This episode was sparked by the release of the book EMDR with Children in the Play Therapy Room by Ann Beckley-Forest and Annie Monaco. They are responsible for educating child therapists all over the world on how to deliver EMDR therapy to children and teens through the integration of Play Therapy. In this episode, prepare to be inspired by a conversation with Ann and Annie, as well as Lisa Dion, the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy. Their passion for helping children heal from trauma through Play Therapy and EMDR is unbelievably beautiful.
Visit more information on their work and training information, be sure to visit www.synergeticplaytherapy.com and https://www.anniemonaco.com/trainings/emdr-trainings
In this episode, Marshall Lyles shares his passion for helping his clients heal from trauma through Expressive Arts. When I reached out to Marshall to invite him on the podcast, I requested a conversation focusing on his use of poetry with his clients. In this episode, you’ll notice that we cover much more than poetry. Marshall is highly trained and well versed in so many healing traumas and approaches that it was difficult to limit our conversation. I’m excited for you to experience our conversation about how he used expressive arts to heal trauma. He is an EMDRIA approved consultant and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, among many other credentials that speak to his capacity to treat trauma. Be sure to visit www.marshalllyles.com
www.therapistsworkshop.com to learn more about him and to see his beautiful expressive arts studio.
In this episode of Play Therapy Community podcast, Dr. Jessica Stone shares all about the healing power of Virtual Sandtray Therapy. She is the brilliant creator of the Virtual Sandtray App used by an increasing number of clinicians around the globe. Development of the Virtual Sandtray app intentionally included the main tenets of Sandtray Therapy to preserve its profound therapeutic healing power. You can find more about Dr. Stone, the Virtual Sandtray Therapy application, and her professional trainings at: www.jessicastonephd.com
www.sandtrayplay.com
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Play-Therapy-Jessica-Stone/dp/0367001926/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/virtual-sandtray/id916460128
https://www.facebook.com/VirtualSandtray
https://www.facebook.com/digitalplaytherapy/
In this episode, Clair Mellenthin guides us through the important pieces of parent consultation. She highlights the importance of meeting parents with compassion and connection through support. Through this approach, client’s tend to meet their treatment goals in a more thorough, faster way. Clair offers support and coaching to parents and clinicians. You can find more of what she has to offer at these links to her website, https://clairmellenthin.com/online-courses-for-professional/#professional and https://clairmellenthin.com/online-learning-for-parents/
In this Episode, Jackie Flynn, EMDRIA approved consultant and a registered play therapist talks about EMDR therapy with kids. EMDR Therapy has 8 phases: 1. History Talking, 2. Preparation, 3. Assessment, 4. Desensitization, 5. Reprocessing, 6. Body Scan, 7. Closure, 8. Reevaluation.
Since children are not miniature adults, it's important to work with children in developmentally appropriate ways. Play Therapy techniques can be integrated into all 8 of the phases to support children's developing brains. Be sure to check out www.jackieflynnconsulting.com if you are an EMDR trained therapist in search of advanced training to teach you how to adapt your work to fit the needs of your child and teen clients.
In this episode, Jamie shares with us some basic information about Sandtray Therapy.
She discusses the importance of formalized training and warns against offering sandtray therapy to your clients if you have not received adequate training.
Sandtray is a powerful tool that can open up and heal some painful issues that require specialized training to ensure client emotional safety.
Jamie Lynn Langley, LCSW, RPT-S has been a practicing child, family and play therapist in Tennessee for almost 30 years. For most of that time she worked in community mental health before going into private practice in late 2016. Jamie is also an adjunct professor for two universities in Tennessee (Middle TN State University and Lipscomb University). She co-founded and serves as the President of the Tennessee branch of the Association for Play Therapy and is a charter member of the Children & Nature Network founded by RIchard Louv. Jamie specializes in working with children and their families who have undergone trauma, loss, divorce, disruption and other adverse conditions and brings in nature as part of healing practice whenever possible. A former Cub Scout leader for 15 years, she especially enjoys her personal and family time in nature, especially at the beach and the breathtaking Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.
