Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy and is the founder and director of the Play Therapy Institute of Colorado   She is experienced in many settings to include private practice, schools, social services, foster care agencies, and orphanages.    Synergetic Play Therapy’s name was influenced by Lisa’s love for the brain and understanding what happens in the nervous system.     The collaboration between the child and the therapist, and on a deeper level between the mind, breath, body is an important support in the therapeutic process.  Through this realization, she was drawn to the word “synergy” since it is the idea that when 2 parts come together, the effect is so much greater than what they are individually.   Collaboration within the therapist, child and between them both is cultivated.   Through Lisa’s work, before she created Synergetic Play Therapy, she felt like something was missing.  She had a personal experience with her daughter that gave her an intuitive felt sense of the importance of bringing in the nervous system getting into the somatics.  Becoming an external regulator can take it to a deeper level of healing.  Accessing the brainstem allows for work involving the level of attunement such as what’s present between a caregiver and an infant.  Lisa’s students say that it feels like a way of being rather than a model.  Her students report transforming through the process and it spills over into their other relationships.   Synergetic Play Therapy is not a list of fun techniques or activities to do with the child, but rather it is a “way of being”.   One of her students said, “Synergetic Play Therapy gives birth to the authentic self within the child and the therapist.”   Lisa urges her students to study as many philosophies and models of play therapy as possible to maximize their abilities.    Implicit memories bring a feeling and a felt sense that was placed in the early years.  Often before the age 3, the implicit memories provide the structures in the brain.    When Lisa’s daughter was born, she was emotionally dysregulated. While Lisa was pregnant with her, they both experienced a car crash. When she was born, Lisa was on a journey to help her rewire her nervous system.  She had her first play therapy experience at 9 months old where she played out shock of what she felt when the car accident happened.    The exchange happening between the therapist and the child is such a vital part of therapy.   Synergetic play therapy teaches the therapist what to do with their personal experience of what the child is feeling and experiencing through the play.     When parents are dysregulated, they need to regulate before they tend to their child.   The therapist does a lot of breathing, and modeling for the child.   The mirror neuron system allows the child to borrow the therapist’s regulatory system.  Therapist use themselves to support the child through their healing.  The therapist is intentionally authentic and may rock, say things, and do things that the child needs right in the moment.   Lisa tells a story of a child that had many generalized fears that learned regulatory techniques such as holding her heart and stomach while she did that during his expressions of the fearful scenerios.  In session 3, he reported that he knew what to do when he got scared.  He was able to borrow her nervous system, watch how she handled the situations, and internalized a way of taking care of himself during these types of situations. Through that process, his nervous system got rewired organically and experientially.    This process also helps keep the therapist well during the process.   Synergetic Play Therapy also offers a certification option as well.    Lisa has a new book coming out in Spring of 2018, “Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity” from Norton Publishers.    Lessons from the Playroom bi-weekly Podcast https://playtherapycolorado.com/podcasts/ Hour Live Webinar – 1 x a month https://playtherapycolorado.com/webinar/ Community Membership https://learn.playtherapycolorado.com/product/membership-site/ Play Therapy Institute of Colorado’s Website: https://playtherapycolorado.com/   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a> <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com/">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a> <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com/">www.parentingintherain.com</a> <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com/">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a> <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy and is the founder and director of the Play Therapy Institute of Colorado   She is experienced in many settings to include private practice, schools, social services, foster care agencies, and orphanages.    Synergetic Play Therapy’s name was influenced by Lisa’s love for the brain and understanding what happens in the nervous system.     The collaboration between the child and the therapist, and on a deeper level between the mind, breath, body is an important support in the therapeutic process.  Through this realization, she was drawn to the word “synergy” since it is the idea that when 2 parts come together, the effect is so much greater than what they are individually.   Collaboration within the therapist, child and between them both is cultivated.   Through Lisa’s work, before she created Synergetic Play Therapy, she felt like something was missing.  She had a personal experience with her daughter that gave her an intuitive felt sense of the importance of bringing in the nervous system getting into the somatics.  Becoming an external regulator can take it to a deeper level of healing.  Accessing the brainstem allows for work involving the level of attunement such as what’s present between a caregiver and an infant.  Lisa’s students say that it feels like a way of being rather than a model.  Her students report transforming through the process and it spills over into their other relationships.   Synergetic Play Therapy is not a list of fun techniques or activities to do with the child, but rather it is a “way of being”.   One of her students said, “Synergetic Play Therapy gives birth to the authentic self within the child and the therapist.”   Lisa urges her students to study as many philosophies and models of play therapy as possible to maximize their abilities.    Implicit memories bring a feeling and a felt sense that was placed in the early years.  Often before the age 3, the implicit memories provide the structures in the brain.    When Lisa’s daughter was born, she was emotionally dysregulated. While Lisa was pregnant with her, they both experienced a car crash. When she was born, Lisa was on a journey to help her rewire her nervous system.  She had her first play therapy experience at 9 months old where she played out shock of what she felt when the car accident happened.    The exchange happening between the therapist and the child is such a vital part of therapy.   Synergetic play therapy teaches the therapist what to do with their personal experience of what the child is feeling and experiencing through the play.     When parents are dysregulated, they need to regulate before they tend to their child.   The therapist does a lot of breathing, and modeling for the child.   The mirror neuron system allows the child to borrow the therapist’s regulatory system.  Therapist use themselves to support the child through their healing.  The therapist is intentionally authentic and may rock, say things, and do things that the child needs right in the moment.   Lisa tells a story of a child that had many generalized fears that learned regulatory techniques such as holding her heart and stomach while she did that during his expressions of the fearful scenerios.  In session 3, he reported that he knew what to do when he got scared.  He was able to borrow her nervous system, watch how she handled the situations, and internalized a way of taking care of himself during these types of situations. Through that process, his nervous system got rewired organically and experientially.    This process also helps keep the therapist well during the process.   Synergetic Play Therapy also offers a certification option as well.    Lisa has a new book coming out in Spring of 2018, “Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity” from Norton Publishers.    Lessons from the Playroom bi-weekly Podcast https://playtherapycolorado.com/podcasts/ Hour Live Webinar – 1 x a month https://playtherapycolorado.com/webinar/ Community Membership https://learn.playtherapycolorado.com/product/membership-site/ Play Therapy Institute of Colorado’s Website: https://playtherapycolorado.com/   https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/ https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/ www.counselinginbrevard.com www.playtherapycommunity.com www.parentingintherain.com www.jackieflynnconsulting.com https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

Play Therapy Community Inspiration, Information, & Connection for Child Therapists Around the World | ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Child Parent Relationship Therapy, School Counseling Behavior Therapy, Sandtray Therapy,

69: Synergetic Play Therapy with Lisa Dion

<ul> <li>Jill Aller is an adoption consultant for A Step Ahead Adoption Services and is an adoptive mom of two children, ages 6 and 4. </li> <li>Jill has a B.A. in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Teaching and an Ed.S. degree in Counseling. She adopted her two children through the help of A Step Ahead adoption services and had such a great experience with them that she went to work for them four years ago. Both children have very open adoptions, where they are still in touch with their biological families. Jill has lived all over the U.S. but is now happily settled in Florida with her extended family. Jill is passionate about helping others navigate their adoption journeys in a mindful, balanced way.</li> <li>The language that we use helps shape the way we think about adoption.</li> <li>The feeling that the language reflects becomes our children’s inner voice.</li> <li>“She gave up the baby for adoption” sounds like a rejection.  “She placed the baby for adoption” or she made an adoption plan” is a much better way to phrase it.  This sounds helpful and intentional.  It feels loving and nurturing.</li> <li>Jill talks to her children in an active voice about adoption with phrases such as “we adopted then” to put the focus on her putting the effort into making them a part of her family.</li> <li>More positive phrases include “birth family, tummy mommy, first family” instead of “the real mom”.  It evolves as they get over.  </li> <li>Since all of the people connected by adoption are connected by love.  It is a pain entered into willingly connected by love.</li> <li>Others my say things such as “she’s so lucky to have you” out of good intention, but it can be construed as the biological family not being good.  It’s important to be mindful of the message that is conveyed and make sure it is focused more on the love shared. Statements such as “it’s so great to see you as a family” is ideal.  </li> <li>It’s important to honor the birth family with your words. </li> <li>Being mindful of the language used to communicate about adoption is important for children and adults. </li> <li>It’s important to allow the adoptee to voice their feelings.  Asking open ended questions can be so helpful.  </li> <li>Many of the baby boomers are just finding out they are adopted.  This environment harbors pain and shame. Talking about it openly can be really supportive. </li> <li>There’s a continuum between closed and open adoption.  Closed adoption is where the parents may not know anymore than their names.  A semi-open is where they communicate through a 3rd party. An open adoption, often best for the mental health of the child and the birth family, is when theirs open connection. It’s important to note that open adoption isn’t always best for all families </li> <li>Child Connect is a site that links families together.</li> <li>When therapists work with adoptees, its important to allow space for grief and loss.</li> <li>Adoption triad – birth family, adopted family, and the child.</li> <li>Jill recommends the book 20 Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Know by Sherrie Eldridge.</li> <li>Family therapy can be really beneficial to help the entire family.</li> <li>Support groups can be incredibly helpful.</li> <li>Online support, consulting, and other connections can be really helpful. </li> <li>Connecting through groups can provide support and healing that can be found elsewhere.</li> <li>Jill recommends “<a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Family-Book-Todd-Parr/dp/0316070408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514980059&sr=8-1&keywords=the+family+book">The Family Book</a>” by Todd Parr . It’s about adoption, but not soley about adoption. </li> <li>Another book that she recommends is “<a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Its-Okay-Different-Todd-Parr/dp/0316043478/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514980099&sr=1-1&keywords=it%2527s+okay+to+be+different">It’s Okay to be Different</a>” also by Todd Parr.</li> <li>Jill really likes the “Adoptive Families” magazine. https://www.adoptivefamilies.com</li> <li>The Center for Adoption Support Education, CASE, is a great education resource.  http://adoptionsupport.org</li> <li>Adoption Counsel is a great resource at https://www.adoptioncouncil.orgA Step Ahead Adoption is a nationwide agency that helps people build their family in a healthy way.. There’s a focus on helping the birth family.  http://astepaheadadoption.com</li> <li>There’s many great children’s books such as “<a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Choco-Paperstar-Keiko-Kasza/dp/0698113640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514979883&sr=8-1&keywords=a+mother+for+choco">A Mother for Choco</a>”, “<a href= "https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_16?url=search-alias%253Daps&field-keywords=tell+me+a+real+adoption+story&sprefix=tell+me+a+real+a%252Cstripbooks%252C299&crid=2CPV6JF1YD8L2">Tell Me a Real Adoption Story</a>adop”, “<a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Adoption-Multi-cultural-Picture-Adoptive-Families/dp/0985676280/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514979997&sr=1-1&keywords=abc+adoption+and+me">ABC: Adoption and Me</a>”, and the “<a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Tummy-Mummy-Michelle-Madrid-Branch/dp/0974744301/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1514979969&sr=1-1&keywords=tummy+mummy">Tummy Mummy</a>”. </li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a></li> <li><a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com/">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a></li> <li><a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a></li> <li><a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com/">www.parentingintherain.com</a></li> <li><a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com/">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a></li> <li><a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a></li> </ul>

