Deanne Ginns-Gruenberg, MA, BSN, LLP, RPT-S
TLC Certified Trainer

Deanne Ginns-Gruenberg MA, BSN, LLP, RPT-S is a registered play therapist supervisor with over 20 years of experience in working with school aged children. In her private practice she uses play therapy to engage children in the counseling process. It is a special delight to watch her demonstrate her techniques with puppets. As owner of the Self Esteem Shop, she has a wealth of knowledge about those children's books which deal specifically with loss and trauma. A former Peace Corps nurse in South America, she was awarded Nurse of the Year in 1993 at Children's Hospital, Detroit and named TLC’s  2006 Trauma and Loss Consultant Supervisor of the Year.


Dee Dee teaches the following:

Giving Hope to Traumatized Children
Through Bibliotherapy in a Play Therapy Setting

Creating an environment with a sense of safety is essential in our efforts to help children heal. Brave Bart, A Story for Grieving and Traumatized Children has demonstrated the power of bibliotherapy thousands of times following 9/11, the hurricanes of 2005 and hundreds of other critical incidents. This presentation highlights the stages of bibliotherapy including helpful considerations and interventions for the practitioner. Books that direct themselves to specific losses and traumas as well as trauma and grief in general will be featured. Video clips from a session (with a client) will validate the therapeutic value of bibliotherapy and the use of posters in the play therapy setting.

Play Therapy

This presentation provides the participant with trauma-specific play therapy strategies. Strategies such as puppets, sand tray, and other mediums will be demonstrated and critical therapeutic guidelines related to their use will be highlighted. A review of the most current trauma-specific books for use in sessions will also be presented. Participants will also take part in activities using some the materials discussed.