “reflective awareness”
• Discuss when a caregiver needs to be in a play therapy session and the key skills to teach the caregiver in order to be in the playroom
• Prepare and demonstrate how to explain a child’s symptoms through the lens of states of activation of the autonomic nervous system to caregivers
• Prepare and demonstrate how to explain the Synergetic Play Therapy Therapeutic Stages of Change to caregivers when discussing how to support their child
• Describe how to use the Synergetic Play Therapy Process of Change as a way to talk to caregivers about changes occurring in the play therapy process
• Explore how “shoulds” impact the ability to be authentic and attuned in the playroom
• Explore the attachment process from a Synergetic Play Therapy® lens and how to use this information to promote healing during a play therapy session

Planes of Possibility and Peaks and Plateaus in Synergetic Play Therapy

• Explain the concept of Planes of Possibility, Plateaus and Peak Experiences and their implication in play therapy 
• Describe how regulation during a play therapy session can change Plateau and Peak Experiences in the child’s brain
• Describe the importance of working “under the story” in order to change neural firing during a play therapy session
• Differentiate how transference and countertransference are an inevitable part of the play therapy experience and ways to begin to uncover earlier associated memories

Memory and Narratives and Rewiring through the Vagus Nerve in Synergetic Play Therapy 

• Discuss the difference between implicit and explicit memory and the importance of co-regulation to change the child’s neural pathways during a play therapy session
• Discuss how memory is impacted during a traumatic event and how the play therapist acts as the master puzzle maker and external regulator to help the child integrate their traumatic memories during a play therapy session
• Analyze how a play therapist’s own personal narrative can influence their ability to become the “external regulator” by decreasing their window of tolerance when certain emotions, thoughts and sensations arise in a play therapy session
• Assess how integration and co-regulation is influenced by the vagus nerve and discover two ways the vagus nerve can be strengthened during play therapy sessions

Emotions and the Mind in Synergetic Play Therapy

• Describe how emotions or “energy in motion” correspond with the nervous system states that arise during a play therapy session
• Identify specific questions play therapists can ask themselves when dysregulated in order to help integrate their perceptions and regulate their emotions during a play therapy session
• Discuss how regulating both the body and the mind are necessary in order to become the external regulator in a play therapy session

4.5 Day Online Learning Retreat 

• Describe the different development stages that a child goes through and how they show up during play therapy sessions
• Explain what regression looks like in the playroom and determine how to support a child when this occurs during a play therapy session
• Understand the importance of titrating the development of interoceptive awareness based on the child’s window of tolerance during a play therapy session
• Identify 4 clues to help identify the child’s emotional age in a play therapy session
• Prepare and demonstrate an understanding of the principles of Synergetic Play Therapy® theory through group presentations
• Demonstrate ways of using the sand in play therapy through non-directive and directive (Gestalt therapy) approaches
• Discuss and experience the connection between how a child plays with sand and art and their nervous system during a play therapy session
• Analyze the developmental stages of art and how to use this information to determine the emotional age of the child through their play therapy art process
• Demonstrate ways of using art in play therapy through non-directive and directive (Gestalt therapy) approaches
• Determine when a therapist might use Directive vs. Non-Directive interventions during a play therapy session

Sensory Processing in Synergetic Play Therapy

• Analyze the sensory system and how sensory difficulties show up during a play therapy session
• Determine how to view behaviors as clues to potential sensory sensitivities or challenges in play therapy
• Explore how to use Synergetic Play Therapy® with children on the sensory spectrum

Directive Interventions with Groups, Families, Teens, Siblings and Adults in Synergetic Play Therapy 

• Explain family systems from the lens of Nervous System states and the play therapist’s role as their external regulator in the playroom during a play therapy session
• Describe and discuss how to apply Synergetic Play Therapy® principles to groups
• Discuss ways to apply Synergetic Play Therapy® principles to Teens, Siblings and Adults

Endings and Transitions in Synergetic Play Therapy

• Discuss the “goodbye process” and how to facilitate it with caregivers and children in play therapy
• Describe what it means to be a Synergetic Play Therapist in a play therapy session
• Explain strategies and ending rituals for facilitating final play therapy sessions

Recognizing Empowerment in Synergetic Play Therapy

• Determine what empowerment is and how to recognize it in a play therapy session
• Describe the importance of tracking small moments of empowerment, as well as larger empowerment experiences in the child’s play therapy process
• Explain how to use directive interventions to help deepen a child’s experience of empowerment during a play therapy session