 Jill Aller is an adoption consultant for A Step Ahead Adoption Services and is an adoptive mom of two children, ages 6 and 4.  Jill has a B.A. in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Teaching and an Ed.S. degree in Counseling. She adopted her two children through the help of A Step Ahead adoption services and had such a great experience with them that she went to work for them four years ago. Both children have very open adoptions, where they are still in touch with their biological families. Jill has lived all over the U.S. but is now happily settled in Florida with her extended family. Jill is passionate about helping others navigate their adoption journeys in a mindful, balanced way. The language that we use helps shape the way we think about adoption. The feeling that the language reflects becomes our children’s inner voice. “She gave up the baby for adoption” sounds like a rejection.  “She placed the baby for adoption” or she made an adoption plan” is a much better way to phrase it.  This sounds helpful and intentional.  It feels loving and nurturing. Jill talks to her children in an active voice about adoption with phrases such as “we adopted then” to put the focus on her putting the effort into making them a part of her family. More positive phrases include “birth family, tummy mommy, first family” instead of “the real mom”.  It evolves as they get over.   Since all of the people connected by adoption are connected by love.  It is a pain entered into willingly connected by love. Others my say things such as “she’s so lucky to have you” out of good intention, but it can be construed as the biological family not being good.  It’s important to be mindful of the message that is conveyed and make sure it is focused more on the love shared. Statements such as “it’s so great to see you as a family” is ideal.   It’s important to honor the birth family with your words.  Being mindful of the language used to communicate about adoption is important for children and adults.  It’s important to allow the adoptee to voice their feelings.  Asking open ended questions can be so helpful.   Many of the baby boomers are just finding out they are adopted.  This environment harbors pain and shame. Talking about it openly can be really supportive.  There’s a continuum between closed and open adoption.  Closed adoption is where the parents may not know anymore than their names.  A semi-open is where they communicate through a 3rd party. An open adoption, often best for the mental health of the child and the birth family, is when theirs open connection. It’s important to note that open adoption isn’t always best for all families  Child Connect is a site that links families together. When therapists work with adoptees, its important to allow space for grief and loss. Adoption triad – birth family, adopted family, and the child. Jill recommends the book 20 Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Know by Sherrie Eldridge. Family therapy can be really beneficial to help the entire family. Support groups can be incredibly helpful. Online support, consulting, and other connections can be really helpful.  Connecting through groups can provide support and healing that can be found elsewhere. Jill recommends “The Family Book” by Todd Parr . It’s about adoption, but not soley about adoption.  Another book that she recommends is “It’s Okay to be Different” also by Todd Parr. Jill really likes the “Adoptive Families” magazine. https://www.adoptivefamilies.com The Center for Adoption Support Education, CASE, is a great education resource.  http://adoptionsupport.org Adoption Counsel is a great resource at https://www.adoptioncouncil.orgA Step Ahead Adoption is a nationwide agency that helps people build their family in a healthy way.. There’s a focus on helping the birth family.  http://astepaheadadoption.com There’s many great children’s books such as “A Mother for Choco”, “Tell Me a Real Adoption Storyadop”, “ABC: Adoption and Me”, and the “Tummy Mummy”.  https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/ https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/ www.counselinginbrevard.com www.playtherapycommunity.com www.parentingintherain.com www.jackieflynnconsulting.com https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

68: The Language of Adoption with Jill Aller, EdS

<ol> <li>“In between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  ~ Viktor Frankl</li> </ol>     <ol start="2"> <li>"Nobody can bring you peace but yourself."  ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson</li> </ol>   <ol start="3"> <li>"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." ~  Mother Teresa</li> </ol>     <ol start="4"> <li>"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao-Tzu</li> </ol>     <ol start="5"> <li>"By changing nothing, nothing will change."  ~  Tony Robbins</li> </ol>   <ol start="6"> <li>"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."  ~  Plato</li> </ol>   <ol start="7"> <li>"Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow."  -  Mary Anne Radmocher</li> </ol>   <ol start="8"> <li>“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”  - Maya Angelou</li> </ol> <ol> <li>When parents offer their children empathy and help them to cope with negative feelings like anger, sadness, and fear, parents build bridges of loyalty and affection.” - Gottman</li> </ol>   <ol start="10"> <li>“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” - Maya Angelou</li> </ol>   <ol start="11"> <li>“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou</li> </ol>   <ol start="12"> <li>“Every person must choose how much truth he can stand.” - Irvin Yalom, PhD.</li> </ol> <ol> <li>“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” -Friedrich Nietzsche</li> <li>Don’t try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.”-  Brene Brown </li> <li>“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt</li> </ol>         <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a> <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com/">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a> <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com/">www.parentingintherain.com</a> <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com/">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a> <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

 “In between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  ~ Viktor Frankl     "Nobody can bring you peace but yourself."  ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson   "Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love." ~  Mother Teresa     "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." ~ Lao-Tzu     "By changing nothing, nothing will change."  ~  Tony Robbins   "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."  ~  Plato   "Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow."  -  Mary Anne Radmocher   “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”  - Maya Angelou When parents offer their children empathy and help them to cope with negative feelings like anger, sadness, and fear, parents build bridges of loyalty and affection.” - Gottman   “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” - Maya Angelou   “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou   “Every person must choose how much truth he can stand.” - Irvin Yalom, PhD. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” -Friedrich Nietzsche Don’t try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.”-  Brene Brown  “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt         https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/ https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/ www.counselinginbrevard.com www.playtherapycommunity.com www.parentingintherain.com www.jackieflynnconsulting.com https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

67: Jackie’s 15 Favorite Quotes with Jackie Flynn EdS, LMHC, RPT

Katie May is the “Group Guru”.   She works exclusively with teenagers in a teen support center in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.     Groups energize Katie. She says that groups can’ save th’e world.     In groups, people feel less alone in their struggles and they start to heal in ways that individual therapy can’t provide.    Her groups are focused on the ideas of connection.   She told us about a group that she runs that looks at being nonjudgmental for teens.  She talked about using rocks to illustrate the judgements that they have for themselves.  She has them decorate the rocks to describe the judgements and toss them away as a concrete expression of getting rid of their judgements.  The teens put the rocks in a bag, weigh them and then toss them away into the water. This helps with processing of letting go of the judgements.     Sometimes her groups do a “compliment circle” to express and receive kindness from others. Her pre and post assessment of their state of happiness improves after the kindness circle occurs.     Katie prefers clear names for groups, rather than clever names.  This helps to make the process for the parents and caregivers looking for support for their child finding the groups simple and understanding .   Many times, teens can present with resistance towards therapy.    Katie runs a skills group for teens.  The connection that they have with each other is really important.   She offers Dialectical Behavioral Therapy that she infuses in many of her groups. She provides experiential activities to help them actually know what works for them and how it feels.    Pros Group therapy helps clients feel understood and connected to a positive support system.  When people can connect with their peers to feel less alone.  Social support is so very important and can be a positive experience.   Cons Group therapy isn’t the best setting for deeper individual work that may involve trauma.  Also, it can be challenging to balance time between the group members.   Another con is that the group members’ personalities don’t always mesh.    It’s so important to build trust and let the relationships form before diving into tough stuff.  It’s important to put yourself into the group member’s shoes.     <a href= "http://www.becomeagroupguru.com">http://www.becomeagroupguru.com</a> <a href= "https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children"> https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a> <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com/">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a> <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com/">www.parentingintherain.com</a> <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com/">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a> <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