Jamie Lynn Langley, LCSW, RPT-S
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor
President, TN Association for Play Therapy
Adjunct Faculty, MTSU Dept. of Social Work and
Lipscomb University Dept. of Psychology, Counseling and Family Science
Board Member, World Assoc of Sand Therapy Professionals
In this episode, Sarah Wayland shares with us a bit about the developing brain and the differing aspects of those with an autism spectrum disorder.
She shares personal stories about the importance of the child relationship and how fluctuations in the parents’ emotional regulation can effect the child.
Sarah discusses how children with an autism spectrum disorder often struggle with social situations and how we can support them through parent consultation and working directly with the child themselves.
Sarah Wayland is a certified RDI™ Consultant, parent coach, and Special Needs Care Navigator at the company she founded, Guiding Exceptional Parents. She helps parents of children with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, and other brain-based differences learn how to confidently and effectively help their children at home, at school, and in the community. As an RDI™ consultant, Dr. Wayland works with parents of kids who have trouble connecting with others to show them how to teach their children the essential skills that make relationships work. By learning about everyone in the family and collaborating with them, she helps families develop customized strategies that work.
Dr. Wayland got her B.A. from Rice University, her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Brandeis University, and had two postdoctoral fellowships - one at Northeastern University and another at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She has worked as a software designer, and as a researcher, but her most valuable training came from parenting her two boys, both exceptional. You can learn more at www.guidingexceptionalparents.com.
In this episode, Althea Simpson shares with us about how she uses food to support her clients in session when necessary.
She explains that some clients may have experienced the trauma of neglect and being without food in their past which can feel extremely dysregulating to clients.
When we use food in session, we help our clients to feel nurtured and cared about.
Althea Simpson is the founder of Brighter Day Therapeutic Solutions and Unicorn Life Play Therapy Training. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. Additionally, Althea has a B.S. in Business Management; MBA in Marketing: and MSW in Organizational Leadership. Althea’s passion for helping individuals go from “Hurt to Healed” aided in her decision to return to George Mason University to complete requirements to become a Clinical Social Worker and specialize in trauma recovery. Althea’s experience in the fields of business and mental health spans 20 years. Althea is pursuing her PhD in Business Psychology Consulting at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Althea Simpson, LCSW, LICSW, CCTP, SAP, CAMS-II, RPT-S, CSOTP Resident
Brighter Day Therapeutic Solutions, PLLC
Website: www.brighter-day.net
Symposium Website: www.blackplaytherapy.com
In this episode, Samantha Willis shares with us about the painful experiences that our LGBTQ youth often go through alone. She stressed the importance of acceptance and compassion.
She mentions the benefits of displaying symbols, such as a rainbow, that communicate a message that she is a safe person to authentically share with.
She recommends that therapists connect with other therapists in their area to maximize benefits for clients in search of a therapist that can support their unique needs.
Samantha earned a Master’s of Education in Counseling and Guidance with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health from the University of Montevallo. She also earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Social Work with a Minor in Philosophy and Religion from the University of Montevallo. Samantha is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Alabama, a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and Registered Play Therapist. Samantha has a certification in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). She utilizes peer-reviewed and evidence-based therapeutic techniques in her practice such as play therapy, sand tray therapy, and art therapy. Samantha is a Body-Brain sand tray specialist and uses the techniques with all ages.
Samantha works primarily with clients who have experienced trauma, experience dissociative symptoms, are in the LGBTQ+ community, or are transgender. Samantha is currently a student at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) studying Gender Studies and is currently writing her thesis entitled “Transgender and Non-Binary Lived Experiences Among Southern Appalachian Youth: Correlations of Mental Health and Interpersonal Relationship Dynamics Before, During, and After the Coming out Process.”
