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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 webinar explores how to encourage parental understanding of the power of play and why it's a key step in helping children heal. -
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. -
Sandtray therapy prominently features the art of reflecting. In fact, it may be the therapy skill most associated with the craft. However, we can become so accustomed to the language of reflecting that we can lose contact with its intent. In this course, you will explore the skill of reflecting through the lens of the attachment theory concept of reflective functioning. Marshall Lyles will walk you through examples honoring this intersection through use of the sand tray. Scroll down for all of the course details! -
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. -
This course supports play therapists as they learn about setting boundaries from a neurobiological perspective, keeping the child’s brain and nervous system activation in mind! Drawing from Interpersonal Neurobiology and Synergetic Play Therapy, participants will learn how to set boundaries without shaming the child or stopping the child’s play, allowing for deeper integration and connection. Working with emotional flooding (the child’s and the therapist’s) will also be explored. Please scroll down for course details. -
2024-2025 Synergetic Play Therapy® Certification Program
Please use this product to finalize your registration for the 2024-2025 Synergetic Play Therapy® Certification Program. If paying before or by the Early Bird deadline, you may use the coupon code you were provided via email at checkout to apply your discount. The final payment deadline for this program is June 28, 2024. To select your payment plan option, please use the dropdown menu below to choose your first, 3.5 Day Learning Retreat Online Location. (By selecting your virtual retreat location you are committing to the same location for both program learning retreats.) Your selection will finalize your registration of this program and your pricing option. *Please note: All pricing options will be displayed in USD at checkout. See details below. -
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) can be a part of growing up. But how can we help turn these obstacles into opportunities for growth and resilience? And apply this knowledge to the play therapy process? This webinar explores how play therapy can be used to help mitigate the effects of ACES. Learn the major categories of ACES, along with protective factors or strategies that have been shown to be helpful both in the short-term and long-term.
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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. -
Aggression and death are common parts of the play therapy process, yet many therapists don’t have a clear understanding of what to do and how to facilitate intensity. This can lead to inadvertently promoting aggression and low brain disorganization. It can also lead to the therapist feeling beat up, exhausted, and hyper-aroused, ultimately impacting their ability to stay attuned, remain present, and find inspiration in this field. Enter Synergetic Play Therapy! Through an SPT lens, and a heavy dose of neuroscience, this 2-hour course helps therapists learn how to use play in a way that supports regulation – their own and their client’s! See course details below. -
Parents are the most important allies of the play therapist. But forming this alliance requires time, understanding, and lots of communication. It also requires congruence, adaptability, and an appreciation of the parents’ authentic selves. Parents and play therapists are on the same team with one common goal: promote healing for a struggling child. This one-hour home study course explores this play therapy pact. -
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. -
Early Bird Payment Plan: 9 Months: $478 USD, Online | $641 AUD 12 Months: $364 USD, Online | $488 AUD **Save! Get $500 (US Dollars) or $670 (Australian Dollars) off the full cost of the course when you pay in full AND by the early bird deadline for a massive discount!!* Early bird deadline depends on which course you are currently in or have taken in the past. Payment must be made 30 days from your early bird deadline. [aelia_currency_selector_widget title="Select your currency based on the retreat location you would like to attend and wait for the page to refresh before adding to cart." widget_type="dropdown"]
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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. -
JOIN US FOR OUR SIGNATURE COURSE AND GROW AS A THERAPIST!
Have you been searching for ways to create a deeper impact for your clients? Or perhaps ...- Looking for game-changing concepts, ideas, and techniques to repattern a child's nervous system and become a more effective external regulator in the playroom?...
- Wanting to experience aggressive play, sand, and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness and authenticity?...
- Feeling burned out and want to find ways to come back to yourself or feel "green" again, like a new therapist full of curiosity and liveliness?...
- Curious how to create a neuroception of safety for both the child and the caregiver to experience deeper integration?...
- Wanting to learn a solid play therapy theory that combines the powers of play with interpersonal neurobiology?...
- Or just wanting to feel a little more like YOU in the play therapy process?...
You will learn how to effectively work with caregivers and what it means to create a neuroception of safety allowing both the child and the caregiver to have a deeper integration.
And if this wasn't enough, you will come to understand the magic of aggressive play, sand and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness, and authenticity.
You'll learn all this while also how to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue. Come discover what showing up in the playroom truly means and explore what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels. And the best part is, you get to be you on the journey!
Check out what past students had to say about their experiences in the course!
"SPT is the missing piece in play therapy. I gained an understanding of who I am in the playroom - a humanness that wasn't there before." -Frances Donohue
*For class details and objectives, see below.