Katie May is the “Group Guru”.   She works exclusively with teenagers in a teen support center in Flourtown, Pennsylvania.     Groups energize Katie. She says that groups can’ save th’e world.     In groups, people feel less alone in their struggles and they start to heal in ways that individual therapy can’t provide.    Her groups are focused on the ideas of connection.   She told us about a group that she runs that looks at being nonjudgmental for teens.  She talked about using rocks to illustrate the judgements that they have for themselves.  She has them decorate the rocks to describe the judgements and toss them away as a concrete expression of getting rid of their judgements.  The teens put the rocks in a bag, weigh them and then toss them away into the water. This helps with processing of letting go of the judgements.     Sometimes her groups do a “compliment circle” to express and receive kindness from others. Her pre and post assessment of their state of happiness improves after the kindness circle occurs.     Katie prefers clear names for groups, rather than clever names.  This helps to make the process for the parents and caregivers looking for support for their child finding the groups simple and understanding .   Many times, teens can present with resistance towards therapy.    Katie runs a skills group for teens.  The connection that they have with each other is really important.   She offers Dialectical Behavioral Therapy that she infuses in many of her groups. She provides experiential activities to help them actually know what works for them and how it feels.    Pros Group therapy helps clients feel understood and connected to a positive support system.  When people can connect with their peers to feel less alone.  Social support is so very important and can be a positive experience.   Cons Group therapy isn’t the best setting for deeper individual work that may involve trauma.  Also, it can be challenging to balance time between the group members.   Another con is that the group members’ personalities don’t always mesh.    It’s so important to build trust and let the relationships form before diving into tough stuff.  It’s important to put yourself into the group member’s shoes.     http://www.becomeagroupguru.com https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/ https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/ www.counselinginbrevard.com www.playtherapycommunity.com www.parentingintherain.com www.jackieflynnconsulting.com https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

66: Group Therapy with Children and Teens with Katie May MS, NCC, LPC, DBTC

Build Love Maps Knowing each other’s world is so vital to the health of a relationship.  It’s important to make exploration of each other’s world an ongoing effort.  This can help strengthen the relationship and help each person in the relationship to feel felt and cared about. Share Fondness and Admiration Fondness and admiration is noticing what’s going right and what’s good rather than putting a focus on the negative.  If couples are in “Negative Sentiment Override” as Gottman calls them.   Turn Towards Turning towards your partner, both literally and figuratively is important as it sends a message that “you matter”, “I care”, “you’re important to me”.  Gottman uses the metaphor of a RELATIONSHIP BANK ACCOUNT to illustrate the need for 5 times as many positives to every one negative in a relationship.  Turning towards and accepting “bids for connection”, such as holding hands, inviting on an outing, snuggling, etc. is important to build the relationship bank account up so that when there are negatives, it doesn’t go into a negative balance.    The Positive Perspective The positive perspective focuses on friendships.  When couples engage in a strong friendship, then they can weather the storms better.  They have a stronger tolerance for difficult circumstances. Manage Conflict Sixty nine percent of the conflict in a relationship is perpetual, which means it doesn’t have a clear resolution.  Often couples need to move towards compromising on issues.  It’s important that couples learn how to use soft startup and avoid the 4 patterns of communications that can eat away at a relationship: Criticism, Defensiveness, Contempt, Stonewalling.  Gottman refers to these as the 4 Horsemen. Make Life Dreams Come True Having fun, adventures and dreams together, as well as honoring each other’s dreams is so vital towards the health of a relationship. Couples that laugh and have fun together often have a much healthier relationship.   Create Shared Meaning Together, couples build a shared culture that incorporates what each of them knew to be true in their formative years, as well as new things that they do together in their own relationship and their own family.  Also, what legacy they want to leave in the world together is explored.   Trust and Commitment Trust & Commitment are the walls of the sound relationship house.  If these walls are weakened in any way, the entire house could be at risk from falling.  Through repair work, couples can repair ruptures and move towards healed trust and commitment that can weather the storms of a relationship.     <a href= "https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children"> https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a> <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com/">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a> <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com/">www.parentingintherain.com</a> <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com/">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a> <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

Build Love Maps Knowing each other’s world is so vital to the health of a relationship.  It’s important to make exploration of each other’s world an ongoing effort.  This can help strengthen the relationship and help each person in the relationship to feel felt and cared about. Share Fondness and Admiration Fondness and admiration is noticing what’s going right and what’s good rather than putting a focus on the negative.  If couples are in “Negative Sentiment Override” as Gottman calls them.   Turn Towards Turning towards your partner, both literally and figuratively is important as it sends a message that “you matter”, “I care”, “you’re important to me”.  Gottman uses the metaphor of a RELATIONSHIP BANK ACCOUNT to illustrate the need for 5 times as many positives to every one negative in a relationship.  Turning towards and accepting “bids for connection”, such as holding hands, inviting on an outing, snuggling, etc. is important to build the relationship bank account up so that when there are negatives, it doesn’t go into a negative balance.    The Positive Perspective The positive perspective focuses on friendships.  When couples engage in a strong friendship, then they can weather the storms better.  They have a stronger tolerance for difficult circumstances. Manage Conflict Sixty nine percent of the conflict in a relationship is perpetual, which means it doesn’t have a clear resolution.  Often couples need to move towards compromising on issues.  It’s important that couples learn how to use soft startup and avoid the 4 patterns of communications that can eat away at a relationship: Criticism, Defensiveness, Contempt, Stonewalling.  Gottman refers to these as the 4 Horsemen. Make Life Dreams Come True Having fun, adventures and dreams together, as well as honoring each other’s dreams is so vital towards the health of a relationship. Couples that laugh and have fun together often have a much healthier relationship.   Create Shared Meaning Together, couples build a shared culture that incorporates what each of them knew to be true in their formative years, as well as new things that they do together in their own relationship and their own family.  Also, what legacy they want to leave in the world together is explored.   Trust and Commitment Trust & Commitment are the walls of the sound relationship house.  If these walls are weakened in any way, the entire house could be at risk from falling.  Through repair work, couples can repair ruptures and move towards healed trust and commitment that can weather the storms of a relationship.     https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/ https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/ www.counselinginbrevard.com www.playtherapycommunity.com www.parentingintherain.com www.jackieflynnconsulting.com https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

65: Gottman’s Sound Relationship House with Jackie Flynn, Trained in Level 3 Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Double Mirror Doodle <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Using a large piece of paper and 2 crayons, have the student doodle a mirror image design. This helps with grounding, focus, and clarity through bilateral integration of both hemispheres of the brain. </li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Large Paper </li> <li>2 crayons</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> What Happened Next <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Using a large piece of paper and something to write with, have the student sequentially tell the story of what happened from beginning to the end.  This narrative supports "top-down" processing of the event. </li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Large Paper</li> <li>Pen, Pencil, or Crayons</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> Tumbling Blocks Conversation Prompts <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Using a Jenga (or generic version) game, the child and the counselor will pull a block and respond to the prompt on the block.  This can be used for a variety of topics to include coping skills, social situations, icebreaker, friendship skills, etc. </li> </ul> </div> Pick-Up Straws <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Using straws, students will pick up a straw and respond to a prompt coordinated with the color-coded prompts on a list of prompts in variety of areas.</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Package of Straws with a Variety of Colors</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> Career Charades  <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>In this activity, the child(re) will act out a carreer while the others guess.  It can be an ice breaker or connecting activity as well for groups.  </li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Slips of paper with careers or modified prompts to direct the child on what to act out in charades style.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> Career Creation  Through clay creations, the child or teen will mold the dough or clay to form a symbolic representation of the career.  For example, they may create a toothbrush for a dentist.  This can be modified to fit the topic of the area in need of supporting, such as emotional literacy and expression, family system support, and much more.    Social / Emotional/Friendship Thumballs <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>In this activity, the ball is tossed to each player.   The person catching the ball will respond to the word, statement, response closest to the player’s right thumb.  Write words, statements, responses on the ball with a permanent marker.  Themes could be “Ice Breaker”, “Social Situations”, “Emotional Literacy”, etc…</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Large Air Filled Ball</li> <li>Black Permanent Marker</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div>   Fishing for Solutions <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>In this activity, each child “fishes” for a statement or a question.  Once the child “catches’ a fish, he/she responds to the group. </li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Foam Sheets (variety of colors)</li> <li>Permanent Black Marker </li> <li>Small Round Magnets</li> <li>½ “ x 2’ Dowel Rod </li> <li>1’ of Twine</li> <li>Large Metal Bucket</li> <li>Large Blue Cloth </li> <li>(Cut foam pieces in the shape of a fish.  Glue a round magnet on the fish shape for the eye.  Create a fishing pole by tying and gluing the twine to the end of the string.  At the end of the string, glue a round magnet.)</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div>   Mandalas <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>In this activity, each person creates a design in the circle.  This art therapy directive can differ based on goals for the activity (team building, expression, calming, etc…).  After completion, a group discussion can be initiated to explore the process and any feelings that surface…</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Large Sheet of Paper </li> <li>Round Object for Circle Shape to Trace on the Paper </li> <li>Crayons, Markers, and/or Paint</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> Bibliotherapy Therapeutic Books with Activities to Address Various Issues <ul> <li>“Have You Filled Your Bucket Today” (Relationships)  In this activity, the child(ren) will write down positive, helpful statements to others on the slips of paper, then place in others’ “bucket” to symbolize kind acts.</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Bucket(s)</li> <li>Small Slips of Paper</li> <li>Writing Instruments</li> </ul> </div> </li> <li>“Invisible String” (Grief and Loss)  In this activity, the child will illustrate pictorially the people that they feel connected as in the metaphor of the invisible string that is represented with clear glue.</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Paper</li> <li>Glue</li> <li>Crayons</li> </ul> </div> </li> <li>“Personal Space Camp” (Social Appropriateness)  In this activity, the child learns about the appropriate amount of space to allow for peers and others in their familiarity with the visual aid  of a hula hoop. The child is to be directed to notice the distance as it is an appropriate for personal space.</li> </ul> <div style="margin-left: 2em;"> <ul> <li>Hula Hoop</li> </ul> </div> Positive Belief "I am..." Activity In this activity, the child “ranks” each statement depending on feelings of accuracy.  Statements can be adapted to individual / group.  The final rank of statements could then be discussed for self-awareness and a starting point for self-image concerns <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Printed sheet with the following statements, cut into strips.</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>I am CONFIDENT</li> <li>I am INTELLIGENT</li> <li>I am CREATIVE</li> <li>I am HUMOROUS</li> <li>I am KIND</li> <li>I am CONFIDENT</li> <li>I am GOOD</li> <li>I am CAPABLE</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul>   Self-Talk Thought Bubble <ul> <li>This activity is most effective when it is frontloaded with psychoeducation to teach the child about self-talk and how it impacts various situations such as test anxiety, social situations, etc....  To create the dialogue bubble, cut the poster board in the desired shape with a head shaped hole in the middle.  Instruct the child to write some positive and negative self-talk statements on the board.  Each statement can be used as a participatory discussion starter to strengthen the child’s understanding of the importance of using positive self-talk to better situations.</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Materials</li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline;"> <ul> <li>Large Posterboard</li> <li>Sharpie Marker</li> <li>Scissors</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul>