Samantha Willis, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist
Avail Services, LLC
Websites: avail.services, avail.institute
In this episode, Sandra explains how shame impacts a child’s development. She offers some tips to process through shame as well as presents a technique that therapists can use to support their clients through the healing process.
Sandra B. Stanford, LMHC, has a heart for people who find themselves in hard situations. Because of this passion, she earned her Master’s Degree in Psychological Counseling from Palm Beach Atlantic University (Orlando campus). She currently is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor practicing at Charis Counseling Center in Titusville, FL.
Sandra is certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) which helps in the healing process for people who have experienced traumatic events. She is a Daring Way Facilitator in Brene Brown’s organization which focuses on “I am enough…now!
Sandra also works with couples and is the founder of Our Marriage Matters retreats and conferences.
Sandra received her BS in Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University (Palm Beach campus) in 1986. She and her wonderful husband, David, have been married since 1988. They have two precious adult children, Jonathan and Anna Beth and a son in love, Christopher, new grandson Ashton and 2 Airedale grand-dogs named Sherlock and Weta.
Sandra B. Stanford, MS, LMHC MH13286
EMDR CERTIFIED THERAPIST
Certified Daring Way ™ Facilitator
Founder Our Marriage Matters Retreats/Workshops
https://sandrabstanfordcounseling.com/
Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy and is the founder and director of the Play Therapy Institute of Colorado
She is experienced in many settings to include private practice, schools, social services, foster care agencies, and orphanages.
Synergetic Play Therapy’s name was influenced by Lisa’s love for the brain and understanding what happens in the nervous system.
The collaboration between the child and the therapist, and on a deeper level between the mind, breath, body is an important support in the therapeutic process. Through this realization, she was drawn to the word “synergy” since it is the idea that when 2 parts come together, the effect is so much greater than what they are individually. Collaboration within the therapist, child and between them both is cultivated.
Through Lisa’s work, before she created Synergetic Play Therapy, she felt like something was missing. She had a personal experience with her daughter that gave her an intuitive felt sense of the importance of bringing in the nervous system getting into the somatics. Becoming an external regulator can take it to a deeper level of healing. Accessing the brainstem allows for work involving the level of attunement such as what’s present between a caregiver and an infant.
Lisa’s students say that it feels like a way of being rather than a model. Her students report transforming through the process and it spills over into their other relationships.
Synergetic Play Therapy is not a list of fun techniques or activities to do with the child, but rather it is a “way of being”.
One of her students said, “Synergetic Play Therapy gives birth to the authentic self within the child and the therapist.”
Lisa urges her students to study as many philosophies and models of play therapy as possible to maximize their abilities.
Implicit memories bring a feeling and a felt sense that was placed in the early years. Often before the age 3, the implicit memories provide the structures in the brain.
When Lisa’s daughter was born, she was emotionally dysregulated. While Lisa was pregnant with her, they both experienced a car crash. When she was born, Lisa was on a journey to help her rewire her nervous system. She had her first play therapy experience at 9 months old where she played out shock of what she felt when the car accident happened.
The exchange happening between the therapist and the child is such a vital part of therapy.
Synergetic play therapy teaches the therapist what to do with their personal experience of what the child is feeling and experiencing through the play.
When parents are dysregulated, they need to regulate before they tend to their child.
The therapist does a lot of breathing, and modeling for the child.
The mirror neuron system allows the child to borrow the therapist’s regulatory system. Therapist use themselves to support the child through their healing. The therapist is intentionally authentic and may rock, say things, and do things that the child needs right in the moment.
Lisa tells a story of a child that had many generalized fears that learned regulatory techniques such as holding her heart and stomach while she did that during his expressions of the fearful scenerios. In session 3, he reported that he knew what to do when he got scared. He was able to borrow her nervous system, watch how she handled the situations, and internalized a way of taking care of himself during these types of situations. Through that process, his nervous system got rewired organically and experientially.
This process also helps keep the therapist well during the process.