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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! -
During your journey to become a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist you studied nervous system regulation, authenticity and congruency, interoception, emotional age, and so much more to help you become more masterful at becoming an external regulator for a child and their caregivers. You also learned how to apply these concepts to yourself for your own growth and development in order to heal yourself and develop your capacity for self-regulation. And now it is time to take the next step towards self mastery…. Go deeper into the development of yourself - Deeper into understanding the body and your own activation patterns - Deeper into the mind - Deeper into integrating your perceptions and working on emotional charges that are in the way of being an external regulator. For course details and topics covered, see below. -
JOIN US FOR OUR SIGNATURE COURSE AND GROW AS A THERAPIST!
Have you been searching for ways to create a deeper impact for your clients? Or perhaps ...- Looking for game-changing concepts, ideas, and techniques to repattern a child's nervous system and become a more effective external regulator in the playroom?...
- Wanting to experience aggressive play, sand, and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness and authenticity?...
- Feeling burned out and wanting to find ways to come back to yourself or feel "green" again, like a new therapist full of curiosity and liveliness?...
- Curious how to create a neuroception of safety for both the child and the caregiver to experience deeper integration?...
- Wanting to learn a solid play therapy theory that combines the powers of play with interpersonal neurobiology?...
- Or just wanting to feel a little more like YOU in the play therapy process?...
You'll learn how to effectively work with caregivers and what it means to create a neuroception of safety allowing both the child and the caregiver to have a deeper integration.
And if this wasn't enough, you'll come to understand the magic of aggressive play, sand and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness, and authenticity.
You'll learn all this while also how to manage burnout and compassion fatigue when it arises.
Come discover what showing up in the playroom truly means and explore what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels.
And the best part is, you get to be you on the journey!
Check out what past students had to say about their experiences in the course!
"SPT is the missing piece in play therapy. I gained an understanding of who I am in the playroom - a humanness that wasn't there before." -Frances Donohue
*For class details and objectives, see below.
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The Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy launches you on a personal journey towards discovering what showing up in the playroom truly means. It explores what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels. It invites you to be you! *For class details and objectives, please see below.
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REGISTRATION FOR THIS SESSION HAS CLOSED! YOU CAN REGISTER FOR OUR NEXT SESSION HERE. The Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy launches you on a personal journey towards discovering what showing up in the playroom truly means. It explores what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels. It invites you to be you! Curious what this class is truly about? Get all the details here. To learn what others have to say, check out our testimonials. Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy Prerequisite Training:
- Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education
- Previous experience working with children and families is required
- A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required
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Siblings are often friends and enemies, a complicated relationship that can show up in the playroom in all sorts of ways. Brothers, sisters, sharing, caring, and noogies? This webinar explores this colorful and challenging dynamic. Learn when sibling therapy is appropriate and how to embrace the different types of play powerful for pairs.
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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. -
Working with families as a whole presents a complex and multifaceted endeavor, often marked by intricate dynamics. This course delves into the significance of integrating families into the play therapy process, providing guidance on effectively engaging all family members during sessions and examining the myriad benefits this inclusive approach offers. You will also understand the role of the nervous system in family interactions and strategies for regulating and harmonizing family dynamics within the context of play therapy sessions. -
ENROLL NOW AND MAKE SPT PART OF YOUR NEW YEAR!
Registration Closes January 21st
Have you been searching for ways to create a deeper impact for your clients? Or perhaps ...- Looking for game-changing concepts, ideas, and techniques to repattern a child's nervous system and become a more effective external regulator in the playroom?...
- Wanting to experience aggressive play, sand, and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness and authenticity?...
- Feeling burned out and want to find ways to come back to yourself or feel "green" again, like a new therapist full of curiosity and liveliness?...
- Curious how to create a neuroception of safety for both the child and the caregiver to experience deeper integration?...
- Wanting to learn a solid play therapy theory that combines the powers of play with interpersonal neurobiology?...
- Or just wanting to feel a little more like YOU in the play therapy process?...
You will learn how to effectively work with caregivers and what it means to create a neuroception of safety allowing both the child and the caregiver to have a deeper integration.
And if this wasn't enough, you will come to understand the magic of aggressive play, sand and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness, and authenticity.
You'll learn all this while also how to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue. Come discover what showing up in the playroom truly means and explore what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels. And the best part is, you get to be you on the journey!
Curious what this class is all about? ... Get the details here.
And, check out what past students have to say
"SPT is the missing piece in play therapy. I gained an understanding of who I am in the playroom - a humanness that wasn't there before." -Frances Donohue
Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® Prerequisite Training: (if seeking Association for Play Therapy credit, you must meet all of these prerequisites)
- Completed or enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education
- Previous experience working with children and families (required)
- Basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills (required)
*For class details, objectives and payment options, see below.
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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.