Double Mirror Doodle Using a large piece of paper and 2 crayons, have the student doodle a mirror image design. This helps with grounding, focus, and clarity through bilateral integration of both hemispheres of the brain.  Materials Large Paper  2 crayons What Happened Next Using a large piece of paper and something to write with, have the student sequentially tell the story of what happened from beginning to the end.  This narrative supports "top-down" processing of the event.  Materials Large Paper Pen, Pencil, or Crayons Tumbling Blocks Conversation Prompts Using a Jenga (or generic version) game, the child and the counselor will pull a block and respond to the prompt on the block.  This can be used for a variety of topics to include coping skills, social situations, icebreaker, friendship skills, etc.  Pick-Up Straws Using straws, students will pick up a straw and respond to a prompt coordinated with the color-coded prompts on a list of prompts in variety of areas. Materials Package of Straws with a Variety of Colors Career Charades  In this activity, the child(re) will act out a carreer while the others guess.  It can be an ice breaker or connecting activity as well for groups.   Slips of paper with careers or modified prompts to direct the child on what to act out in charades style. Career Creation  Through clay creations, the child or teen will mold the dough or clay to form a symbolic representation of the career.  For example, they may create a toothbrush for a dentist.  This can be modified to fit the topic of the area in need of supporting, such as emotional literacy and expression, family system support, and much more.    Social / Emotional/Friendship Thumballs In this activity, the ball is tossed to each player.   The person catching the ball will respond to the word, statement, response closest to the player’s right thumb.  Write words, statements, responses on the ball with a permanent marker.  Themes could be “Ice Breaker”, “Social Situations”, “Emotional Literacy”, etc… Materials Large Air Filled Ball Black Permanent Marker   Fishing for Solutions In this activity, each child “fishes” for a statement or a question.  Once the child “catches’ a fish, he/she responds to the group.  Materials Foam Sheets (variety of colors) Permanent Black Marker  Small Round Magnets ½ “ x 2’ Dowel Rod  1’ of Twine Large Metal Bucket Large Blue Cloth  (Cut foam pieces in the shape of a fish.  Glue a round magnet on the fish shape for the eye.  Create a fishing pole by tying and gluing the twine to the end of the string.  At the end of the string, glue a round magnet.)   Mandalas In this activity, each person creates a design in the circle.  This art therapy directive can differ based on goals for the activity (team building, expression, calming, etc…).  After completion, a group discussion can be initiated to explore the process and any feelings that surface… Materials Large Sheet of Paper  Round Object for Circle Shape to Trace on the Paper  Crayons, Markers, and/or Paint Bibliotherapy Therapeutic Books with Activities to Address Various Issues “Have You Filled Your Bucket Today” (Relationships)  In this activity, the child(ren) will write down positive, helpful statements to others on the slips of paper, then place in others’ “bucket” to symbolize kind acts. Bucket(s) Small Slips of Paper Writing Instruments “Invisible String” (Grief and Loss)  In this activity, the child will illustrate pictorially the people that they feel connected as in the metaphor of the invisible string that is represented with clear glue. Paper Glue Crayons “Personal Space Camp” (Social Appropriateness)  In this activity, the child learns about the appropriate amount of space to allow for peers and others in their familiarity with the visual aid  of a hula hoop. The child is to be directed to notice the distance as it is an appropriate for personal space. Hula Hoop Positive Belief "I am..." Activity In this activity, the child “ranks” each statement depending on feelings of accuracy.  Statements can be adapted to individual / group.  The final rank of statements could then be discussed for self-awareness and a starting point for self-image concerns Materials Printed sheet with the following statements, cut into strips. I am CONFIDENT I am INTELLIGENT I am CREATIVE I am HUMOROUS I am KIND I am CONFIDENT I am GOOD I am CAPABLE   Self-Talk Thought Bubble This activity is most effective when it is frontloaded with psychoeducation to teach the child about self-talk and how it impacts various situations such as test anxiety, social situations, etc....  To create the dialogue bubble, cut the poster board in the desired shape with a head shaped hole in the middle.  Instruct the child to write some positive and negative self-talk statements on the board.  Each statement can be used as a participatory discussion starter to strengthen the child’s understanding of the importance of using positive self-talk to better situations. Materials Large Posterboard Sharpie Marker Scissors 

64: Brief, Low Cost, Minimal Prep Play Therapy Techniques with Jackie Flynn EdS, LMHC, RPT

Dr. Taylor is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida.   She’s also the Center for Play Therapy Training and Research Director, as well as the Play Therapy Certificate coordinator.     She earned her graduate degrees from the University of North Texas.    She learned from many of the leaders in the Play Therapy world.     Dr. Taylor is trained in Adlerian Play Therapy developed in the early 1990’s by Terry Kottman, Ph.D., Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, NCC, LMHC     Adlerian’s belief is that people’s behavior is purposeful and goal-directed.  Their early childhood experiences influence their behavior, as well as how they view themselves, others and their world.    4 Phases of Adlerian Play Therapy (1) Relationship Building – This phase of the therapy is non-directive and supports safety in the play room.  By creating a shared power, the client can really feel like a significant person in their world.  This phase supports building trust within the child.  (2) Investigating the Lifestyle – In this phase, the therapist becomes more directive in their work.  A focus is placed on how they view themselves, others, and the world.  There are a lot of things to take into consideration for the client, especially information on their personality, how do they feel like they matter in the world.   (3) Gaining Insight – At this point in the therapeutic process, the therapist has a really good idea how the child is viewing themselves, others and world. The treatment plan is developed after phase 2, once the therapist has a good idea of who the child is and how they view the world. (4) Reorientation –In this phase, the therapist teaches the children skillsets through role play, family work, and more.  One of the goals is to directly support their ability to generalize the skills in different settings to support their self-efficacy.   The therapist looks for signs that the child is ready to move into  each phase.  It’s important to truly understand the child’s lifestyle.   These 3 things are across each of the categories in the lifestyle:  <ul> <li>Goals for Change</li> <li>Strategies</li> <li>Progress</li> </ul>   Parent consultation is an important component of Adlerian Play therapy.  Half of the session is spent with the child and ½ of the session is spent with the parent or every other session with parent then with child is scheduled.     During the therapy, the parent is also following the 4 phases. During the parent consultation, how the parent is viewing the world is explored since it greatly influences their parenting approach.    During the parent consultation, the parent learns many of the same skills as the child, so that they can respond to the child in a different way that is supportive of the treatment plan for the child.    Dr. Taylor highly recommends reading <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Partners-Play-Adlerian-Approach-Therapy/dp/1556201958"> Partners in Play by Terry Kottman 3rd Edtion</a>.   Crucial C’s of Adlerian Play Therapy    <ul> <li>Courage </li> <li>Connect</li> <li>Capable </li> <li>Count</li> </ul>   It’s important for each therapist to choose a theory that aligns with how you also view the world to foster authenticity of delivery of services.    The relationship is the most critical element of the therapy.           <a href= "http://education.ucf.edu/playtherapy/">http://education.ucf.edu/playtherapy/</a> <a href= "https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucf-center-for-play-therapy-research-and-training-first-annual-play-therapy-conference-partners-in-registration-26582158953"> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucf-center-for-play-therapy-research-and-training-first-annual-play-therapy-conference-partners-in-registration-26582158953</a> <a href= "https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children"> https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a> <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a> <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com/">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a> <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com/">www.parentingintherain.com</a> <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com/">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a> <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

Dr. Taylor is an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida.   She’s also the Center for Play Therapy Training and Research Director, as well as the Play Therapy Certificate coordinator.     She earned her graduate degrees from the University of North Texas.    She learned from many of the leaders in the Play Therapy world.     Dr. Taylor is trained in Adlerian Play Therapy developed in the early 1990’s by Terry Kottman, Ph.D., Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, NCC, LMHC     Adlerian’s belief is that people’s behavior is purposeful and goal-directed.  Their early childhood experiences influence their behavior, as well as how they view themselves, others and their world.    4 Phases of Adlerian Play Therapy (1) Relationship Building – This phase of the therapy is non-directive and supports safety in the play room.  By creating a shared power, the client can really feel like a significant person in their world.  This phase supports building trust within the child.  (2) Investigating the Lifestyle – In this phase, the therapist becomes more directive in their work.  A focus is placed on how they view themselves, others, and the world.  There are a lot of things to take into consideration for the client, especially information on their personality, how do they feel like they matter in the world.   (3) Gaining Insight – At this point in the therapeutic process, the therapist has a really good idea how the child is viewing themselves, others and world. The treatment plan is developed after phase 2, once the therapist has a good idea of who the child is and how they view the world. (4) Reorientation –In this phase, the therapist teaches the children skillsets through role play, family work, and more.  One of the goals is to directly support their ability to generalize the skills in different settings to support their self-efficacy.   The therapist looks for signs that the child is ready to move into  each phase.  It’s important to truly understand the child’s lifestyle.   These 3 things are across each of the categories in the lifestyle:  Goals for Change Strategies Progress   Parent consultation is an important component of Adlerian Play therapy.  Half of the session is spent with the child and ½ of the session is spent with the parent or every other session with parent then with child is scheduled.     During the therapy, the parent is also following the 4 phases. During the parent consultation, how the parent is viewing the world is explored since it greatly influences their parenting approach.    During the parent consultation, the parent learns many of the same skills as the child, so that they can respond to the child in a different way that is supportive of the treatment plan for the child.    Dr. Taylor highly recommends reading Partners in Play by Terry Kottman 3rd Edtion.   Crucial C’s of Adlerian Play Therapy    Courage  Connect Capable  Count   It’s important for each therapist to choose a theory that aligns with how you also view the world to foster authenticity of delivery of services.    The relationship is the most critical element of the therapy.           http://education.ucf.edu/playtherapy/ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucf-center-for-play-therapy-research-and-training-first-annual-play-therapy-conference-partners-in-registration-26582158953 https://playtherapycommunity.simplero.com/page/73863-free-download-tips-for-supporting-grieving-children https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/ https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/ www.counselinginbrevard.com www.playtherapycommunity.com www.parentingintherain.com www.jackieflynnconsulting.com https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt      

