Play Therapy Courses
Structured Sensory Interventions: From Sensory Memories to Play Therapy
This is a practice day. Participants will be engaged in the evidence-based, grief and trauma psycho-educational and play therapy intervention processes used in schools and community settings across the country. Cases, including the mother of a 7-year-old who died of cancer at home, a 12-year-old exposed to repeated domestic violence, a 15-year-old, raped multiple times at a drug house, a spouse’s husband tortured and killed, will be presented along with the remarkable evidence-based reduction of their PTSD and other mental health and cognitive related reactions. Participants in schools or agency settings will feel comfortable using any of TLC’s structured manualized psycho-educational and play therapy trauma intervention programs and tools at the end of this practice-directed training.
Learner will be able to:
- Identify at least three ways sensory based, play therapy reduces arousal in traumatized children, adolescents and adults.
- Demonstrate at least three trauma theme-specific, play therapy techniques to use with traumatized children, adolescents and adults that help create a trauma narrative.
- Identify at least three ways play therapy strategies can help cognitively reframe a traumatized child, adolescent or adult’s perception of the themselves and the world around them following trauma.
Creative Play Therapy Crisis Intervention: Promoting Posttraumatic Growth
Traditional crisis intervention has focused on distress, deficits and traumatic wounds of survivors. However, recent research on the inherent resilience of people and the importance of play and their attachment relationships has exciting implications to child, family and play therapists responding to traumatic events. The psycho-educational and play therapy techniques presented emphasize personal strengths, enriching personal relationships; feelings of resolve and helping survivors try new coping strategies. The play therapy interventions presented require minimal materials, are developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive and can be implemented in any setting. Out of Ashes, A Coping Heart, Eggactly: Supporting One Another, Colors From Your Emotional World, and Reaching out with LUV are a few of the play therapy strategies presented as way to help those in crisis, make meaning, regulate their emotions and move forward.
Learner will be able to:
- Identify at least five objectives play therapy accomplishes with children in crisis.
- Identify at least five specific play therapy activities which can be used to ameliorate the anxieties, worries and fears crises can induce.
- Create and demonstrate at least one play therapy activity that can be used with someone in crisis to help them discover that they have the inner resources to cope.
Advanced Sensory-Based Interventions: From Sensory Memories to Play Therapy
This session will engage participants in a variety of advanced psycho-educational, sensory and play therapy activities to allow for the use of these interventions beyond the core TLC program or for use in those situations where it is not possible to use the full program. Play therapy activities will cover early childhood through adulthood and address the sensory experiences associated with trauma or grief. This is a practice session so participants experience the full value and application of these play therapy activities. Rap It Write, Strike A Pose, Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X., My Play Island and This Reminds Me Of… are just a few of the sensory activities presented. Our activities are used in school and agency settings.
Learner will be able to:
- Identify at least three ways sensory based, play therapy reduces arousal in traumatized children, adolescents and adults and thus improves emotions, behavior and learning following trauma.
- Create and demonstrate at least three, trauma theme-specific, developmentally appropriate play therapy techniques to use with traumatized children, adolescents and adults that help create a trauma narrative.
- Identify and describe at least three examples of play therapy strategies that can help cognitively reframe a traumatized child, adolescent or adult’s perception of the themselves and the world around them following trauma.