info@heartleafcenter.org
 703-397-8163
Client Registration
Tender Heart FundDONATE
Strong Children · Strong Families · Strong Communities

Monthly Trainings

The Heart Leaf Center provides low cost, high quality play therapy training for students and clinicians in the community to promote the education and training of future play therapists.

Working with Anxiety and Anger using CBT Play Therapy Techniques

Friday, December 6 2024 from 9am-1:00pm (THLC and CCFC staff only)

IN-PERSON Play Therapy Training

Location: 11166 Fairfax Blvd., Suite 207, Fairfax, VA 22030

Many children struggle with anxiety and anger and get referred for play therapy treatment, while parents want a quick fix. This training will introduce directive play therapy techniques based on CBT theory and how you can incorporate these CBT activities into the play room.

Objectives:

  • Participants will be able to explain the CBT protocol for play therapy.

  • Participants will be able to identify when a child is ready and able to use CBT play therapy techniques.

  • Participants will describe 3 CBT play therapy techniques they can use with their clients.

  • Participants will be able to demonstrate 3 CBT techniques they can use with play therapy clients and families.

Presenter: Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT-S

Dissociation Demystified: Navigating Dissociation in Play Therapy

Friday, December 13 2024 from 9am-12:15pm

VIRTUAL Play Therapy Training

Dissociation is a disconnect from emotions, body sensations, thoughts, memories, and/or identity. In play therapy it can look like explosive behavior, clients presenting as “shell shocked”, self-injuring behavior, or bizarre mood and personality shifts.

Often these are the children that fall through the cracks and are passed on due to their complexity with people stating, “nothing works with them”.

In this training, participants learn how to explain dissociation to both children in the playroom and parents in parent sessions, participants discuss how to assess for dissociation with both parents and children in play therapy, and participants demonstrate skills to work with parts of self in the playroom.

Objectives:

1. Explain how to assess for dissociation in children, both in parent sessions and the playroom.

2. Describe the major theories of dissociation and how they apply to the playroom.

3. Discuss how to speak to children about parts of self in play therapy, and how to speak to parents about parts of self in parent sessions.

4. Identify coping skills for children experiencing dissociation in the playroom.

5. Demonstrate grounding skills for children experiencing dissociation in the playroom.

6. Demonstrate basic parts work interventions in play therapy during training breakout session

Presenter:Nik Johnson, MS, LPC-S, Registered Play Therapist™- Supervisor, EMDR Consultant

Register
keyboard_arrow_up