63: Adlerian Play Therapy with Dalena Dillman Taylor, PhD, LPC, RPT

Dr. Stacy Van Horn is currently a full-time faculty member and School Counseling Coordinator at the University of Central Florida in the Counselor Education and School Psychology Program within the Department of Child, Family and Community Sciences. She teaches graduate students at both the masters and doctoral level primarily in the areas of career development, counseling with children and adolescents, ethical and legal issues in professional school counseling, and coordination of comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs. She also supervises practicum students in the Community Counseling and Research Clinic (CCRC) on campus and school counseling interns throughout Central Florida schools.   Prior to her position as a Counselor Educator, Dr. Van Horn worked as a professional school counselor for over nine years in Orange County Public Schools working with diverse students, teachers, and families in Central Florida.  Dr. Van Horn has experience in creating and coordinating comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs at both the elementary and middle school level.  In addition, she has experience collaborating with exceptional education school personnel on developing strategies and counseling approaches for exceptional education students.  Her current research interests include training and supervision of professional school counselors, counseling interventions with diverse children and adolescents, and the role of professional school counselors in providing effective career development in schools.  Dr. Van Horn has presented at national, regional, state, and local counseling conferences, including American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists Prior to her position as a Counselor Educator, Dr. Van Horn worked as a professional school counselor for over nine years in Orange County Public Schools working with diverse students, teachers, and families in Central Florida.  Dr. Van Horn has experience in creating and coordinating comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs at both the elementary and middle school level.  In addition, she has experience collaborating with exceptional education school personnel on developing strategies and counseling approaches for exceptional education students.  Her current research interests include training and supervision of professional school counselors, counseling interventions with diverse children and adolescents, and the role of professional school counselors in providing effective career development in schools.  Dr. Van Horn has presented at national, regional, state, and local counseling conferences, including American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists for Group Work, American School Counseling Association, the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Florida Counseling Association, the Florida School Counselor Association, and invited presenter at the Florida Association for Gifted Children.     School Counselors have a unique role within the school setting. A school counselor works as a vital part of a team and stakeholders.  <ul> <li>Primarily, School Counselors work within 3 primary domains: Academic Development, Career Development, and Social/Emotional Development. </li> <li style="list-style: none; display: inline"> <ul> <li>Elementary counselors may teach more classroom guidance lessons, identify students in need of more support in regards to specialized programs, connecting with parents through parent conferences, and more…  </li> <li>Middle school counselors may facilitate more small groups, put greater focus on peer interaction, help students with communication skills, and engage in more career exploration with students.  </li> <li>High school counselors tend to provide more 1 on 1 counseling, coordinate bigger school events and assemblies, conduct credit checks, advise students on credit requirements and class selection, prepare students for college with college readiness activities, coordinate / conduct testing, and focus on students’ transition into college.  School counselors are so vital at every level!</li> </ul> </li> <li>It’s really important for others to know the role of a School Counselor to maximize the benefits of this important role. This is sometimes a big challenge in the field as this is predefined.  Students from University of Central Florida (UCF) are prepared to articulate the role to others.</li> <li>School counselors can interact with students in several ways to include, but not limited to one on one, small group, classroom guidance, assemblies, etc... </li> <li>Counseling provided by a school counselor is much different than therapy in a clinical setting.  School counselors often experientially provide students with coping skills to help with managing anger, healthy friendships, solid study skills, mindfulness techniques, and much more. </li> <li>School Counselors often conduct career days, Red Ribbon Week activities, award assemblies, extra-curricular activities, etc…</li> <li>It’s helpful for School Counselors to observe students in different environments.</li> <li>It’s so important to be visible as a School Counselor to the parents, administrators… and most importantly the students. </li> <li>School counselors can also provide trainings to teachers.  Dr. Van Horn polled teachers to see what areas they would like to learn more about.  She remembers a training that she offered while she was in the role of a School Counselor on “How to Have a Strength-Based Meeting”.   In this training, her team role played to take the learning to a deeper learning to an experiential level. </li> <li>School counselors often conduct several meetings throughout the years, IEP, 504s, behavior support, etc.  </li> <li>It can be really helpful for school counselors to connect with child therapists in their area.</li> <li>Advantages of Being a School Counselor - School counselors have so much impact on students over weeks, over the school year, and over the course of several years.  School counseling is a unique profession, as rarely are 2 days the same. It’s so helpful to work together as a team with all of the stakeholders such as parents, teachers, administrators, etc. Unlike therapists, a school counselor has the advantage of seeing the child throughout the day in a variety of settings.  Often School Counselors are the first line of support to students. School Counselors may have request slips that the students can submit to request support that doesn’t require consent from parents, session fees, or many of the other limitations that may prevent a student from obtaining help when needed. Dr. Van Horn speaks of “Cluster Groups” within the school to discuss creative ideas, opportunities and such. </li> <li>Disadvantages of Being a School Counselor -  Often school counselors are faced with limited time, limited resources, limited student connection time, lunch duty, etc.  School counselors often wear many different hats: testing coordinator, scheduling, lunch duty personnel, car loop support, credit checks, child study meetings, and so much more.  All of these roles can create confusion on the role of a school counselor and can take them away from services that utilizing their specialized skills to help students in the best way.   </li> <li>Sometimes School Counselors face a lack of support.</li> <li>School Counselors benefit from placing a focus on how they can take care of their own personal emotional and physical wellness as they can be pulled in so many directions that ca be emotionally draining.  It’s important to establish boundaries to keep emotionally healthy. </li> <li>School counselors benefit from knowing great therapists in the community so that they have good referrals to provide to their students in need.  Sometimes School Counselors co-present with therapists in their community to their parents and their staff, as well as to create trainings and workshops. </li> <li>Relationships between school counselors and child and family therapists in the community are so beneficial.</li> <li>When crises happen in schools, relationships within helpers in the communities can make such a huge difference. </li> <li>Dr. Van Horn talks about when she realized that she couldn’t have her “to do” list checked at the end of the day.  She normalized the feeling of overwhelm with so many tasks in a limited amount of time. </li> <li>Play therapy techniques can be used by school counselors in a low-cost way that can be implemented in efficient ways. </li> <li>What does a "typical" day in the life of school counselor look like?  School counselors really don’t have a “typical” day. Each day can look so different. </li> </ul> Learn More about Dr. Van Horn at UCF <a href= "http://education.ucf.edu/faculty_detail.cfm?id=591">http://education.ucf.edu/faculty_detail.cfm?id=591</a> Association for School Counselors, ASCA <a href= "https://www.schoolcounselor.org">https://www.schoolcounselor.org</a>  Jackie’s Play Therapy Community <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> Jackie’s Private Practice <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a> Jackie’s Consulting Support <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a>

