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Adoption Themes in Play Therapy

Adoption is a deeply meaningful experience, but it is also one that can carry complex layers of attachment, loss, identity, belonging, and connection. As children grow and develop, these experiences may emerge in the playroom in subtle and unexpected ways, inviting therapists to look beyond the play itself to the stories children are working to understand and integrate.

1 CE Credit Hour, NBCC Content Areas: Counseling Theory/Practice and the Counseling Relationship, Human Growth and Development, Social and Cultural Foundations CE Credit Hours

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Adoption Themes in Play Therapy

Adoption Themes in Play Therapy

In this 1-hour home study course, guest teacher Ann Beckley-Forest explores common adoption themes that arise in play therapy and offers a thoughtful, prescriptive approach to supporting children and their families. You’ll examine attachment wounds that may influence a child’s emotional and relational experiences, learn how attachment narratives can be used therapeutically to promote healing, and explore ways to partner with adoptive parents as they navigate their child’s evolving needs.

The course also highlights the important roles that race, ethnicity, culture, and belonging can play in the lives of adopted children. You’ll discover ways to thoughtfully invite these conversations into the therapeutic process, creating space for children and families to explore identity with openness, curiosity, and care.

Grounded in attachment theory and the healing power of play, this course offers practical insights for recognizing the themes that emerge in adoption work and responding in ways that honor each child’s unique story and relationships.

Presenter

Ann Beckley-Forest

Why Add SPT to Your Practice?

  • “I personally took a lot out of this [program], not all of it was new, but what was new was extremely useful and impactful. What wasn’t new was an excellent reminder to go back to my roots of attachment and emotional work when working with children just like I have worked with youth and adults over the years but in a slightly different context. My entire team has felt the positive impact of this training on our work and we are very happy that we all did it at the same time. We will be able to continue to practice it together and that is very exciting.”

    Mike Smith

  • “This experience has been validating to my entire human experience, and offered a clear framework to better connect with myself, client, and world! I know this was only the tip of the iceberg into integrating these powerful concepts, and I’m so hooked, I’ve already signed up for certification to continue my journey!”

    Jessie Brockmeier

  • “It’s been over 2 years since I took the Synergetic Play Therapy [program]. One of the best choices I’ve ever made. The magnitude of deeply attuning with our clients…and ourselves…is immeasurable!”

    Jackie Flynn
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Cost

$35 USD

*All proceeds from this course will be donated to the Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation and will go toward future scholarships and the Foundation itself. Registrations for this course are handled by the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute.

The Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to helping make play therapy trainings accessible and affordable to clinicians worldwide, as well as to fund research initiatives in Synergetic Play Therapy. Discover ways to donate to scholarship funds and current research projects by visiting the Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation website.

 

About

A 1-hour home study course teaching the adoption themes in play therapy. 

 

Home Study Course
  • Describe 2 examples of attachment wounds that play therapists should be attending to in play therapy
  • Describe a prescriptive play therapy approach to healing attachment wounds through play therapy attachment narratives
  • Describe the process for play therapists broaching and responding to themes of belonging related race, ethnicity and culture within adoptive families 

You will have access to this course for 365 days from the date of purchase. Access to this course and its content will expire at that time.

 

 

Ann Beckley-Forest, LCSW, RPT-S is an Approved Provider of Play Therapy continuing education and EMDR Consultant and Trainer in Buffalo, New York, specializing in child trauma and dissociation. She provides play therapy, trauma training, and consultation around the world. She is the co-founder of Playful EMDR and co-editor of EMDR with Children in the Play Therapy Room, as well as being a proud adoptive parent.

Synergetic Play Therapy Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7450. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Synergetic Play Therapy Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Synergetic Play Therapy Institute is also an Approved Provider for the following associations:
*Australian Play Therapists Association (APTA) Approved Provider
*British Columbia Play Therapy Association (BCPTA) Approved Provider 23-01

Continuing education credit hours may be awarded to graduate-level counselors or students enrolled in a graduate-level mental health program. If you do not qualify for continuing education credit hours and would like to receive a certificate of completion for this program, please contact the Institute directly.

Fees are non-refundable, but are transferable to other courses. You will not receive CE credit hours for this course should you choose to transfer your enrollment to another course. Please contact the Institute should you have any questions or concerns. 

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