Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is a proven effective clinical treatment model to address a variety of issues in children including anxiety, depression and trauma. This introductory webinar will explore the benefits of implementing EMDR into the playroom with children and adults. Participants will learn to integrate EMDR skills into individual and family play therapy sessions, with special attention spent on the use of sand tray prompts to explore safe places in the first phase of EMDR with adults. This webinar will also explore the integration of play-based activities into the eight phases of EMDR including play therapy interventions to identify value systems and address maladaptive core beliefs in children and adults. Participants will also explore the use of play-based interventions to engage caregivers in the reprocessing of negative cognitions in family play therapy sessions. This webinar will provide 5.5 APT non-contact continuing education hours.

Suicide is an issue that affects people of all race, genders, ethnicities, socioeconomic status, age and sexual orientation. As mental health professionals & play therapists, we have a duty to clients of all ages to effectively identify, document and treat clients who are at risk of harming themselves. This 3-hour webinar will provide professionals with play therapy skills to provide ethically-sound support to clients through the use of the play therapy process. Attendees will learn how to identify issues of self-harm in a child’s play as well as play therapy interventions that can be implemented to support safety both in and out of the playroom. This webinar will issue 3 .5 APT non-contact webinar CEs.

Lego building in play therapy sessions can be a useful tool for adolescents and teens to address common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and trauma. This workshop will engage play therapists in lego building skills to integrate into individual, family and group play therapy sessions. Seminal theories such as Adlerian Play Therapy, Ecosystemic Play Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy will be explored in their application in Lego building in the playroom. This experiential workshop will allow participants to apply Legos with clients in various settings, including mobile play therapy applications.

Play therapy supervision can be playful too! This contact workshop explores the various ways play therapy techniques can be integrated into play therapy supervision sessions. Experiential activities will include LEGO Serious play, art therapy and sand tray therapy techniques that can be easily implemented into individual and group play therapy supervision sessions.

A child’s play or pattern of behavior in the playroom can guide a play therapist towards an effective diagnosis and treatment plan. This webinar will explore the use of play as an assessment tool to identify common play themes that may signal mental and/or behavioral concerns in children and adolescents. Time will be spent exploring play therapy interventions to support common diagnosis in children including depressive disorders, trauma-stressor related disorders and more. Participants will use case studies to practice integrating play-based interventions into the construction of treatment plans to address issues such as impulsivity, conduct issues and more.

From the death of a loved one to divorce and separation, children experience various forms of grief that, if left untreated, can negatively affect their health and development. This workshop addresses how the play therapy process can address grief and bereavement in children and adolescents in individual, group and family play therapy. Attendees will gain a better understanding of play therapy interventions to address signs of traumatic grief in the playroom. Special attention is spent on play-based interventions to support child-welfare involved youth, as well as children with incarcerated parents. Experiential play-based activities to support the family through the healing process are also explored.