Dr. Stacy Van Horn is currently a full-time faculty member and School Counseling Coordinator at the University of Central Florida in the Counselor Education and School Psychology Program within the Department of Child, Family and Community Sciences. She teaches graduate students at both the masters and doctoral level primarily in the areas of career development, counseling with children and adolescents, ethical and legal issues in professional school counseling, and coordination of comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs. She also supervises practicum students in the Community Counseling and Research Clinic (CCRC) on campus and school counseling interns throughout Central Florida schools.   Prior to her position as a Counselor Educator, Dr. Van Horn worked as a professional school counselor for over nine years in Orange County Public Schools working with diverse students, teachers, and families in Central Florida.  Dr. Van Horn has experience in creating and coordinating comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs at both the elementary and middle school level.  In addition, she has experience collaborating with exceptional education school personnel on developing strategies and counseling approaches for exceptional education students.  Her current research interests include training and supervision of professional school counselors, counseling interventions with diverse children and adolescents, and the role of professional school counselors in providing effective career development in schools.  Dr. Van Horn has presented at national, regional, state, and local counseling conferences, including American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists Prior to her position as a Counselor Educator, Dr. Van Horn worked as a professional school counselor for over nine years in Orange County Public Schools working with diverse students, teachers, and families in Central Florida.  Dr. Van Horn has experience in creating and coordinating comprehensive, developmental school counseling programs at both the elementary and middle school level.  In addition, she has experience collaborating with exceptional education school personnel on developing strategies and counseling approaches for exceptional education students.  Her current research interests include training and supervision of professional school counselors, counseling interventions with diverse children and adolescents, and the role of professional school counselors in providing effective career development in schools.  Dr. Van Horn has presented at national, regional, state, and local counseling conferences, including American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists for Group Work, American School Counseling Association, the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, Florida Counseling Association, the Florida School Counselor Association, and invited presenter at the Florida Association for Gifted Children.     School Counselors have a unique role within the school setting. A school counselor works as a vital part of a team and stakeholders.  Primarily, School Counselors work within 3 primary domains: Academic Development, Career Development, and Social/Emotional Development.  Elementary counselors may teach more classroom guidance lessons, identify students in need of more support in regards to specialized programs, connecting with parents through parent conferences, and more…   Middle school counselors may facilitate more small groups, put greater focus on peer interaction, help students with communication skills, and engage in more career exploration with students.   High school counselors tend to provide more 1 on 1 counseling, coordinate bigger school events and assemblies, conduct credit checks, advise students on credit requirements and class selection, prepare students for college with college readiness activities, coordinate / conduct testing, and focus on students’ transition into college.  School counselors are so vital at every level! It’s really important for others to know the role of a School Counselor to maximize the benefits of this important role. This is sometimes a big challenge in the field as this is predefined.  Students from University of Central Florida (UCF) are prepared to articulate the role to others. School counselors can interact with students in several ways to include, but not limited to one on one, small group, classroom guidance, assemblies, etc...  Counseling provided by a school counselor is much different than therapy in a clinical setting.  School counselors often experientially provide students with coping skills to help with managing anger, healthy friendships, solid study skills, mindfulness techniques, and much more.  School Counselors often conduct career days, Red Ribbon Week activities, award assemblies, extra-curricular activities, etc… It’s helpful for School Counselors to observe students in different environments. It’s so important to be visible as a School Counselor to the parents, administrators… and most importantly the students.  School counselors can also provide trainings to teachers.  Dr. Van Horn polled teachers to see what areas they would like to learn more about.  She remembers a training that she offered while she was in the role of a School Counselor on “How to Have a Strength-Based Meeting”.   In this training, her team role played to take the learning to a deeper learning to an experiential level.  School counselors often conduct several meetings throughout the years, IEP, 504s, behavior support, etc.   It can be really helpful for school counselors to connect with child therapists in their area. Advantages of Being a School Counselor - School counselors have so much impact on students over weeks, over the school year, and over the course of several years.  School counseling is a unique profession, as rarely are 2 days the same. It’s so helpful to work together as a team with all of the stakeholders such as parents, teachers, administrators, etc. Unlike therapists, a school counselor has the advantage of seeing the child throughout the day in a variety of settings.  Often School Counselors are the first line of support to students. School Counselors may have request slips that the students can submit to request support that doesn’t require consent from parents, session fees, or many of the other limitations that may prevent a student from obtaining help when needed. Dr. Van Horn speaks of “Cluster Groups” within the school to discuss creative ideas, opportunities and such.  Disadvantages of Being a School Counselor -  Often school counselors are faced with limited time, limited resources, limited student connection time, lunch duty, etc.  School counselors often wear many different hats: testing coordinator, scheduling, lunch duty personnel, car loop support, credit checks, child study meetings, and so much more.  All of these roles can create confusion on the role of a school counselor and can take them away from services that utilizing their specialized skills to help students in the best way.    Sometimes School Counselors face a lack of support. School Counselors benefit from placing a focus on how they can take care of their own personal emotional and physical wellness as they can be pulled in so many directions that ca be emotionally draining.  It’s important to establish boundaries to keep emotionally healthy.  School counselors benefit from knowing great therapists in the community so that they have good referrals to provide to their students in need.  Sometimes School Counselors co-present with therapists in their community to their parents and their staff, as well as to create trainings and workshops.  Relationships between school counselors and child and family therapists in the community are so beneficial. When crises happen in schools, relationships within helpers in the communities can make such a huge difference.  Dr. Van Horn talks about when she realized that she couldn’t have her “to do” list checked at the end of the day.  She normalized the feeling of overwhelm with so many tasks in a limited amount of time.  Play therapy techniques can be used by school counselors in a low-cost way that can be implemented in efficient ways.  What does a "typical" day in the life of school counselor look like?  School counselors really don’t have a “typical” day. Each day can look so different.  Learn More about Dr. Van Horn at UCF http://education.ucf.edu/faculty_detail.cfm?id=591 Association for School Counselors, ASCA https://www.schoolcounselor.org  Jackie’s Play Therapy Community www.playtherapycommunity.com Jackie’s Private Practice www.counselinginbrevard.com Jackie’s Consulting Support www.jackieflynnconsulting.com

62: Understanding the Role of a School Counselor with Stacy Van Horn, PhD

Pam Dyson, MA, LPC-S, RPT-S, is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, child development expert and parenting coach.  In addition to her private practice <a href= "http://www.pamdyson.com">www.pamdyson.com</a>  in Plano, Texas she provides consultation and supervision services and facilitates play therapy workshops at conferences throughout the US. She is the recipient of the Association for Play Therapy 2013 Key Award for Professional Education and Training and is currently serving a three-year term on the APT Board of Directors. Pam is the founder and director of the DFW Center for Play Therapy Training. <a href= "http://www.dfwplaytherapy.com">www.dfwplaytherapy.com</a>      In this episode, Pam shares with us how she put together her office space.     After a few times of moving her office, she has tweaked her set up until she created it just like she wants it.   Pam selected her toys and materials strategically, based on influence from Garry Landreth’s work.  She referenced his book, <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Play-Therapy-Relationship-Garry-Landreth/dp/0415886813" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship </a>.   She has toys from each category: Expressive, Aggressive, & Nurturing.  This helps her to determine what toys she has it in her play room.     Each toy that she has was selected based on its therapeutic value.  How it can help the child express and release their emotions should be considered.     It’s important to have real-life toys, expressive materials, blocks, playdough, and more.  Here’s a link to a recommended toy list:   http://cpt.unt.edu/about-play-therapy/recommended-toy-list   Pam’s space is an organized and calming space.   Pam has 2 plain looking dollhouses in her space.  Having 2 doll houses can help children play out what it is like transitioning between 2 homes.    “We can’t always change what’s going on around them, in their world, in their environment.  But, we can help them improve the way they feel about themselves.” Pam Dyson   Naming the child’s emotion is helpful for the child to process situations in their life.    Playing activates the right hemisphere of the brain while naming the emotion activates the left.  This supports integration of the 2 hemispheres, which allows the child to fully process.   Pam couldn’t imagine doing the work that she does without play because integrating both sides of the brain is so important.     In Pam’s space, there's a little table that she uses with her clients for many different purposes.     Pam intentionally puts everything in the same place, so that her clients know where things are located.  Since they use the toys like we use words, it’s important for them to be able to find their words easily.     It’s important that there’s a sense of order in the playroom, so it feels like a safe, predictable experience for them.    Pam makes the distinction between Sandtray and Sandplay therapy.  She uses Sandtray therapy in a separate room to use with older clients either individually with their parents.      Having 2 separate rooms, Play Therapy Room for younger clients and a Sandtray Room for older clients, Pam can best help both ages.  And it helps lesson clean-up time as well.     Pam allots 15 minutes for clean-up time before the next client.  She doesn’t feel too rushed in between clients.  She starts each session on top of the hour.   She has an observation window in the play room to facilitate Child Parent Relationship Therapy.  She also uses it to train other therapists how to work with the child.  It has recording capacity for training purposes and self-evaluation as well.  She always obtains written permission before recording. She records for clinical trainings mostly.    Pam is the director the DFW Center for Play Therapy.  She offers 2 workshops a month for people interested in learning how to do Play Therapy.  She’s an approved provider for the Association for Play Therapy.  Her trainings offer continuing education credits.  She really enjoys it.   Play Therapy can be used across the lifespan.  It looks a bit different but can be used with any age.   Merchandise is available at Pam’s trainings.  Her trainees can buy toys and miniatures and begin to implement what they learned right away.    Her workshops are experiential in nature to support that integration of the brain for the therapists as well.   To tour Pam’s space, visit <a href= "http://www.pamdyson.com">www.pamdyson.com</a>   Pam meets with the parents before she meets with the child.  Based on the information from that session, she makes a recommendation on how to best work with the child.  She has a parent consultation room that is comfortable and cozy, which she also uses for family therapy sometimes.     Pam keeps a bowl of fidget toys in the room to help ground and relax her clients and their parents.   Pam is a doodler!  It helps keeps her focused while on the phone, at conferences, etc.   Pam models playing with the child for the parent.  She stresses the importance of leaving the phone and other electronics in the other room while playing with their child so they can be more present. Weekly playtimes can be so valuable.    It’s really important to involve the parent in the therapeutic process as much as possible. Pam shares lots of free videos on her social media sites.    Play Therapy Community <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a>  Tour Pam’s Office  <a href= "http://www.pamdyson.com">www.pamdyson.com</a> Trainings - <a href= "http://www.dfwplaytherapy.com">www.dfwplaytherapy.com</a>  Pinterest - <a href= "https://www.pinterest.com/pamdyson/">https://www.pinterest.com/pamdyson/</a> Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/PamDysonPlayTherapy

