Workshop Description: Play Therapy to Address Suicidality Across the Lifespan 
Facilitator: April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, RPT-S
Workshop Date: September 10th, 2024
Workshop Time: 9:00am-6:30pm EST
Location: 200 E Joppa Rd, Suite 101, Towson, MD, 21286
APT Continuing Education Hours: 6.0
 
Workshop Description:  
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 workshop will provide play therapists with the skills to provide ethically-sound support to clients across the play therapy process. Attendees will engage in experiential activities to assess and treat suicide risk in the playroom. Time will also be spent identifying play themes that may signal self-harm or suicidal risk in play therapy sessions. Play therapy interventions to support safety both in and out of the playroom will be explored, along with play-based strategies to support those who may be at higher risk of suicide including children of color and LGBTQ youth. Additionally, participants will explore the use of Theaplay and Filial therapy to repair disrupted parent-child bonds in children experiencing suicidality. 
 
Learning Objectives:
Identify play themes that may signal issues around self-harm in play therapy sessions.
Utilize play therapy interventions to support clients who display signs of self-harm.
Analyze play therapy interventions to assess suicide risk in children of all ages.
Describe play therapy interventions to decrease suicidal risk in children & adolescents.
Explain key items in the playroom to support youth experiencing suicidality.
Discuss the use of historical and seminal play therapy theories to decrease suicide risk.
Assess family play therapy interventions to enhance parent-child attachments.
List sand tray prompts to decrease suicide risk in children and adolescents.
 
Agenda
9:00 am-9:15 am Introductions/review learning objectives
9:15 am-11:00 am Lecture & experiential learning
11:00 am-11:15 am Break
11:15 am-1:00 pm Lecture & experiential learning
1:00 pm-2:00 pm Lunch
2:00 pm-3:45 pm Lecture & experiential learning
3:45 pm-4:00 pm. Break
4:00 pm-6:15 pm. Lecture & experiential learning
6:15 pm-6:30 pm Wrap up and Q&A