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.

Engagement and Assessment Training in Play Therapy

Friday, January 17, 2025 from 9am-1:30pm

IN-PERSON Play Therapy Training (THLC and CFCC Staff Only)

Play therapy is an opportunity to engage the most resistive clients and assess them emotionally, socially and physically. In this workshop participants will learn about the effective Play Therapy strategies for assessing children and adolescents using Person Centered and attachment theories. Concepts of Theraplay® will be introduced to utilize assessment and play therapy Engagement activities.

Participants will be able to demonstrate 3 assessment techniques to use with play therapy clients.
Participants will describe how to introduce Theraplay® into play therapy sessions.
Participants will be able to discuss the four areas of Theraplay® (Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge) and how to incorporate them into play therapy settings.
Play Therapists will be able to discuss how to implement 3 techniques to engage clients in play therapy
Participants will demonstrate two Theraplay® activities that promote improved attachment between a parent and child in each of the four areas (Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge).

Presenter: Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT-S

How to use Play Therapy to Support Children in High Conflict Custody Cases

Friday, January 24, 2025 from 9am-12:15pm

VIRTUAL Play Therapy Training

High conflict custody cases are extremely complicated. Dr. Etheridge has been working within the system as a consultant and an expert witness. She also works with children as a mental health clinician using non-directive child centered play therapy. Dr. Etheridge sees the impact of high conflict in custody cases as a type of interpersonal domestic violence within families. This experience has led to her seeing this as a social justice issue, but, what is the best way to treat children in these situations?

In this training, play therapists will gain an understanding on how these situations impact the child and how to develop the skills necessary to be an advocate for these children. She will also discuss suggested effective play therapy treatment techniques and ways to work to manage the dynamics of these highly contentious situations.

This qualifies as three hours of Special Topics for the RPT credential through the Association for Play Therapy.

Objectives:

1. Utilize Play Therapy Skills to support children who are trapped in high conflict custody cases (HCCC)

2. Explore current ideas of best practices when involved in HCCC

3. Discuss and develop interpretation skills while using Play Therapy to help assess the level of impact on the child, and develop effective treatment plans to minimize the impact.

Cost: $75.00 early bird, $85.00 regular pricing, $95.00 late registration

Student: $35.00 (With VALID ID). Send to paige@crossroadsfamilycc.com for verification.

Presenter:S. Lynn Etheridge, JD, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S

A Playful Panel: Play Therapy History and Learning the Principles of Child-Centered and Adlerian Play Therapy

Friday, February 21st, 2025 from 9am-12:15pm

VIRTUAL Play Therapy Training

Join us for a playful panel with three experienced Play Therapists! Learn about the origins and history of play therapy, presented by Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT-S. Also, you will learn to identify the different play therapy modalities, types of populations and diagnosis’ play therapy can be used with. You will then learn about two types of seminal play therapies with an overview of the theory of child-centered play therapy (CCPT), presented by Michelle Walker, LCSW, RPT-S. Learn the six basic conditions and tenets of CCPT, and an introduction to the skills of CCPT. Dr. Samantha Long, PhD, LPC, RPT, NCC will then present on Adlerian Play Theory and how play therapists can incorporate the use of Adlerian ideas in the primary aspects of play therapy.

This qualifies as one hour of History and two hours of historically significant theory/seminal training for the RPT credential through the Association for Play Therapy.

Following the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Play Therapists will be able to discuss the history of play therapy.

2. Play Therapists will gain a fundamental knowledge about Child Centered Play Therapy and will be able to describe the six tenets.

3. Play Therapists will define Adlerian play therapy concepts and how they can be used in the Playroom.

Topic: Play Therapy History/Seminal Theories

Cost: $75.00 early bird, $85.00 regular pricing, $95.00 late registration

Student: $35.00 (With VALID ID). Send to paige@crossroadsfamilycc.com for verification.

Presenter: Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT-S, Michelle Walker, LCSW, RPT-S, and Dr. Samantha Long, PhD, LPC, RPT, NCC

Supporting and Celebrating ADHDers in the Play Therapy Room

Friday, March 21st, 2025 from 9am-12:15pm

VIRTUAL Play Therapy Training

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is quite the negative jumble of words to describe the unique combination of strengths and differences many of us possess!

The CDC reported that between 2016 and 2022, ADHD in 3-17-year-olds increased by an additional million diagnoses, and the numbers continue to grow! While we are identifying these differences more frequently, we can still do a great deal to improve the language and support provided to ADHDers. Over the past 60 years, we have witnessed play therapy’s power in supporting neurodivergent children.

As the field of play therapy and understanding of neurodivergence has grown, therapists have increased access to information and tools to support neurodivergent children in an affirming way.

This workshop will review how play therapy seminal theories like child-centered play therapy can support ADHD clients and the considerations that therapists can incorporate when providing accommodations and modifications to help the individual differences of their ADHD clients.

Objectives:

Participants will review the Neurodiversity paradigm and considerations for reshaping the language and supports we use for clients with ADHD.

Participants will explore 3-5 ways to accommodate and modify the applications of seminal theories to provide individualized and affirming support to their client.

Participants will review the LISTEN acronym and its application to supporting and advocating for their ADHD play therapy clients.

Cost: $75.00 early bird, $85.00 regular pricing, $95.00 late registration

Student: $35.00 (With VALID ID). Send to paige@crossroadsfamilycc.com for verification.

Presenter: Katie Bassiri, MA, LPCC, RPT-S