• January 2024 Online Intro to SPT – Payment Plan (Erin Bennetts)

    JOIN US FOR OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAM AND GROW AS A PROFESSIONAL!

    Registration deadline is January 22nd, 2024, 12pm Mountain Time, Denver

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE PROGRAM DETAILS!!

    Have you been searching for ways to create a deeper impact for your clients? Or perhaps you are:
    • 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?
    Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® is a 32-hour program that takes you on a journey to explore the neuroscience behind what is happening in the play therapy process, how to repattern a child's nervous system, and what it means to become an external regulator in the playroom.

    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 learning 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 program details and objectives, see below.

  • Applications Are Now CLOSED! Thank you to all that applied for the 2023-2024 program!

    "The experience of becoming a Synergetic Play Therapist Supervisor has been a journey in deepening my relationship and attachment to myself and therefore to those around me. I feel better resourced and skilled to support play therapists in their work and their own journeys. This course connected me to a community that I feel deeply privileged to be a part of. During a challenging time for our planet, I felt a connection to others that sustained me." -Katrina Bevelander Are you ready to become a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor? For Certified Synergetic Play Therapists who meet the prerequisites we offer a path to becoming a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor*. These courses also count towards Registered Play Therapy Supervisor requirements (please check with APT to determine full requirements). In this training, students will learn how to apply the Synergetic Play Therapy® philosophy and tenets to the supervisory relationship. Through video observation, didactic learning, group discussion, and self study (this course is heavy on independent study), students will learn how to step into the role of play therapy supervisor - one of the most important and influential roles in a play therapist's journey. Course Prerequisites: • At least two years post SPT Certification, holding a clinical caseload during that time with a focus on the application of Synergetic Play Therapy® principles • Demonstrate at least a year's worth of post-certification supervision/consultation with a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor within 2 years of starting this course • Hold current LPC or LCSW Mental Health license or equivalent licensure/ability to offer supervision in your state or country • Hold "current" status of the Certified Synergetic Play Therapist™ credential • At least one year of purchase and participation in the SPT Community Membership within 2 years of starting this course Click Here to Submit Your Application for Fall 2023 (Applications have Closed) Please note: Completion of a Legal and Ethical Issues in Play Therapy Supervision course is not a prerequisite for this course, however, it must be completed before you can obtain the designation Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor. You will be asked to provide documentation of completion of a Legal and Ethical issues in Play Therapy supervision course. You will also need to have two supervisees during the six months of the course and that are willing to be video-taped. *Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor is a protected title held by those who have taken and completed all requirements of this training. Hear what other Certified SPT Therapists/Supervisors had to say about the course!   Please scroll down for course details!  
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  • SOLD OUT!

    This advanced program, designed for those who have completed the Synergetic Play Therapy® Certification program, is an immersive 4-day in-person experience offering an in-depth exploration of advanced Synergetic Play Therapy® concepts. You’ll learn to apply these concepts across a broad spectrum of client groups and age ranges from children, caregivers, groups/families and teens/adults. Throughout the program, you will engage in interactive learning experiences, including dynamic role-plays and live demonstrations. These activities will allow you to observe and influence real-time therapeutic scenarios, enhancing your Synergetic Play Therapy® skills and theoretical understanding. Additionally, you’ll collaborate with fellow SPTers, sharing insights and discussing complex cases to enrich your learning experience. Day 1: Children
    • Deepen your understanding of working with children in Synergetic Play Therapy®.
    • Engage in role play scenarios to handle complex child behaviors and emotions.
    • Learn to deepen the therapeutic relationship and foster greater attachment to self and healing for your young clients.
    Day 2: Parents/Caregivers
    • Learn more ways to support and engage parents and caregivers.
    • Gain a greater understanding of how to become the caregiver's external regulator and involve them in their child’s healing process.
    Day 3: Groups/Families
    • Go deeper applying your Synergetic Play Therapy® skills with groups and families.
    • Watch Lisa facilitate complex family and group dynamic scenarios.
    • Learn to navigate and resolve challenges within group and family therapy settings.
    Day 4: Teens/Adults
    • Deepen your understanding of Synergetic Psychotherapy for teen and adult clients.
    • Apply your Synergetic Play Therapy® skills (authenticity, mindfulness, emotional congruence, reflective dialogue, regulation, etc.) and tailor them to your teen and adult clients.
    • Explore how to “SPT” your sessions with teens and adult clients, supporting them in moving from deflective awareness to reflective awareness.
    This program is crafted to integrate your existing knowledge with advanced teachings, boosting your confidence and proficiency in Synergetic Play Therapy® theory and tenets. Join us to expand your skills and deepen your practice, gaining valuable tools to enhance your therapeutic work with different client groups and across the lifespan!   See program details below.
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  • You've landed in the right place! Whether you've had Synergetic Play Therapy® training and are searching for ongoing support in its application OR you're new to Synergetic Play Therapy® and would like to receive consultation through an SPT lens, we've got you covered! This is for you if you:
    • Have previously enrolled or are currently enrolled in an SPT course and want ongoing support to continue to learn and grow in your application of Synergetic Play Therapy®;
    • Have taken any of our 1-hr, 2-hr, 3-hr courses and would like consultation from an SPT lens;
    • Have ever attended an event or 2-day training with Lisa Dion and would like consultation to continue to integrate what you learned into your practice;
    • Or have never taken a course through the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® and would just love consultation support from an SPT lens!
    Use the dropdown menu below to select the duration of the individual consultation session you would like to purchase: Individual Consultation - 30 minutes, Individual Consultation - 50 minutes.  For 50 min group consultation, please refer to the details in the description of this product. Then use the quantity tool to select how many of these sessions you would like to purchase and add to cart! If you're a student currently enrolled in the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® course or the SPT Certification program and you need to "make-up" a required session, please CLICK HERE to be redirected to the correct product.  
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  • This program is for you if you work IN SCHOOLS (as a school counselor, social worker or psychologist, or a school-based mental health professional) or if you COLLABORATE WITH educators or schools!