Pam Dyson, MA, LPC-S, RPT-S, is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, child development expert and parenting coach.  In addition to her private practice www.pamdyson.com  in Plano, Texas she provides consultation and supervision services and facilitates play therapy workshops at conferences throughout the US. She is the recipient of the Association for Play Therapy 2013 Key Award for Professional Education and Training and is currently serving a three-year term on the APT Board of Directors. Pam is the founder and director of the DFW Center for Play Therapy Training. www.dfwplaytherapy.com      In this episode, Pam shares with us how she put together her office space.     After a few times of moving her office, she has tweaked her set up until she created it just like she wants it.   Pam selected her toys and materials strategically, based on influence from Garry Landreth’s work.  She referenced his book, Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship .   She has toys from each category: Expressive, Aggressive, & Nurturing.  This helps her to determine what toys she has it in her play room.     Each toy that she has was selected based on its therapeutic value.  How it can help the child express and release their emotions should be considered.     It’s important to have real-life toys, expressive materials, blocks, playdough, and more.  Here’s a link to a recommended toy list:   http://cpt.unt.edu/about-play-therapy/recommended-toy-list   Pam’s space is an organized and calming space.   Pam has 2 plain looking dollhouses in her space.  Having 2 doll houses can help children play out what it is like transitioning between 2 homes.    “We can’t always change what’s going on around them, in their world, in their environment.  But, we can help them improve the way they feel about themselves.” Pam Dyson   Naming the child’s emotion is helpful for the child to process situations in their life.    Playing activates the right hemisphere of the brain while naming the emotion activates the left.  This supports integration of the 2 hemispheres, which allows the child to fully process.   Pam couldn’t imagine doing the work that she does without play because integrating both sides of the brain is so important.     In Pam’s space, there's a little table that she uses with her clients for many different purposes.     Pam intentionally puts everything in the same place, so that her clients know where things are located.  Since they use the toys like we use words, it’s important for them to be able to find their words easily.     It’s important that there’s a sense of order in the playroom, so it feels like a safe, predictable experience for them.    Pam makes the distinction between Sandtray and Sandplay therapy.  She uses Sandtray therapy in a separate room to use with older clients either individually with their parents.      Having 2 separate rooms, Play Therapy Room for younger clients and a Sandtray Room for older clients, Pam can best help both ages.  And it helps lesson clean-up time as well.     Pam allots 15 minutes for clean-up time before the next client.  She doesn’t feel too rushed in between clients.  She starts each session on top of the hour.   She has an observation window in the play room to facilitate Child Parent Relationship Therapy.  She also uses it to train other therapists how to work with the child.  It has recording capacity for training purposes and self-evaluation as well.  She always obtains written permission before recording. She records for clinical trainings mostly.    Pam is the director the DFW Center for Play Therapy.  She offers 2 workshops a month for people interested in learning how to do Play Therapy.  She’s an approved provider for the Association for Play Therapy.  Her trainings offer continuing education credits.  She really enjoys it.   Play Therapy can be used across the lifespan.  It looks a bit different but can be used with any age.   Merchandise is available at Pam’s trainings.  Her trainees can buy toys and miniatures and begin to implement what they learned right away.    Her workshops are experiential in nature to support that integration of the brain for the therapists as well.   To tour Pam’s space, visit www.pamdyson.com   Pam meets with the parents before she meets with the child.  Based on the information from that session, she makes a recommendation on how to best work with the child.  She has a parent consultation room that is comfortable and cozy, which she also uses for family therapy sometimes.     Pam keeps a bowl of fidget toys in the room to help ground and relax her clients and their parents.   Pam is a doodler!  It helps keeps her focused while on the phone, at conferences, etc.   Pam models playing with the child for the parent.  She stresses the importance of leaving the phone and other electronics in the other room while playing with their child so they can be more present. Weekly playtimes can be so valuable.    It’s really important to involve the parent in the therapeutic process as much as possible. Pam shares lots of free videos on her social media sites.    Play Therapy Community www.playtherapycommunity.com  Tour Pam’s Office  www.pamdyson.com Trainings - www.dfwplaytherapy.com  Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/pamdyson/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/PamDysonPlayTherapy                          

61: The Art of Setting Up Your Play Therapy Room with Pam Dyson MA, LPC-S, RPT-S

In this episode Billie Jo covers the following:   <ul> <li>Description of what Infant Mental Health is and what professional support in this area involves.</li> <li>A discussion on the impact that ages 0-3 has on a child’s development – emotional, physical, cognitive, etc.</li> <li>Clarification of who could benefit from Infant Toddler Mental Health Support</li> <li>Tips for therapists working with children and families.</li> </ul>   <a href= "https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health"> https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a>   <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com">www.parentingintherain.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a>   <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

In this episode Billie Jo covers the following:   Description of what Infant Mental Health is and what professional support in this area involves. A discussion on the impact that ages 0-3 has on a child’s development – emotional, physical, cognitive, etc. Clarification of who could benefit from Infant Toddler Mental Health Support Tips for therapists working with children and families.   https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health   https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/   https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/   www.counselinginbrevard.com   www.playtherapycommunity.com   www.parentingintherain.com   www.jackieflynnconsulting.com   https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

Episode 60: Understanding Infant Toddler Mental Health with Billie Jo Clausen, MA, Early Childhood Specialist / Infant Toddler Mental Health Specialist

Ellis Edmunds is a licensed psychologist in Oakland, CA.  He has a private practice working with teens and adults struggling with anxiety.  He is passionate about Mindfulness practices and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  He also loves to play games of all kind and has created a therapeutic board game called The Mindful Bus that can be used with groups or in a one on one setting.  He believes games can provide a fun, safe, and interactive experience for therapeutic work to take place. In this episode Dr. Edmunds covers the following: -How he got the idea for the board game by working with teens and adults.  -The process of getting the game created: prototypes, testing it, art work.  -How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy inspired the idea for the game.  -How to get started on your own product or game.   <a href= "http://www.boardgamesmaker.com">http://www.boardgamesmaker.com</a> <a href= "http://drellisedmunds.com">http://drellisedmunds.com</a> <a href= "http://www.themindfulbus.com/">http://www.themindfulbus.com/</a> <a href= "http://facebook.com/drellisedmunds">http://facebook.com/drellisedmunds</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a>   <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com">www.parentingintherain.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a>   <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

Ellis Edmunds is a licensed psychologist in Oakland, CA.  He has a private practice working with teens and adults struggling with anxiety.  He is passionate about Mindfulness practices and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  He also loves to play games of all kind and has created a therapeutic board game called The Mindful Bus that can be used with groups or in a one on one setting.  He believes games can provide a fun, safe, and interactive experience for therapeutic work to take place. In this episode Dr. Edmunds covers the following: -How he got the idea for the board game by working with teens and adults.  -The process of getting the game created: prototypes, testing it, art work.  -How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy inspired the idea for the game.  -How to get started on your own product or game.   http://www.boardgamesmaker.com http://drellisedmunds.com http://www.themindfulbus.com/ http://facebook.com/drellisedmunds   https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/   https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/   www.counselinginbrevard.com   www.playtherapycommunity.com   www.parentingintherain.com   www.jackieflynnconsulting.com   https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

59: Dr. Edmunds – All About Creating a Therapeutic Board Game

In this episode Dr. Kat covers the following:   <ul> <li>Understanding what Maternal Mental Health is and where to find trained professionals to help.</li> <li>Where to get training for professionals working with mothers in the mental health field.</li> <li>Understanding postpartum depression, anxiety, and much more.</li> <li>Reducing the shame of maternal mental health struggles through support, education, and sharing stories.</li> <li>Her podcast, Mom & Mind is a wonderful free resource for parents, professionals, and anyone that could use information and knowledge in this area.</li> </ul>   Dr. Kat’s Amazing Podcast <a href= "http://www.momandmind.com">http://www.momandmind.com</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/MomandMindPodcast/?ref=br_rs">Mom and Mind Facebook Page</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/">https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a>   <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com">www.parentingintherain.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a>   <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

In this episode Dr. Kat covers the following:   Understanding what Maternal Mental Health is and where to find trained professionals to help. Where to get training for professionals working with mothers in the mental health field. Understanding postpartum depression, anxiety, and much more. Reducing the shame of maternal mental health struggles through support, education, and sharing stories. Her podcast, Mom & Mind is a wonderful free resource for parents, professionals, and anyone that could use information and knowledge in this area.   Dr. Kat’s Amazing Podcast http://www.momandmind.com   Mom and Mind Facebook Page   https://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHERAPYCOMMUNITY/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/   https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/   www.counselinginbrevard.com   www.playtherapycommunity.com   www.parentingintherain.com   www.jackieflynnconsulting.com   https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

58: Maternal Mental Health with Dr. Katayune Kaeni, Psy.D., Host of Mom & Mind Podcast

Expert Guest: Mercedes Samudio, LCSW Mercedes Samudio, LCSW is a parent coach, speaker, and author who helps parents and children communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships. Over the course of her career, she has worked with adoptive families, foster families, teen parents, parents navigating the child protective services system, and children living with mental illness. Mercedes started the #EndParentShaming movement as well as coined the term Shame-Proof Parenting – using both to bring awareness to ending parent shame. Mercedes is a leading parenting expert and has an amazing following on social media that allows her to reach the hearts of thousands of parents who feel heard and seen on their parenting journey. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, US News and Report, Woman’s Day, LA Parent Magazine, CBS LA, and Kids In The House. Mercedes seeks to empower parents to believe that they are already great guides for raising healthy and happy children. You can read more about her parenting expertise at <a href= "http://goog_1675630638/">http://</a><a href= "http://shameproofparenting.com/">shameproofparenting.com</a>.     In this episode, Mercedes covers the following: <ul> <li>How family meetings can help strengthen relationships. </li> <li>Important things to consider when having family meetings. </li> <li>How to respond to sibling rivalry and the benefits. </li> <li>The importance of listening to children and allowing them to participate in family discussions and problem-solving.</li> </ul>   <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Shame-Proof-Parenting-parenting-empowered-children-ebook/dp/B071D4YXMT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496883349&sr=8-1&keywords=shame+mercedes"> Mercedes’ Book – Shame Proof Parenting </a> <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Shame-Proof-Parenting-parenting-empowered-children-ebook/dp/B071D4YXMT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496883349&sr=8-1&keywords=shame+mercedes"> Mercedes’ Website </a> https://www.facebook.com/ShameProofParenting/ <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a>     <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/</a>   <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/">https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/</a>   <a href= "http://www.counselinginbrevard.com">www.counselinginbrevard.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.parentingintherain.com">www.parentingintherain.com</a>   <a href= "http://www.jackieflynnconsulting.com">www.jackieflynnconsulting.com</a>   <a href= "https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt">https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt</a>

