Past Conferences
Below you will find some of our past conference presenters and topics that we have been able to offer throughout the last couple of years!
Please take a look at our upcoming events! We hope to connect with you soon!
Spring 2024
Neurodiversity Affirming Ethical Play Therapy for Autistic & Transgender Youth
Kade (he/they) is an autistic transgender therapist! With 1 in 36 children being autistic and nearly 2% of teens being transgender in the United States, it’s important that play therapists and mental health professionals know how to ethically support these clients. Neurodiversity Affirming Ethical Play Therapy for Autistic and Transgender Youth is a comprehensive 2-day training designed to equip participants with the knowledge and applicable skills necessary to provide effective and ethical play therapy services. Our presenter, Kade, is someone with lived experience! It is our aim that this training will empower participants to provide ethical, affirming, and effective play therapy services to both autistic and transgender youth, promoting their mental and emotional well-being!
Fall 2023
Soothing Trauma and Shame: Using Gestalt Play Therapy to Develop Resources and Resilience
Traumatized children often experience neurobiological disturbances and a narrowed window of tolerance. In this workshop, attendees will integrate trauma-informed knowledge on approaching shame through a Gestalt Play Therapy (GPT) lens, a creative, experiential form of humanistic play therapy that values authenticity and embodiment presence. Utilizing a GPT framework, attendees will learn how to identify and address shame with individuals and families by assessing for and developing vital resources for resources and regulation, drawing from neuroscience. Attendees willwalk away with a GPT conceptual lens and plenty of theoretically backed methods for evaluating and addressing trauma and grief. The content is suitable for both beginning play therapists and experienced play therapists looking to expand or refine their skills.
Spring 2023
A Synergetic Play Therapy Approach to Revolutionizing Therapeutic Play with Children
This 2-day course is designed to help practitioners understand therapeutic play from neurobiological perspective. With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, practitioners will learn how to effectively work with therapeutic play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain and promotes healing for the child. Through role play, discussion, and experiential exercises participants will learn practical techniques that can be used right away in the playroom. Topics such as boundaries, co-regulation, nervous system activation, emotional flooding and use of aggression toys and play will be explored.
Fall 2022
Ethical Decision-Making in Play Therapy: Models and Applications
In this experiential workshop, participants will review ethical theories and models of ethical
decision-making relevant to child counseling and play therapy applications. Special emphasis will be placed on developing professionals’ understanding of decision-making processes used in arriving at ethical courses of action in three primary areas of emphasis in professional ethics codes. These areas include a) informed consent, b) confidentiality, and c) competence. Using case studies and vignettes, professionals will be invited to consider what might be the best course of action in a variety of child counseling and play therapy scenarios presenting ethical dilemmas.
Play Therapy with Teens and Tweens: Individual and Family Interventions
Be prepared for fun while learning play therapy, adventure therapy, and expressive art
techniques; directive sand tray activities; Adlerian concepts and strategies; and life coaching
interventions to help preteens and teens gain a sense of belonging and positive identity, increase
self-esteem, build relationships, and learn to share power. You will also learn strategies for
helping families of tweens and teens improve communication and interactional patterns.