    **For all program details and dates of when this program is offered, please visit the Synergetic Education Institute's website**

    A Synergetic Approach to Education (formerly One Foot in Education: Exploring Education Through an SPT Lens) offered by our sister institute, the Synergetic Education Institute, is a distinct and transformative approach to learning and teaching, working at the intersection of education and mental health! Synergetic educators recognize that the collaborative efforts of educators, students, classrooms, and educational systems produce a more substantial impact than individual contributions. This approach spans the landscape of working with students and perceived challenges and barriers, considering all aspects of learners and the learning environment. It incorporates neuroscience and nervous system regulation research with empowerment practices to create positive change within the immediate environment while maintaining a broader perspective using integrated and differentiated approaches. You will delve into strategies designed for educational settings that promote trauma-informed, social-emotional support within schools. You'll learn to implement these strategies as well as understand the neuroscience behind them, empowering you to support others in deepening their knowledge and awareness. You will also learn how to...
    • Implement approaches based on neuroscience that support the development of self-regulation skills, including critical skills that are often missing from SEL programming.
    • Support educators in understanding how to prepare brains and bodies to learn, including articulating the links between neurophysiological states and classroom behaviors
    • Identify the dynamics behind complex student-adult relationships and how to shift these challenging interactions.
    • Increase feelings of safety and belonging for students and adults
    • Implement small shifts in daily routines that include explicitly teaching critical skills using both "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches.
    • Reframe “resistance” to meeting educators at their level of readiness.
    • Embody Synergetic Play Therapy® principles and collaborate with teachers to empower them and shift their perceptions of students
    "This course has been life-changing for me personally and for so many of the clients and families I work with! I love that your class applies to clinical practice as well! Judith has a brilliant mind and it was an honor to learn from her. I am so grateful. There are moments in your life that are pivotal and I know my Synergetic Play Therapy (SPT) and SPT in schools are one of those pivotal moments for me as a professional and a mom." - Chey Cochran, LPC Check out the clip below for a sample of what you can expect during live webinars!
    Program Prerequisites: This program requires that you have taken a Level 1 Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® program. This includes the completion of one of the following: If you have not yet completed one of the above programs, you now have the opportunity to meet the prerequisites for A Synergetic Approach to Education by taking the new Fundamentals Course through the Synergetic Education Institute!* *The Fundamentals Course has been created specifically for individuals who wish to take a Synergetic Approach to Education but have not yet completed a Level 1 Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® program. This course will take you through key Synergetic Play Therapy® principles, creating a foundation on which to build. Please note: This course has been paired down to focus on specific concepts to prepare students for A Synergetic Approach to Education, and, therefore, is not a full replacement for the Level 1 Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® program.  Should your goal be to apply for the Synergetic Play Therapy Certification program, you must complete the entire Introduction program.
  • With an understanding of aggressive play based on brain function and neuroscience, this book provides therapists with a framework to work authentically with aggressive play, while making it an integrative and therapeutic experience for the child. Through the lens of principles from Synergetic Play Therapy®, therapists are taught how to integrate the intensity experienced by both the child and the therapist during aggressive play in a way that leads towards greater healing and integration.  The book explains the neurological processes that lead kids to dysregulation and provides therapists with tools to help their clients facilitate deep emotional healing, without causing their own nervous system to shut down. Chapter Topics Include:
    • Aggression in the Playroom and Making Aggressive Play Therapeutic
    • Understanding the Nervous System
    • What Regulation Really Means
    • Developing Yourself as the External Regulator
    • The Set-Up in Play Therapy
    • Authentic Expression
    • Setting Boundaries
    • Working with Emotional Flooding
    • Hyper-Aroused Play