Synergetic Play Therapy also offers a certification option as well.
Lisa has a new book coming out in Spring of 2018, “Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity” from Norton Publishers.
Lessons from the Playroom bi-weekly Podcast https://playtherapycolorado.com/podcasts/
Hour Live Webinar – 1 x a month https://playtherapycolorado.com/webinar/
Community Membership https://learn.playtherapycolorado.com/product/membership-site/
Play Therapy Institute of Colorado’s Website: https://playtherapycolorado.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
Katie May is the “Group Guru”.
She works exclusively with teenagers in a teen support center in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.
Groups energize Katie. She says that groups can’ save th’e world.
In groups, people feel less alone in their struggles and they start to heal in ways that individual therapy can’t provide.
Her groups are focused on the ideas of connection.
She told us about a group that she runs that looks at being nonjudgmental for teens. She talked about using rocks to illustrate the judgements that they have for themselves. She has them decorate the rocks to describe the judgements and toss them away as a concrete expression of getting rid of their judgements. The teens put the rocks in a bag, weigh them and then toss them away into the water. This helps with processing of letting go of the judgements.
Sometimes her groups do a “compliment circle” to express and receive kindness from others. Her pre and post assessment of their state of happiness improves after the kindness circle occurs.
Katie prefers clear names for groups, rather than clever names. This helps to make the process for the parents and caregivers looking for support for their child finding the groups simple and understanding .
Many times, teens can present with resistance towards therapy.
Katie runs a skills group for teens. The connection that they have with each other is really important.
She offers Dialectical Behavioral Therapy that she infuses in many of her groups. She provides experiential activities to help them actually know what works for them and how it feels.
Pros
Group therapy helps clients feel understood and connected to a positive support system. When people can connect with their peers to feel less alone. Social support is so very important and can be a positive experience.
Cons
Group therapy isn’t the best setting for deeper individual work that may involve trauma. Also, it can be challenging to balance time between the group members. Another con is that the group members’ personalities don’t always mesh.
It’s so important to build trust and let the relationships form before diving into tough stuff. It’s important to put yourself into the group member’s shoes.
http://www.becomeagroupguru.com
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
Build Love Maps
Knowing each other’s world is so vital to the health of a relationship. It’s important to make exploration of each other’s world an ongoing effort. This can help strengthen the relationship and help each person in the relationship to feel felt and cared about.
Share Fondness and Admiration
Fondness and admiration is noticing what’s going right and what’s good rather than putting a focus on the negative. If couples are in “Negative Sentiment Override” as Gottman calls them.
Turn Towards
Turning towards your partner, both literally and figuratively is important as it sends a message that “you matter”, “I care”, “you’re important to me”. Gottman uses the metaphor of a RELATIONSHIP BANK ACCOUNT to illustrate the need for 5 times as many positives to every one negative in a relationship. Turning towards and accepting “bids for connection”, such as holding hands, inviting on an outing, snuggling, etc. is important to build the relationship bank account up so that when there are negatives, it doesn’t go into a negative balance.
The Positive Perspective
The positive perspective focuses on friendships. When couples engage in a strong friendship, then they can weather the storms better. They have a stronger tolerance for difficult circumstances.
Manage Conflict
Sixty nine percent of the conflict in a relationship is perpetual, which means it doesn’t have a clear resolution. Often couples need to move towards compromising on issues. It’s important that couples learn how to use soft startup and avoid the 4 patterns of communications that can eat away at a relationship: Criticism, Defensiveness, Contempt, Stonewalling. Gottman refers to these as the 4 Horsemen.
Make Life Dreams Come True
Having fun, adventures and dreams together, as well as honoring each other’s dreams is so vital towards the health of a relationship. Couples that laugh and have fun together often have a much healthier relationship.
Create Shared Meaning
Together, couples build a shared culture that incorporates what each of them knew to be true in their formative years, as well as new things that they do together in their own relationship and their own family. Also, what legacy they want to leave in the world together is explored.
