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Helping a child heal involves helping them be themselves. One of the best ways to foster this type of environment is to cultivate safety. The therapist knowing the playroom is safe is not enough; the child must know it, too. This course explores what a neuroception of safety is and how to create it within the child and yourself.

Some children don’t cling. They don’t protest. They appear independent, self-contained, even unaffected. Yet beneath that independence often lives profound shame and a deep fear of rejection.

Children with avoidant or dismissive attachment patterns learned early that needing others was unsafe. In the playroom, this can show up as distance, compliance, control, or emotional flatness within the therapeutic relationship.

This one-hour home study course, drawing from the principles of Synergetic Play Therapy, will examine the neurobiological and relational foundations of avoidant attachment and explore how to work effectively with these children — not by forcing connection, but by creating the conditions for internal secure attachment to develop.

Because when we hold steady, children begin to discover that they can hold themselves.

For course details including cost, learning objectives, and CE Credit Hours, keep scrolling!

The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute in collaboration with PIP Solutions presents “Conceptualizing Cases from a Synergetic Play Therapy Lens”.

Translating a right brain play experience into a left brain conceptualization is not an easy task.  Play therapists often grapple with a sense of uncertainty when trying to comprehend a child’s unique therapeutic progression and assessing whether goals are being achieved. This course, led by Lisa Dion, aims to address this issue by introducing a structured framework derived from Synergetic Play Therapy. Students will gain insights into how to conceptualize cases effectively and apply this framework to enhance the efficacy of their therapeutic interventions.

Embark on an enlightening journey with Lisa Dion as she delves into strategies for optimizing the intake process! In this course, you will gain insights into how the foundation of a therapeutic relationship is laid during the intake session and how this extends throughout the entire intake and into the clinical engagement. Lisa will impart valuable lessons on structuring the intake, commencing from the initial point of contact all the way to the conclusion of the session.

Witness how Lisa skillfully incorporates key themes from Synergetic Play Therapy®, such as the regulation of the nervous system and a nuanced understanding of how the brain functions, into the intake process. We will also explore the pivotal and validating role of the therapist in the playroom, emphasizing how their presence can significantly influence the dynamics of the therapeutic relationship with the client, family, and beyond.

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.

This workshop equips play therapists with practical, role-affirming strategies to strengthen collaboration with educators. You’ll discover how to support teachers in ways that honor their expertise and responsibilities—while still bringing your own clinical lens to the table. In compliance-heavy, high-stress environments, educators often feel unseen or overwhelmed. Together, we’ll examine how we may unintentionally be “shoulding” educators—adding to their stress—and explore how to instead foster empowerment, clarity, and authentic connection. Blending clinical insight with hands-on application, this session helps you partner with educators in ways that build trust, reduce overwhelm, and create space for growth.

This inspiring one-hour course dives into the transformative role of play therapy in supporting neurodivergent children. Gain insights into how play can help address processing differences, executive functioning challenges, and sensory sensitivities equipping you to meet these unique profiles with confidence and compassion.

Guided by over 20 years of professional and personal experience, Cary Hamilton will reveal practical, neurodiversity-affirming, play-based interventions designed to foster connection, emotional regulation, and resilience. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to enhance your clinical practice, deepening your ability to create meaningful and effective therapeutic relationships with neurodivergent children.

Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your skills, enrich your practice, and make a lasting impact on the lives of neurodivergent children and their families!

While adoption is often seen as the solution to the problem of child maltreatment, the disruption of primary attachments is also a risk factor for children after placement. Play therapists can play an important role in recognizing the impact of these attachment wounds as well as themes of belonging and identity formation that become increasingly pressing for children as they grow up in adoptive families, foster families, and kinship adoption.

In this session we will look at a prescriptive play therapy approach to this work including the themes that can emerge in the child’s play, approaching the traumatic history of disruption and placement through the attachment narratives, and how to support the adoptive parents in adjusting their expectations and strategies. Of special note will be the important considerations related to race, ethnicity, and culture that often impact the adoption kinship network and ways to invite those themes in the play therapy process.

Every therapist has been there – in a session with a child who doesn’t want to come in the room, a child who doesn’t want to do the task, a child who only wants to avoid the issue.  This course explores what to do when a child client’s language and behavior say “no.”  Join us as we explore resistance- what it is and what it is not.  This course will further explore emotional avoidance and flooding as components of resistant behaviors.

From the dad with doubts to the mom with mixed emotions, not all parents are sold on the idea of play therapy. The resistant parent is a parent who may have questions, shame, or confusion about the process. This course explores how to encourage parental understanding of the power of play and why it’s a key step in helping children heal.

