Expression, Connection & Witnessing: The Use of Play Therapy and Other Expressive Approaches for the Assessment and Treatment of Kids, Parents & Families
February 27 – March 3, 2023 | 9:00 am – 12:30 pm daily | USD$949 / CAD$1,234
About this workshop
Explore your own creativity as you learn how to integrate expressive therapies into clinical practice.
This experiential workshop will invite play therapists and other clinicians to explore their own creativity and imagination as they look at the benefits of integrating play therapy and other expressive therapies (art, sand, drama) into clinical practice.
This workshop will provide ample room for participants to participate in play and other expressive activities, with a focus on successful integration and implementation.
There is substantive evidence that play, art, and other expressive methods allow clients to sidestep well-established defensive mechanisms, activate the body-mind connection, and enliven and reshape relational interactions and connections.
Clinicians attending this workshop will gain not only a new repertoire of play therapy and other expressive interventions, but also feel prepared to tap into their own creativity to design novel invitations for their clients.
During each day of this workshop, play therapists and other participants will have a chance to engage in an expressive play therapy activity and discuss the clinical application of those activities.
Finally, this workshop is designed to allow each clinician to work from his or her theoretical model of play therapy and integrate accordingly. An emphasis will be placed on providing expressive therapies in an economic way, without expensive toys, and learning about adapting materials that might already be available in any clinical setting.
Come to this workshop with your therapeutic curiosity and willingness to explore play therapy and other expressive approaches, and a value of the importance of laughter and play in a therapeutic relationship.
During this workshop, the 20 central change agents of play therapy will be highlighted, and basic principles of play and other expressive therapies will also be defined.
Learning Objectives
Select and utilize an expressive play therapy technique for assessment purposes with children.
Select and utilize an expressive play therapy technique to promote treatment goals.
List two potential outcomes of utilizing expressive play therapies at the assessment stage.
List two potential outcomes of utilizing expressive play therapies to promote treatment goals.
Describe two ways to promote treatment goals by using play therapy and other expressive therapies.
Describe two ways to invite clients to co-create treatment plans and utilize play therapy activities.
- List the four dimensions of Theraplay that bring focus to family dynamics.
Identify two clinical interventions that utilize play therapy or an expressive therapy component.
Define two basic principles of drama therapy consistent with play therapy.
Define two play therapy activities designed to help clients feel seen and heard.
List two potential outcomes of inviting people to participate in dramatic play therapy.
List two possible ways of inviting client participation with play therapy integrated with movement and drama.
Describe the rationale for inviting full families to engage in play therapy.
List two play therapy techniques that can help clinicians identify positive and negative family dynamics.
List two play therapy or expressive therapy activities that can be employed during the assessment phase.
- List two expressive therapy activities that clinicians can design based on/and in response to their work with families.
List two criteria for selecting appropriate, integrated play therapy and expressive therapies with a broad clinical population.
Name two theoretical foundations of play therapy which become foundational to your clinical approach.
Name two ways that play therapists can make clinical decisions about formats, modalities, and integrative approaches.
List two play therapy approaches that you will learn more about, or integrate, into your clinical practice at the end of this training.
CE Credits
This workshop is approved for 16.25 CE hours by Praxis Continuing Education and Training.
This workshop is approved for 15 APT CE hours.
This workshop is co-sponsored by Starbright Training Institute. Starbright Training Institute is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to play therapy (APT Approved Provider No. 96-029). This workshop will provide 15 APT continuing education hours. APT CE credits are awarded only to mental health counselors.
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Additional Workshop Details
Target Audience:
Marriage and Family Therapists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Psychiatric Social Workers, Pastoral Counselors, Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists, Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Occupational Therapists, Counselors, Graduate Students in Accredited Programs in these fields
What level of knowledge should the attendee have in this topic?
Intermediate/Advanced
Daily Workshop Agenda
| Time Frame | Content (Topics) |
|---|---|
| DAY 1 | |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | The use of metaphor and symbol to communicate, express, and connect Experiential exercise with play genogram and Relationship Question |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Morning break |
| 10:45 am – 12:30 pm | Strengthening therapy alliances through the use of expressive therapies Clinical Discussion of Case and crafting expressive invitations that promote goals |
| DAY 2 | |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | Designing and implementing expressive therapies to promote therapy goals Solution Circles exercise |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Morning break |
| 10:45 am – 12:30 pm | Clinical Case Discussion to Family video of recent family crisis Participants will design a clinical response to the family’s puppet story |
| DAY 3 | |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | Basic principles of drama therapy, embodied work, and movement Experiential exercises including milling, mirroring, affective charades, and other activities designed to allow clients to express nonverbally |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Morning break |
| 10:45 am – 12:30 pm | Continuation of morning’s session, focused on creating drama therapy responses for children, teens and families Integrating drama and play therapy |
| DAY 4 | |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | Family Play Therapy: A rationale for blending two approaches, systems theory and play therapy Experiential exercise: Aquarium project |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Morning break |
| 10:45 am – 12:30 pm | More ways of integrating expressive therapies in our clinical practices Experiential exercise: Scribble drawings |
| DAY 5 | |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | The art of therapeutic integration. How to conceptualize treatment direction, how to select treatment formats, how to invite families to participate Clinical case discussion |
| 10:30 am – 10:45 am | Morning break |
| 10:45 am – 12:30 pm | Clinical case presentation: Participants will discuss how to formulate a treatment plan and select approaches that promote goals Summary and Ending Art Exercise for Participants |
*Breaks not applicable for CEs.
