How to Write Meaningful Play Therapy Treatment Plans
Send us a textIf I say play therapy treatment plans, what’s the first thing that pops into your brain?“Aaaaagh! I hate writing treatment plans! They’re just more paperwork to make insurance happy.”“Ugh, they’re so complicated and confusing.”“Treatment plans are pointless. I never use them and they take forever.”“I get why we need them… but writing them for play therapy clients? Overwhelming.”If you’re in the mental health world — even in the play therapy realm — you’ve probably thought one of these at least once. Maybe twice. Maybe last week. 😅Here’s the twist: What if I told you treatment plans and treatment planning aren’t the same thing… even though they’re BFFs?What if I told you treatment planning is the real MVP — the part that actually helps you think clinically — and 👇🏼👉🏻 a solid play therapy treatment plan has to align with your play therapy theoretical model?Yeah… I know. Your head might be screaming. Your eyes might be doing a full Olympic-level backflip.Totally valid.But I promise — this episode makes it all make so much more sense.And because it’s the Thanksgiving holiday season, I pulled this one straight out of the vault. It’s an oldie but a goodie, and honestly? It hits even harder the second time around.In this replay, I’ll walk you through how to turn that frustrating, overwhelming “writing treatment plans” chore into something that actually feels meaningful —Something that helps you laser-focus on what’s really happening with your clients… so you can help them heal with clarity and confidence.You’ll learn: ✨ Why treatment planning gives your work direction ✨ How your play therapy theoretical model shapes what goes into the play therapy treatment plan ✨ What makes a play therapy treatment plan purposeful instead of just paperworkImpossible? Stick around. Let’s find out together. 🤓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 Does the Sand Tray Help Clients in Play Therapy?
Send us a textWhen kids can’t find the words, the sand tray speaks for them in play therapy sessions.In this week’s podcast episode, we’ll look at how sand tray therapy taps into the implicit memories stored beneath language — The attachment patterns, emotional imprints, and unspoken stories that surface symbolically before they ever become verbal.If you’ve ever felt goosebumps watching a client create a scene that “says everything without saying anything,” this one’s for you.✨ Let’s nerd out together about how neuroscience helps play therapists understand how healing happens inside that little wooden box filled with sand and miniatures.Join me and I’ll share how your theoretical lens using neuroscience and attachment theory points the way toward deeper understanding of the power of the sand tray in play therapy. I’ll also discuss three ways using the sand tray in play therapy helps children 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 Sand Tray in Play Therapy
Send us a textSand Tray Therapy vs. Sandplay Therapy: What’s the Difference—And Why It Matters for Play TherapistsEver find yourself wondering, “Wait… am I doing sandplay therapy or sand tray therapy?” 👀You’re not alone — and it’s way more than a semantics thing.In this podcast episode, we’re unpacking the fascinating roots and modern applications of both approaches — from Dora Kalff’s Jungian foundations to the integrative, attachment-focused sand tray therapy so many of us use today.You’ll discover: ✨ How your play therapy model shapes what happens in the tray (and why that’s everything). ✨ How to choose when to lead vs. when to follow your client’s symbolic process. ✨ Why holding themes lightly — instead of decoding them like dream symbols — actually deepens healing.We’ll bridge the theory with the practical, exploring how your lens—whether child-centered, Adlerian, or integrative—guides the way you use this powerful tool for connection and transformation.Because the real magic isn’t in the sand alone… it’s in how you conceptualize the process through your theoretical heart and nervous system. 💫🎥 Join me and let’s dig into the art of using the sand tray making process in play therapy with purpose and presence.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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4 Sand Tray Activities for Family Play Therapy Sessions
Send us a textI love love love using sand tray therapy in family play therapy sessions!Watching how families approach and complete the activities provides a wealth of information about interaction patterns and how each family member sees the world and their family relationships.When I use sand tray activities in family play therapy sessions, I like to use activities that allow me to observe interaction patterns.As play therapists working with children in family systems, we recognize the importance of children experiencing secure attachments with parents as well as developing healthy relationships with siblings.I would even include helping children to develop healthy relationships with extended family members and family friends who are “family” in a different way. Healthy connection and support is vital for all humans, and as play therapists we have an opportunity to help our young clients develop a strong network of support with family and other important people in their lives.Using sand tray in family play therapy sessions is an awesome way to get a peek inside their family system and circle of support.Interested in getting some ideas to use sand tray in family play therapy sessions? Join me for this week's podcast! I’m sharing four of my favorite family play therapy activities using sand tray and tips for using these activities effectively. So — If you love using sand tray in play therapy like I do and you’ve been wondering how to use it effectively in family play therapy sessions, then you don’t want to miss this episode!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 Sand Tray in Family Play Therapy Sessions?
Send us a text🌪️ Family Play Therapy + Sand Tray = Chaos or Connection?Ever had a family play therapy session turn into a sand-flinging circus? 🙃 One minute it feels like magic, the next like total mayhem.The truth is—the sand tray can be one of the most powerful tools for family healing… but only if you know how to guide the process with purpose.👉 In this week’s episode, I’ll show you how to move from chaos to clarity with 3 practical tips for using sand tray in family play therapy sessions.✨ Discover how to set the stage so every family member feels included (without power struggles). ✨ Learn prompts that turn random sand play into meaningful connection. ✨ Find your framework so the sand tray becomes a healing space—not a battlefield.Don’t miss this chance to level up your family play therapy game—join me live!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, The Mel Robbins Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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