Trust and Commitment
Trust & Commitment are the walls of the sound relationship house. If these walls are weakened in any way, the entire house could be at risk from falling. Through repair work, couples can repair ruptures and move towards healed trust and commitment that can weather the storms of a relationship.
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
Double Mirror Doodle
What Happened Next
Tumbling Blocks Conversation Prompts
Pick-Up Straws
Career Charades
Career Creation
Through clay creations, the child or teen will mold the dough or clay to form a symbolic representation of the career. For example, they may create a toothbrush for a dentist. This can be modified to fit the topic of the area in need of supporting, such as emotional literacy and expression, family system support, and much more.
Social / Emotional/Friendship Thumballs
Fishing for Solutions
Mandalas
Bibliotherapy
Therapeutic Books with Activities to Address Various Issues
Positive Belief "I am..." Activity
In this activity, the child “ranks” each statement depending on feelings of accuracy. Statements can be adapted to individual / group. The final rank of statements could then be discussed for self-awareness and a starting point for self-image concerns
Self-Talk Thought Bubble
Dr. Taylor is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida.
She’s also the Center for Play Therapy Training and Research Director, as well as the Play Therapy Certificate coordinator.
She earned her graduate degrees from the University of North Texas.
She learned from many of the leaders in the Play Therapy world.
Dr. Taylor is trained in Adlerian Play Therapy developed in the early 1990’s by Terry Kottman, Ph.D., Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, NCC, LMHC
Adlerian’s belief is that people’s behavior is purposeful and goal-directed. Their early childhood experiences influence their behavior, as well as how they view themselves, others and their world.
4 Phases of Adlerian Play Therapy
(1) Relationship Building – This phase of the therapy is non-directive and supports safety in the play room. By creating a shared power, the client can really feel like a significant person in their world. This phase supports building trust within the child.
(2) Investigating the Lifestyle – In this phase, the therapist becomes more directive in their work. A focus is placed on how they view themselves, others, and the world. There are a lot of things to take into consideration for the client, especially information on their personality, how do they feel like they matter in the world.
(3) Gaining Insight – At this point in the therapeutic process, the therapist has a really good idea how the child is viewing themselves, others and world. The treatment plan is developed after phase 2, once the therapist has a good idea of who the child is and how they view the world.
(4) Reorientation –In this phase, the therapist teaches the children skillsets through role play, family work, and more. One of the goals is to directly support their ability to generalize the skills in different settings to support their self-efficacy.
The therapist looks for signs that the child is ready to move into each phase.
It’s important to truly understand the child’s lifestyle.
These 3 things are across each of the categories in the lifestyle:
Parent consultation is an important component of Adlerian Play therapy. Half of the session is spent with the child and ½ of the session is spent with the parent or every other session with parent then with child is scheduled.
During the therapy, the parent is also following the 4 phases. During the parent consultation, how the parent is viewing the world is explored since it greatly influences their parenting approach.
During the parent consultation, the parent learns many of the same skills as the child, so that they can respond to the child in a different way that is supportive of the treatment plan for the child.
Dr. Taylor highly recommends reading Partners in Play by Terry Kottman 3rd Edtion.
Crucial C’s of Adlerian Play Therapy
It’s important for each therapist to choose a theory that aligns with how you also view the world to foster authenticity of delivery of services.