    • Observing Play
    • Hypo-Aroused Play
    • Working with Parents
    See book study details below.
  • Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the play therapist to act as the external regulator supporting the child to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration. This 3 hour video course explores this need during trauma integration for two primary reasons: 1) The child need to borrow the play therapist’s regulatory capacity as they work through their traumatic thoughts, feelings and sensations in play therapy and 2) The play therapist’s ability to regulate themselves during the intensity increases the capacity for presence and attunement with the child, while simultaneously supporting the health and longevity of their own nervous system. Without the ability of the play therapist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises during trauma integration, both the child and the play therapist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a play therapist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to a child in sessions. This course is a recording of a 3 hour live webinar with Trusted Provider Network. See course details below.
  • With their changing brains and hormones, finding ways to integrate play with pre-teens and teens can at times just feel “Awkward”.  Learn how to navigate therapy with our clients who are no longer children, but also not quite yet adults. From twelve-year-olds to seniors in high school, adolescence is a time filled with change. This can make the notion of bringing play therapy to this population a challenge. Do we play? Do we talk? Do I ask questions? What do I do?"  As such, many therapists find themselves at a loss with this age group, feeling just as confused as they do!  In this workshop, play therapists will delve into the mysteries of the teenage mind as we bust myths and glean insight into how to best offer therapeutic support.  Using neuroscience, Developmental, Synergetic, and Systemic theories, participants will explore how to navigate this "awkward" and sometimes "overwhelming" developmental stage using an eclectic framework of non-directive and directive play therapy approaches.  Understanding how to assess the teen's emotional age, an area often missed when working with this population, will also be covered as a way to understand how to incorporate play into the therapy process.   The information presented is designed to open minds and hearts as participants uncover the wisdom of the changing brain and the wisdom of the teenage years.  Through lecture, demonstration, and discussion, this workshop will deconstruct this mysterious stage and support play therapists in discovering how they can help mature and remodel the teenage brain, while supporting movement towards the discovery of the authentic self- the cornerstone of the development of a teenager's identity. To get a sense for the course, check out this short video below:
    See course details below.
  • Helping children learn how to regulate is essential, but without first strengthening the child's interoceptive sense, regulation may not be successful. This experiential workshop offers various opportunities to explore how play can develop this fundamental part of the sensory system. As play therapists, there is an understanding that regulation and co-regulation are essential skills that must be developed in order to have successful relationships and manage emotions, and are essential for trauma integration; however, what many play therapists may not fully understand is that there is a prerequisite that needs to be in place for regulation skills to be effective.  What has been understood for years in the world of Occupational Therapy is now becoming a primary focus of education for play therapists. This important understanding is that the child’s interoceptive sense, the 8th sensory system that is responsible for letting the brain know how the body is doing, must be developed first before a child can successfully regulate and co-regulate.   Without the development and strengthening of the interoceptive sense, a child may have all kinds of regulation knowledge and tools but will not be able to read their own body cues to know when to use any of them. Examples such as knowing when to use the bathroom, when to take a deep breath, when to ask for help, the ability to read non-verbal cues, knowing when emotions are feeling overwhelming, etc. all rely on interoception.   This playful workshop is designed to help play therapists learn what the interoceptive sense is and how to use play to develop interoception in their child clients setting the stage for successful regulation and co-regulation. Play therapists will have fun experientially exploring this fundamental part of the sensory system! (This course is a recording of a 2 hour live webinar held in November 2023) See course details below.
  • 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.
  • 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.
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