What Are the Benefits of Play Therapy with Traumatized Kids?
Send us a textHave you ever thought to yourself - I have no idea how play therapy actually helps my traumatized client heal?Then I’ve got good news for you!✨ This week’s livestream episode is focused on the hidden healing power of play therapy for traumatized children.What if a pile of toys, a safe room, and a listening heart could help rewire a child’s nervous system?In this week’s free livestream episode, I’m peeling back the curtain on something profound—how play becomes the language of healing for children who’ve lived through trauma.I’ll explore how play therapy doesn’t just help children "calm down"—it teaches their brains how to regulate.How a child picking up a puppet or placing a figure in the sand isn’t random—it’s restoration in motion.Join us as we talk about:Why emotional regulation starts with relationship, not rulesHow children rebuild self-esteem through play-based agencyThe surprising role of safety in lowering cortisol and anxietyAnd how the playroom becomes sacred ground for healing to beginWhether you're a play therapist, mental health provider, or someone who believes in the power of play—this episode will leave you inspired, grounded, and full of fresh insight.Bring your coffee. Bring your curiosity. Let’s talk about what actually heals.Because play is never just play—it’s transformation, one brave session at a time.Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills
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Is There a Best Approach for Play Therapy with Traumatized Kids?
Send us a textThere is no such thing as the best approach for play therapy with traumatized kids.What????!!!! 😱Searching for the ONE approach that will heal ALL your traumatized clients and is BETTER THAN all the play therapy models existing today is an exercise in frustration, overwhelm, and exhaustion. I know what you’re thinking 👇If that’s the case, then how do you help your traumatized clients heal using play therapy?There are a few things to consider when using play therapy to help children and teens heal.Not all play therapists are the same and not all children and teens are the same.For that matter - not all caregivers are the same.Let’s look at this a different way and ask a different question:How can you help your traumatized clients heal using play therapy?This question opens up all kinds of possibilities.Join me for this week’s free weekly Podcast to discuss how to use play therapy to heal trauma.I’ll discuss basic components of play therapy for healing trauma and suggestions for how to use play therapy to help your traumatized clients heal.Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills
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How to Use Play Therapy Interventions to Get Great Results in Play Therapy
Send us a textEver felt like your playroom is bursting with supplies… You’ve got the latest toy, fidget, slime, sand tray miniature, art supplies …But you still leave sessions wondering what to do next?Or maybe you've bought that activity you saw on Instagram… only to realize it doesn't really fit how you work? (Been there … done that)You’re not alone.Today we’re breaking down the secret to building a play therapy toolbox that’s not just full—but fully aligned with your theoretical play therapy model and the unique needs of your clients.Let’s ditch the overwhelm and go for intentionality.Here’s the truth:Having a thousand toys and art supplies doesn’t make you a better play therapist.What matters more is why you choose each tool—and how it fits into your understanding of the child, the problem, and the path to healing.When your tools are rooted in your play therapy model, your goals, and the child’s needs… the magic happens.So - join me for this free weekly podcast!I’m going to walk you through strategies to make sure you’re getting the best results for your play therapy clients by using intentionality to align your play therapy activities with your play therapy model.Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills
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How to Make Progress in Play Therapy When You’re Feeling Stuck
Send us a textHave you ever felt like your client doesn’t seem to be making progress and you’ve tried everything to get back on track?You looked through all your play therapy activity books and resources to find an activity that will work.You looked on Pinterest and scoured the internet for ideas.You tried implementing ideas from the recent training you attended with limited success.You tried talking to your supervisor and colleagues to get ideas but nothing seemed to work because they don’t use play therapy and weren’t much help other than to try to cheer you on for morale support.Let’s say you’re stuck in a loop of “I don’t know if this is helping.” It feels awful to think you’re failing your client.If that’s you, then don’t miss this week’s free weekly podcast! I’m going to share 4 tips for what to do when you’re not sure play therapy is working for your client and how to get unstuck when you feel like nothing is working.Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills
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How to Tell If Play Therapy Is Working by These 5 Signs
Send us a textWe’re diving into a question that lives rent-free in the minds of even the most seasoned play therapists:“Is this actually working?”If you’ve ever left a session wondering if you’re making a difference… or if your client just built a Lego spaceship and peace’d out… you’re so not alone.This week we’re going to explore the real signs that play therapy is working—even when you can’t always see the change yet.We live in a world that loves quick fixes and measurable results.But healing through play isn’t always linear. Sometimes it looks like a breakthrough. Sometimes it looks like silence. And sometimes… It looks like sand flying across the room while you wonder if you're gonna have time to clean that up before your next play therapy session.So let’s bust the myth that progress = constant smiling and textbook style play therapy sessions where everything goes perfectly as planned.Instead, let’s talk about the subtle, powerful signs that healing is happening under the surface.Join me for this free weekly podcast!I’m going to discuss five things that will let you know that play therapy is working for your clients so you can stop second-guessing yourself.Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills
About Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence
Join me on Next Level Play Therapy, a podcast for child and adolescent therapists seeking to elevate your play therapy services. Hosted by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S, at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training. Each episode delves into the nuances of play therapy, exploring innovative techniques, evidence-based practices, and practical strategies for providing exceptional therapeutic experiences. These engaging discussions cover a wide range of topics, including building rapport with children, how to make sure you get great outcomes for clients, therapeutic toys and tools and strategies to use in sessions, addressing trauma and attachment issues, engaging parents, promoting emotional regulation, and nurturing resilience for children and their families.Whether you're an experienced therapist looking to refine your skills or a novice clinician venturing into the world of play therapy, the Next Level Play Therapy podcast equips you with the knowledge and insights to enhance your play therapy practice. With interviews featuring experts in play therapy, exploration of best practices, discussion of game-changing principles and strategies, this podcast equips you with the tools to unlock the amazing power of play therapy to transform the lives of children, adolescents, and families.Tune in to Next Level Play Therapy and take a journey towards becoming an exceptional play therapist as we navigate the next level strategies that lead to profound healing and growth for children and their families.
Listen to Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence, Begin Again with Davina McCall and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
Ireland