The relationship is the most critical element of the therapy.
http://education.ucf.edu/playtherapy/
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
Dr. Stacy Van Horn is currently a full-time faculty member and School Counseling Coordinator at the University of Central Florida in the Counselor Education and School Psychology Program within the Department of Child, Family and Community Sciences. She teaches graduate students at both the masters and doctoral level primarily in the areas of career development, counseling with children and adolescents, ethical and legal issues in professional school counseling, and coordination of comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs. She also supervises practicum students in the Community Counseling and Research Clinic (CCRC) on campus and school counseling interns throughout Central Florida schools. Prior to her position as a Counselor Educator, Dr. Van Horn worked as a professional school counselor for over nine years in Orange County Public Schools working with diverse students, teachers, and families in Central Florida. Dr. Van Horn has experience in creating and coordinating comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs at both the elementary and middle school level. In addition, she has experience collaborating with exceptional education school personnel on developing strategies and counseling approaches for exceptional education students. Her current research interests include training and supervision of professional school counselors, counseling interventions with diverse children and adolescents, and the role of professional school counselors in providing effective career development in schools. Dr. Van Horn has presented at national, regional, state, and local counseling conferences, including American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists
Prior to her position as a Counselor Educator, Dr. Van Horn worked as a professional school counselor for over nine years in Orange County Public Schools working with diverse students, teachers, and families in Central Florida. Dr. Van Horn has experience in creating and coordinating comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs at both the elementary and middle school level. In addition, she has experience collaborating with exceptional education school personnel on developing strategies and counseling approaches for exceptional education students. Her current research interests include training and supervision of professional school counselors, counseling interventions with diverse children and adolescents, and the role of professional school counselors in providing effective career development in schools. Dr. Van Horn has presented at national, regional, state, and local counseling conferences, including American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists for Group Work, American School Counseling Association, the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Florida Counseling Association, the Florida School Counselor Association, and invited presenter at the Florida Association for Gifted Children.
School Counselors have a unique role within the school setting. A school counselor works as a vital part of a team and stakeholders.
Learn More about Dr. Van Horn at UCF http://education.ucf.edu/faculty_detail.cfm?id=591
Association for School Counselors, ASCA https://www.schoolcounselor.org
Jackie’s Play Therapy Community www.playtherapycommunity.com
Jackie’s Private Practice www.counselinginbrevard.com
Jackie’s Consulting Support www.jackieflynnconsulting.com
Pam Dyson, MA, LPC-S, RPT-S, is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, child development expert and parenting coach. In addition to her private practice www.pamdyson.com in Plano, Texas she provides consultation and supervision services and facilitates play therapy workshops at conferences throughout the US. She is the recipient of the Association for Play Therapy 2013 Key Award for Professional Education and Training and is currently serving a three-year term on the APT Board of Directors. Pam is the founder and director of the DFW Center for Play Therapy Training. www.dfwplaytherapy.com
In this episode, Pam shares with us how she put together her office space.
After a few times of moving her office, she has tweaked her set up until she created it just like she wants it.
Pam selected her toys and materials strategically, based on influence from Garry Landreth’s work. She referenced his book, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship .
She has toys from each category: Expressive, Aggressive, & Nurturing. This helps her to determine what toys she has it in her play room.
Each toy that she has was selected based on its therapeutic value. How it can help the child express and release their emotions should be considered.
It’s important to have real-life toys, expressive materials, blocks, playdough, and more. Here’s a link to a recommended toy list: http://cpt.unt.edu/about-play-therapy/recommended-toy-list
Pam’s space is an organized and calming space.
Pam has 2 plain looking dollhouses in her space. Having 2 doll houses can help children play out what it is like transitioning between 2 homes.
“We can’t always change what’s going on around them, in their world, in their environment. But, we can help them improve the way they feel about themselves.” Pam Dyson
Naming the child’s emotion is helpful for the child to process situations in their life.
Playing activates the right hemisphere of the brain while naming the emotion activates the left. This supports integration of the 2 hemispheres, which allows the child to fully process.
Pam couldn’t imagine doing the work that she does without play because integrating both sides of the brain is so important.
In Pam’s space, there's a little table that she uses with her clients for many different purposes.
Pam intentionally puts everything in the same place, so that her clients know where things are located. Since they use the toys like we use words, it’s important for them to be able to find their words easily.
It’s important that there’s a sense of order in the playroom, so it feels like a safe, predictable experience for them.
