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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.
This dynamic, two-hour video course delves into the intricate interplay between trauma, neurocognitive processes, and communication patterns, shedding light on the challenges therapists face when working with survivors of trauma, especially those from culturally diverse backgrounds or with language barriers. Did you know that trauma's profound impact on neurocognitive functioning can significantly influence communication dynamics within therapeutic settings? This, coupled with cultural and linguistic disparities, can pose an added challenge when trying to establish rapport and foster healing with clients, particularly among Limited English Proficient or Deaf/Hard of Hearing individuals! Join Mila Golovine, President & CEO of Masterword. and Lisa Dion, Founder & President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute as they navigate the intersections of cultural competency, trauma-informed therapy, and effective communication strategies. You will also get insights into enhancing the therapeutic alliance, fostering better client engagement, and ultimately improving therapeutic outcomes! Key highlights include:- Understanding how trauma affects neurocognitive processes and communication patterns.
- Exploring cultural competence in therapy and its significance in trauma recovery.
- Identifying challenges and strategies for effective communication with clients from diverse backgrounds.
- Best practices for working with Limited English Proficient or Deaf/Hard of Hearing clients.
- Practical techniques to promote therapeutic alliance and engagement.
- Ethical considerations and sensitivity when utilizing interpreters in therapy sessions.
Renewal of the Certified Synergetic Play Therapist™ credential is required every 3 years. In order to renew, students must earn at least 18 hours of CE credits specific to SPT. Excess hours may not be rolled over into the next 3 year cycle. If CE credits are not submitted, students will no longer be able to use the title Certified Synergetic Play Therapist™ until renewal occurs. This course meets the full requirement of renewing your Certified Synergetic Play Therapist™ credential. Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® is a 22-hour course 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 also 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 Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® Prerequisite Training:- 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)
LEARN A SOLID PLAY THERAPY THEORY THAT COMBINES THE POWER OF PLAY WITH INTERPERSONAL NEUROBIOLOGY!
Registration deadline is June 17th, 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 wanting to improve or learn more about ...- Becoming an external regulator to support children with integration and repatterning the activation of their nervous system.
- Supporting healing at deeper levels through right brain to right brain attuned communication.
- Teaching children interoceptive (body) awareness (...the key ingredient for self-regulation and co-regulation).
- Creating a neuroception of safety for a child when emotional flooding happens.
- Setting boundaries with the brain in mind to not minimize, shame or shut down the child's play, but keep them engaged in their therapy process.
- Building collaborative relationships with caregivers to support their child's therapeutic process.
- Developing goals, tracking a child's therapeutic process, and translating what's happening during the child's therapy session to their caregiver(s) and others in the world.
- Helping children develop a secure attachment to themselves (...a foundation of resilience).
- Applying SPT concepts from a cultural lens for a more inclusive and culturally sensitive clinical orientation where a client's unique experiences and needs are honored.
- How to feel a little more like YOU in the therapy process (...because we know inauthenticity is the fastest way to 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
Join the growing number of mental health professionals, those in related roles (Child Life Specialists, School Counselors, Occupational Therapists, Coaches, etc.) and parents/caregivers who are learning SPT!
*For program details and objectives, see below.
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!
The Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supplemental Course is open to those who have already completed a two-day training with Lisa Dion. It is an online course that supplements the information not received during the two-day training you've previously completed. It involves the review of key points as well as new information aimed at providing you with the missing pieces of the SPT puzzle. Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supplemental Course Prerequisites:- Completion or enrollment in a Master's Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education
- Previous experience working with children and families
- A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills
- Attendance and completion of a recent Lisa Dion two-day training
- SPT Tenets
- Assessing Emotional Age in Play Therapy
- Tracking Progress in Play Therapy
- Understanding Integration in Play Therapy
- Types of Reflection in Play Therapy
- Working with Parents in the Playroom
- Attachment in Play Therapy
- Sand and Art in the Playroom
- And Much More!
- The Nervous System in Play Therapy
- The Four Threats of the Brain in Play Therapy
- The Set-Up/The Offering in Play Therapy
- Becoming an External Regulator in Play Therapy
"Although I have been utilizing mindfulness for years in the therapy room, this training opened my eyes to the opportunities and benefits that I was overlooking. I am able to more intentionally track the content AND processes occurring in session, leading to more richness and depth in the work." -Dr. Alana Roth
Neuroscience is revealing that mindfulness is a key component for integration, so what is it, what is it not and how to incorporate it into the playroom are important questions to consider as a play therapist. If you are curious about understanding mindfulness and developing a more mindful approach to your work, join Lisa Dion in an interactive workshop on becoming a mindful play therapist.
In this course, you will explore some of the neuroscience behind mindfulness as you learn how to cultivate it within yourself and within your child clients. You will also learn the importance of bringing mindfulness into the playroom as a way to avoid compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout. This course is applicable to all play therapy theories.
https://youtu.be/jwCo52TKE2I This course helps play therapists to:- Connect mindfulness and trauma integration
- Reduce compassion fatigue
- Help children cultivate mindfulness
- Understand the neuroscience behind cultivating mindfulness
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.
Meet the Demartini Institute's Pre-Requisites for the Demartini Method® Training Program & Bypass the Breakthrough Experience!
Now that you have attended the Advanced Self Mastery program with Lisa and have completed the Full Day Demartini Method® for Groups, you have the opportunity to "fast track" your learning and bypass attendance at The Breakthrough Experience® offered by the Demartini Institute!During this 3-hour video course, Lisa will walk you through the key principles and columns of the Demartini Method® (Side A and Side B) giving you the opportunity to deepen your learning. In addition to this review, Lisa will introduce you to Dr. Demartini's Gain/Loss Process (Side C)!Once you have completed this video course, you will be granted a certificate of completion which will then allow you to register for the Demartini Method® Training Program offered through the Demartini Institute (all registration details will be provided to you in your course site).*Even if you have already attended The Breakthrough Experience® through the Demartini Institute or if you aren't quite sure if you want to register for the Demartini Method® Training program, attending this Demartini Method® Review with Lisa will still be a valuable experience!See course details below.
want ongoing support to continue to learn and grow in the application of Synergetic Play Therapy® or you would like to receive consultation from an SPT lens, we've got you covered! ... This 6 month Consultation Group is for you, if:- You feel alone in your practice of SPT and want to be a part of a SPT community
- You sometimes feel “stuck” with your clients
- You want feedback regarding your skills so that you can take them to the next level
- You want support in learning and integrating various applications of SPT to your clinical work
- You want to keep learning and growing as a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist
- You want to hear other cases and learn from others
