In this engaging 3-hour home study course, Lisa Dion explores adolescence through the lens of neuroscience, development, systems theory, and Synergetic Play Therapy. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the developing teenage brain, the role of the nervous system during this stage of life, and why assessing a young person’s emotional age—not just their chronological age—is essential to effective therapy.

Together, you’ll explore how to thoughtfully integrate both directive and non-directive interventions, respond to resistance with curiosity, and understand when play, conversation, creativity, or movement may best support the therapeutic process. Along the way, you’ll examine topics such as emotional versus chronological age, the dopamine system, the brain’s survival responses, regulation, values, identity development, and the Synergetic Play Therapy concept of the Set-Up.

Rather than asking, “How do I get a teenager to engage?” this course invites a different question: “What does this adolescent’s nervous system need in order to feel safe enough to explore, connect, and discover who they are becoming?” Through this lens, play therapy becomes a powerful way of supporting adolescents as they move toward greater authenticity, resilience, and integration.