Play therapists often believe that they are lost in understanding the play and perspective of children in the play therapy process. This limitation leads to doubts about how to respond to children and how to conceptualize what is happening in play therapy. Through discovering themes of children and their play, a play therapist can empathically respond to the individual nature of each child client, leading to greater understanding in the therapeutic relationship. This webinar will offer the process for identification of themes, understanding the progression of theme resolution, and ways in which the play therapist can respond more accurately within session. Therapists will walk away knowing the typical themes that emerge in play therapy and a process by which they can learn to be more empathically attuned to their clients.

Sibling rivalry is a common phenomenon in family systems and thus a common reason siblings are brought to play therapy! Have you ever wondered how to support siblings in play therapy? Do you work with them individually, together or with the entire family system?  Do you take a non-directive or directive approach?  When they are in the room together, what exactly do you do? 

This webinar will answer these questions and more! You will walk away with a better understanding of how best to support siblings in play therapy, along with creative ideas as to what to do when they are in the room together!

Parents are a powerful force in a child’s life. Inviting them into the play therapy process is essential for creating lasting change. But let’s face it—this isn’t always easy! Many clinicians, both new and seasoned, struggle with how to effectively involve parents in therapy sessions.

This dynamic course with Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S, will equip you with the skills and confidence to build strong alliances with parents while integrating them into play therapy. Using the Attachment-Centered Play Therapy model, you’ll explore the hows, whys, whens, and what-to-dos of parent-child play therapy. 

You’ll also uncover practical interventions to foster attachment and connection while reflecting on the roadblocks that might arise in your own practice. It’s all designed to help you deepen your understanding of parent-child dynamics, empowering you to create meaningful change for families.

Get ready to play, reflect, and transform your approach to parent involvement in therapy!

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. 

From a stroll through the Lollipop woods of Candyland to a fight over the Thimble in Monopoly, games are part of childhood. In the playroom, certain games are more commonly used than others. How do we use chess as a pawn in our therapeutic healing? How can we call on checkers to check on the child’s state of regulation? What does a game tell us about a child’s emotional world? This webinar explores these questions and more!

In today’s digital era, children’s play has expanded into new realms, where they engage, connect, and communicate in transformative ways. To support young clients effectively, play therapists must understand and embrace the evolving world of digital play.

This insightful course with Dr. Rachel Altvater explores how the digital landscape shapes children’s engagement, self-expression, and identity. Starting with a reflection on your own perspectives about digital native culture, you’ll dive into how digital environments influence children and adolescents, equipping you to meet them where they are.

Through practical strategies, you’ll learn to connect with clients in their digital spaces, foster meaningful therapeutic relationships, and seamlessly integrate digital tools into your play therapy practice. The session also examines the vital role of digital identity, uncovering how this space serves as more than entertainment—it’s where young clients form relationships, build resilience and navigate their world.

By the end of this course, you’ll walk away with fresh insights and actionable techniques to strengthen the therapeutic alliance, deepen connections, and achieve meaningful outcomes with the digital natives you serve.

Divorce. The “D” word. The end of the marital road. A happily ever after run amok. It’s something that often gets a bad rap, especially when we think of the children stuck in the middle. But divorce, while it can be devastating to some kids, can also be a relief for others. Children’s perceptions are not all the same. This course explores how to support children in play therapy when they are experiencing divorce and separation.

Discover how playful, nature-themed breathwork can transform your play therapy practice in this engaging one-hour course with Jackie Flynn. Learn to gently guide clients of all ages out of “stuck” survival states, enhancing nervous system flexibility and fostering resilience through co-regulation.

This course introduces practical, nature-inspired techniques that blend breathwork and movement to create a felt sense of safety, deepen therapeutic connections, and support clients in accessing emotional regulation. Through shared, playful experiences rooted in nature, you’ll discover how to bring fresh, adaptive interventions into your sessions with your clients.

We live in a technological age: there is no pacifying Pac-Man, no axing Apple. But screen time doesn’t always mean zoning out. In moderation, Mickey Mouse and Mario can be our allies, helping children better connect to the world around them. This webinar explores the therapeutic value of screen time and how to use it as part of a play therapy process. Learn how to recognize when a child is using it to avoid and when a child’s use of technology is the perfect entry into the therapeutic alliance.

Lisa Dion and Dr. Robert Jason Grant, creator of AutPlay Therapy, discuss what Sensory Processing Disorder is, how to begin to understand it in the context of play therapy, and offer helpful suggestions for therapists to get started.

Eating challenges in children can show up in many ways. From the refusal to eat to eating too much, underneath often lies the need for perfectionism and control. Helping kids take these challenges off their plates involves offering choices and uncovering co-existing issues, as well as providing parental support. This course takes a look at this important struggle.