Expert Guest: Mercedes Samudio, LCSW Mercedes Samudio, LCSW is a parent coach, speaker, and author who helps parents and children communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships. Over the course of her career, she has worked with adoptive families, foster families, teen parents, parents navigating the child protective services system, and children living with mental illness. Mercedes started the #EndParentShaming movement as well as coined the term Shame-Proof Parenting – using both to bring awareness to ending parent shame. Mercedes is a leading parenting expert and has an amazing following on social media that allows her to reach the hearts of thousands of parents who feel heard and seen on their parenting journey. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, US News and Report, Woman’s Day, LA Parent Magazine, CBS LA, and Kids In The House. Mercedes seeks to empower parents to believe that they are already great guides for raising healthy and happy children. You can read more about her parenting expertise at http://shameproofparenting.com.     In this episode, Mercedes covers the following: How family meetings can help strengthen relationships.  Important things to consider when having family meetings.  How to respond to sibling rivalry and the benefits.  The importance of listening to children and allowing them to participate in family discussions and problem-solving.   Mercedes’ Book – Shame Proof Parenting  Mercedes’ Website  https://www.facebook.com/ShameProofParenting/ www.playtherapycommunity.com     https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentingintherain/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130971706932394/   https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolcounselors/   https://www.facebook.com/counselinginbrevard/   www.counselinginbrevard.com   www.playtherapycommunity.com   www.parentingintherain.com   www.jackieflynnconsulting.com   https://twitter.com/jackieflynnrpt  

57: How Family Meetings Can Help with Mercedes Saudi, LCSW

My guest today is Dr. Jonathan Singer, Ph. D., LCSW, who is an expert in the area of suicide. He is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University in Chicago and the founder and host of The Social Work podcast. He co-authored the book, Suicide in Schools. This episode focuses on suicide pacts and the social media component and is the second piece of a two-part series. <ul> <li>The language we use around suicide is important. Instead of “suicide threat,” the less-threatening terminology is “suicide disclosure.” Dr. Singer shares how he helped in a suicide pact scenario years ago, before the onset of social media. His story would be very different in today’s world that’s overrun with social media platforms. </li> <li>Peers can help and even intervene in a crisis situation. In today’s world saturated with social media, teens will often be the first to hear of suicide pacts. Their awareness is crucial, so they know how to help and what to do. Dr. Singer explains how to be a friend to someone who is at risk for suicide and, specifically, how to address an online suicide pact.</li> <li>What if someone feels that they are betraying a friend? Well, “It’s better to have a friend alive and mad, than dead.” There are intense affective conversation techniques that can help keep a friend around: “Your reason for living may not be in your life yet.”</li> <li>Talking about it is so important! Dr. Singer explains that research has shown that asking kids about suicide does not increase risk, but can actually buffer the risk. Contrary to what some people think, bringing up the conversation will NOT make them suicidal.  What does increase the risk is watching a graphic show about a bleak world without hope, as in the recent Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why.</li> </ul> Resources: <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> Find Jackie and the Play Therapy Community on Facebook: Look for Play Therapy Community or Jackie Flynn Play Therapy Community.   Find Jackie on Twitter @jackieflynnrpt   <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Schools-Practitioners-Intervention-School-Based/dp/0415857031/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494300297&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Suicide+in+Schools+by+Dr.+Jonathan+Singer"> Suicide in Schools by Dr. Jonathan Singer</a>   <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-work-podcast/id216662405?mt=2"> Social Work Podcast</a>   Join the Play Therapy Community Mastermind group - <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/mastermind">www.playtherapycommunity.com/mastermind</a>

My guest today is Dr. Jonathan Singer, Ph. D., LCSW, who is an expert in the area of suicide. He is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University in Chicago and the founder and host of The Social Work podcast. He co-authored the book, Suicide in Schools. This episode focuses on suicide pacts and the social media component and is the second piece of a two-part series. The language we use around suicide is important. Instead of “suicide threat,” the less-threatening terminology is “suicide disclosure.” Dr. Singer shares how he helped in a suicide pact scenario years ago, before the onset of social media. His story would be very different in today’s world that’s overrun with social media platforms.  Peers can help and even intervene in a crisis situation. In today’s world saturated with social media, teens will often be the first to hear of suicide pacts. Their awareness is crucial, so they know how to help and what to do. Dr. Singer explains how to be a friend to someone who is at risk for suicide and, specifically, how to address an online suicide pact. What if someone feels that they are betraying a friend? Well, “It’s better to have a friend alive and mad, than dead.” There are intense affective conversation techniques that can help keep a friend around: “Your reason for living may not be in your life yet.” Talking about it is so important! Dr. Singer explains that research has shown that asking kids about suicide does not increase risk, but can actually buffer the risk. Contrary to what some people think, bringing up the conversation will NOT make them suicidal.  What does increase the risk is watching a graphic show about a bleak world without hope, as in the recent Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why. Resources: www.playtherapycommunity.com Find Jackie and the Play Therapy Community on Facebook: Look for Play Therapy Community or Jackie Flynn Play Therapy Community.   Find Jackie on Twitter @jackieflynnrpt   Suicide in Schools by Dr. Jonathan Singer   Social Work Podcast   Join the Play Therapy Community Mastermind group - www.playtherapycommunity.com/mastermind  

56: Understanding Suicide Pacts and Social Media

My guest today is Dr. Jonathan Singer, Ph. D., LCSW, who is an expert in the area of suicide. He is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University in Chicago and the founder and host of The Social Work podcast. He co-authored the book, Suicide in Schools. This episode focuses on suicide assessments and interventions and is the first of a two-part series. <ul> <li>Therapists can do much at various levels to assess risk. The most important action is to screen for suicide risk at each intake assessment, whether it’s suspected or not. Often, aggression and other behavioral disturbances can be evidence of suicide risk, so ASK the questions!</li> <li>What can parents do? Dr. Singer says that parents of any child at risk should talk to the school counselor about a referral. “Don’t start looking for someone when the need arises.” Therapists should also connect with school counselors and let them know who you are and what you do.</li> <li>Dr. Singer explains Attachment-Based Family Therapy, which is emotion-focused and addresses the fundamental issue of why kids don’t see their parents as a resource for help. “Why does the child feel like it’s a better choice to die rather than talk to and open up to their parents?” Repairing the “attachment rupture” makes it easier than to talk about everything. Kids need their parents to be a safe place!</li> <li>Within ABFT, parents must understand the difference between condoning and validating by giving care and acceptance with words and actions. Use the phrase, “tell me more” to encourage kids to share. With this, they gain confidence to start problem-solving on their own---and this is what we want them to do!</li> <li>Another important aspect of ABFT is the service coordination between therapist and counselor. The amazing work in your office is not going to be beneficial if the adults in the kid’s life are not on the same page!</li> </ul>   Resources: <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com">www.playtherapycommunity.com</a> Find Jackie and the Play Therapy Community on Facebook: Look for Play Therapy Community or Jackie Flynn Play Therapy Community. Find Jackie on Twitter @jackieflynnrpt <a href= "https://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Schools-Practitioners-Intervention-School-Based/dp/0415857031/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494300297&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Suicide+in+Schools+by+Dr.+Jonathan+Singer" target="_blank">Suicide in Schools by Dr. Jonathan Singer</a> <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-social-work-podcast/id216662405?mt=2"> Social Work Podcast</a> Join the Play Therapy Community Mastermind group - <a href= "http://www.playtherapycommunity.com/mastermind" target= "_blank">www.playtherapycommunity.com/mastermind</a>

My guest today is Dr. Jonathan Singer, Ph. D., LCSW, who is an expert in the area of suicide. He is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University in Chicago and the founder and host of The Social Work podcast. He co-authored the book, Suicide in Schools. This episode focuses on suicide assessments and interventions and is the first of a two-part series. Therapists can do much at various levels to assess risk. The most important action is to screen for suicide risk at each intake assessment, whether it’s suspected or not. Often, aggression and other behavioral disturbances can be evidence of suicide risk, so ASK the questions! What can parents do? Dr. Singer says that parents of any child at risk should talk to the school counselor about a referral. “Don’t start looking for someone when the need arises.” Therapists should also connect with school counselors and let them know who you are and what you do. Dr. Singer explains Attachment-Based Family Therapy, which is emotion-focused and addresses the fundamental issue of why kids don’t see their parents as a resource for help. “Why does the child feel like it’s a better choice to die rather than talk to and open up to their parents?” Repairing the “attachment rupture” makes it easier than to talk about everything. Kids need their parents to be a safe place! Within ABFT, parents must understand the difference between condoning and validating by giving care and acceptance with words and actions. Use the phrase, “tell me more” to encourage kids to share. With this, they gain confidence to start problem-solving on their own---and this is what we want them to do! Another important aspect of ABFT is the service coordination between therapist and counselor. The amazing work in your office is not going to be beneficial if the adults in the kid’s life are not on the same page!   Resources: www.playtherapycommunity.com Find Jackie and the Play Therapy Community on Facebook: Look for Play Therapy Community or Jackie Flynn Play Therapy Community. Find Jackie on Twitter @jackieflynnrpt Suicide in Schools by Dr. Jonathan Singer Social Work Podcast Join the Play Therapy Community Mastermind group - www.playtherapycommunity.com/mastermind  

55: Suicide Assessments & Interventions

Play Therapy Community will present a fresh, insightful episode once a week, usually on Thursday mornings. On this podcast, we will cover topics such as play therapy techniques and resources, group therapy, maternal mental health, picky eaters, struggles in school, behavioral issues, grief and loss, and so much more. We’ll also delve into specific diagnosis such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Specific Learning Disabilities, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, etc. Difficult topics, such as parenting through separation/divorce, depression, anxiety struggles, relationship struggles, and such will be explored as well. As the host of Play Therapy Community, I feel honored that you are joining us on this journey for knowledge to truly help our children in a way that honors their mind, body, and soul. My name is Jackie Flynn, and I’m a Licensed Psychotherapist, Registered Play Therapist, Education Specialist, Adolescent Life Coach and a Parent Educator.

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