Branch Trainings

Children experience trauma at alarming rates, and these experiences impact their physical, mental, social, and academic health. It is vital that clinicians understand the impacts of these experiences as well as evidenced based and neurobiologically informed interventions to assist children within clinics, schools, agencies, and families. CCPT has a long-standing history of research that offers evidence of effectiveness (Lin & Bratton, 2015; Ray et al., 2015); and demonstrates positive outcomes for children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors, academic achievement, and relationships. Furthermore, recent research by Ray et al. (2022) demonstrates CCPT is an effective intervention to improve social-emotional competency, self-regulation, and decrease behavioral problems among children with early adversity.

Within this presentation, participants will explore the various ways in which childhood experiences can be traumatic, the neurological, physical, academic, and mental health impacts of trauma, and how Child Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) can assist children in healing from these experiences. Presenters will engage in case studies, experiential activities, small group activities, and lectures to assist participants in better understanding the intentionality and neurobiological implications of using CCPT with children who experienced trauma. Participants will also learn ways to engage with caregivers and school systems to support the whole child, and innovative and creative ways to create stability within the playroom through playroom set up and mobile units.

Play therapists need to be ready to respond when presented with children’s suicidal ideation and intent. This session reviews suicidal risks and warning signs in young children receiving play therapy interventions. Play therapists will learn knowledge and skills to use for targeted and play-based screening and assessment and play therapy intervention for children and their caregivers.

This workshop will begin with a high level overview of using sand in a play therapy session and then move on to exploring the meaning behind symbols children use in play. Participants will learn how to think about symbols used in a child’s sand tray generally and then apply this knowledge to examples from our modern myths like Sesame Street characters, Bluey and popular animated films.

Research shows us that Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. ERP involves the client and their parents having to face their fears and engage in very difficult tasks. Play therapy is the perfect compliment to integrate in order to engage and motivate the child and their family members. This training will explore how to use play therapy techniques to help the child make sense of their OCD as well as how to use play therapy to create exposures and rewards. Participants will also be able to share case examples and brainstorm with the group for play therapy exposure ideas.