Pam makes the distinction between Sandtray and Sandplay therapy. She uses Sandtray therapy in a separate room to use with older clients either individually with their parents.
Having 2 separate rooms, Play Therapy Room for younger clients and a Sandtray Room for older clients, Pam can best help both ages. And it helps lesson clean-up time as well.
Pam allots 15 minutes for clean-up time before the next client. She doesn’t feel too rushed in between clients. She starts each session on top of the hour.
She has an observation window in the play room to facilitate Child Parent Relationship Therapy. She also uses it to train other therapists how to work with the child. It has recording capacity for training purposes and self-evaluation as well. She always obtains written permission before recording. She records for clinical trainings mostly.
Pam is the director the DFW Center for Play Therapy. She offers 2 workshops a month for people interested in learning how to do Play Therapy. She’s an approved provider for the Association for Play Therapy. Her trainings offer continuing education credits. She really enjoys it.
Play Therapy can be used across the lifespan. It looks a bit different but can be used with any age.
Merchandise is available at Pam’s trainings. Her trainees can buy toys and miniatures and begin to implement what they learned right away.
Her workshops are experiential in nature to support that integration of the brain for the therapists as well.
To tour Pam’s space, visit www.pamdyson.com
Pam meets with the parents before she meets with the child. Based on the information from that session, she makes a recommendation on how to best work with the child. She has a parent consultation room that is comfortable and cozy, which she also uses for family therapy sometimes.
Pam keeps a bowl of fidget toys in the room to help ground and relax her clients and their parents.
Pam is a doodler! It helps keeps her focused while on the phone, at conferences, etc.
Pam models playing with the child for the parent. She stresses the importance of leaving the phone and other electronics in the other room while playing with their child so they can be more present. Weekly playtimes can be so valuable.
It’s really important to involve the parent in the therapeutic process as much as possible.
Pam shares lots of free videos on her social media sites.
Play Therapy Community www.playtherapycommunity.com
Tour Pam’s Office www.pamdyson.com
Trainings - www.dfwplaytherapy.com
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/pamdyson/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/PamDysonPlayTherapy
In this episode Billie Jo covers the following:
https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
Ellis Edmunds is a licensed psychologist in Oakland, CA. He has a private practice working with teens and adults struggling with anxiety. He is passionate about Mindfulness practices and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. He also loves to play games of all kind and has created a therapeutic board game called The Mindful Bus that can be used with groups or in a one on one setting. He believes games can provide a fun, safe, and interactive experience for therapeutic work to take place.
In this episode Dr. Edmunds covers the following:
-How he got the idea for the board game by working with teens and adults.
-The process of getting the game created: prototypes, testing it, art work.
-How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy inspired the idea for the game.
-How to get started on your own product or game.
http://www.boardgamesmaker.com
http://facebook.com/drellisedmunds
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
In this episode Dr. Kat covers the following:
Dr. Kat’s Amazing Podcast http://www.momandmind.com
https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt
Expert Guest: Mercedes Samudio, LCSW Mercedes Samudio, LCSW is a parent coach, speaker, and author who helps parents and children communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships. Over the course of her career, she has worked with adoptive families, foster families, teen parents, parents navigating the child protective services system, and children living with mental illness. Mercedes started the #EndParentShaming movement as well as coined the term Shame-Proof Parenting – using both to bring awareness to ending parent shame. Mercedes is a leading parenting expert and has an amazing following on social media that allows her to reach the hearts of thousands of parents who feel heard and seen on their parenting journey. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, US News and Report, Woman’s Day, LA Parent Magazine, CBS LA, and Kids In The House. Mercedes seeks to empower parents to believe that they are already great guides for raising healthy and happy children. You can read more about her parenting expertise at http://shameproofparenting.com.
In this episode, Mercedes covers the following:
Mercedes’ Book – Shame Proof Parenting
https://www.facebook.com/ShameProofParenting/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/
https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/
https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt