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Creating Coherent Narratives in TraumaPlay: Posttraumatic Play and the Pathways of Pursuit

Children rarely tell the story of trauma with words alone. Instead, they communicate through play—returning to experiences, relationships, sensations, and emotions in ways that help them gradually make sense of what has happened. Learning to recognize these patterns can help therapists more fully attune to the child’s healing process and respond in ways that support integration rather than overwhelm.

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

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Creating Coherent Narratives in TraumaPlay: Posttraumatic Play and the Pathways of Pursuit

Creating Coherent Narratives in TraumaPlay: Posttraumatic Play and the Pathways of Pursuit

In this 1-hour home study course, guest teacher Paris Goodyear-Brown introduces the three primary posttraumatic play pathways within the TraumaPlay™ model. You’ll explore how children use these pathways to engage in play-based gradual exposure, organize their internal experiences, and create greater coherence in their trauma narratives. As you learn to recognize these moment-to-moment shifts in the playroom, you’ll also discover how your therapeutic use of self can adapt to meet the child’s changing needs.

This course also offers a refreshing perspective on one of play therapy’s most common questions: Should I be directive or non-directive? Through the TraumaPlay™ framework, you’ll explore a flexible “yes, and” approach that honors the child’s lead while thoughtfully integrating directive interventions when they support the therapeutic process.

By deepening your understanding of posttraumatic play, you’ll become better equipped to recognize the pathways children naturally use to process difficult experiences and to respond in ways that foster safety, integration, and healing.

Presenter

Paris Goodyear-Brown

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 different TraumaPlay pathways. 

 

Home Study Course
  • Differentiate three TraumaPlay pathways in which children may engage in play-based gradual exposure and posttraumatic play
  • Determine which TraumaPlay pathway is being embraced by individual clients on a moment-to-moment basis in the playroom
  • Match therapeutic use of self to the chosen pathway of the child

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.

Paris Goodyear-Brown, LCSW, RPT-S is the creator of TraumaPlay™, the Executive Director of the TraumaPlay Institute, the Clinical Director of Nurture House, a guest lecturer with Vanderbilt University and President-Elect of TNAPT. She is a TedTalk speaker, an internationally renowned speaker, a master clinician, and a prolific writer. She has received the TNAPT Lifetime Achievement Award and her thirteenth book, Big Behaviors in All Containers: 105+ Trauma-Informed Play Therapy Interventions for Working with Dysregulated Children AND Their Dysregulated Grown-Ups launches in February, 2026 during Play Therapy Week. She delights in training trauma clinicians around the globe and treating traumatized children and families at Nurture House.

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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