Webinar Title: Reclaiming Black Childhood: Engaging Adultified Black Children in Play Therapy 
Facilitator: April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, RPT-S™
Webinar Date: November 8th, 2024
Webinar Time: 9:00 am-2:45 pm EST
APT Continuing Education Hours: 5.0
 
Webinar Description:  
Systemic & institutional racism in American Black children often robs them of a childhood. As a result, Black caregivers may also encourage their children to abandon play to prepare them for an unjust world. In turn, they are often denied the ability to fully engage in play, in and out of the play room. This also may lead to difficulty gaining play therapy buy-in from Black caregivers around certain categories of toys that may be taboo. Using an Ecosystemic Play Therapy approach, this workshop explores how adultification appears in play therapy with Black children and family, including how the grief of the killing of unarmed Black Americans may contribute to parenting practices towards Black children. Attendees will explore play therapy activities to build rapport and gain buy-in with caregivers who may have parenting practices rooted in intergenerational trauma. Participants will also explore key items to promote cultural pride in the playroom and promote cultural inclusivity. Additionally, participants will explore other expressive therapies such as sand tray, music and games to activate the therapeutic powers of play and help Black children reclaim their childhood.
 
Learning Objectives: 
Use Ecosystemic Play Therapy skills to explore adultification in Black children.
Discuss play themes that may signal adultification in Black children. 
Analyze categories of play that may be viewed as problematic in Black families.
Identify play therapy interventions to address adultification in Black children in individual & group play therapy.
Describe play therapy interventions for family play therapy with adultified Black children. 
 
Agenda: 
9:00 am-10:30 am Lecture & experiential learning
10:30 am-10:45 am Break
10:45 am-12:00 pm Lecture & experiential learning
12:00 pm-12:30 pm Lunch break
12:30 pm-1:30 pm Lecture & experiential learning
1:30 pm-1:45 pm Break
1:45 pm-2:30 pm Lecture & experiential learning
2:30 pm-2:45 pm Wrap up/Q & A