PodcastsEducationNext Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S
Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence
Latest episode

107 episodes

  • Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

    How to Increase Play Therapy Impact & Reduce Burnout

    05/2/2026 | 40 mins.
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    More Impact. Less Burnout. isn’t a cute slogan. It’s a line in the sand.
    Because here’s the truth most play therapists won’t say out loud:

    Burnout doesn’t come from caring too much.
    It comes from doing this work alone.
    In this week’s free livestream episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on why being part of a strategic play therapy community isn’t optional if you want sustainable impact in play therapy. 
    Not another play therapy training. Not more play therapy activities. 
    But real-time support, shared wisdom, and a place where your nervous system can finally exhale with people who “get it.”
    We’ll talk about:
    Why isolation quietly drains confidence, creativity, and clinical clarity
    How being in the right play therapy community sharpens your impact with clients
    What actually helps play therapists stay grounded when the work gets heavy
    And how Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE is intentionally designed to reduce burnout while helping you work smarter—not harder
    You’ll also get an inside look at what’s inside PTEC during Open Enrollment week—how it works, who it’s for, and why so many play therapists say it’s the missing piece they didn’t know they needed.
    If you’ve ever thought:
     “I love this work… but I’m tired.”
    Join me for this free weekly podcast!
    Less hustling. More healing.
    For your clients—and for you.
    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
  • Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

    How to Get Better Results in Play Therapy Without Doing More

    29/1/2026 | 43 mins.
    Send us a text
    What if better results in play therapy didn’t come from more play therapy activities, more games, or more play therapy training — but from clearer thinking?

    In this week’s free livestream episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the real secret sauce: case conceptualization.

    Because if you don’t know what’s driving the behavior, how do you decide what to do in play therapy sessions without guessing? 👀

    We’ll talk about why your play therapy model actually matters (yep—models aren’t just theory flexes), and how using a play therapy model helps you intentionally access the therapeutic powers of play instead of hoping something sticks.

    We’re also naming a hard truth:

    Going to play therapy training after training without follow-up or application? That’s how overwhelm happens. Integration is where confidence is built. Application is where deep change lives.

    And finally—we get real about something most play therapists feel but don’t always say out loud:
     👉 You’re not meant to do this work alone.

    The therapeutic relationship with clients is central—but so is having a play therapy community for support, resources, idea-sharing, and strategic help using your play therapy model in real cases (not just in theory).

    If you’ve ever left a play therapy session thinking, “Was that enough?”
     Or wondered, “Am I actually helping?”

    Join me for this free weekly podcast and let’s make play therapy feel grounded again.

    This week’s episode is for you so you can focus on 👇

    Less doing.
    More clarity.
    Better results. ✨

    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
  • Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

    How Does Consultation Improve Play Therapist Growth?

    22/1/2026 | 34 mins.
    Send us a text
    If you’re a mental health professional, including play therapy, we’ve all heard this said and probably even said it ourselves:

    consultation is a clinical and ethical part of providing effective play therapy (and therapy in general).

    Truthfully – I have mixed feelings about this statement.

    From a clinical and ethical standpoint, consultation is an important part of providing quality mental health services to our clients, including play therapy.

    I’m a firm believer in getting support to help me ensure my clients are getting the best counseling experience possible, especially when I’m stuck.

    So, why the mixed feelings?  I’m glad you asked.  

    I think sometimes consultation can be poor quality, one more task to an already full schedule, and/or provided in a punitive way that results in play therapists feeling unsupported and burned out.

    Thinking about this topic got me wondering what the research says about the benefits of consultation for play therapists, and what makes consultation effective.

    That got me exploring the internet to see what I could find.

    I found some interesting research articles discussing not only the benefits of consultation for mental health professionals (no-brainer there), and what makes consultation effective.

    If you’re curious about how play therapy consultation can be beneficial and not just another box to check for your already busy schedule, join me for this free weekly podcast episode!

    I’ll discuss what the research says about making consultation effective based on two studies and why it’s so important to have these elements.

    I’ll share my insights for play therapists and how we can use this information to help our young clients and their families heal.
    Join me and the conversation!  
    Citations for articles discussed during this episode:
    Beidas, R. S., Edmunds, J. M., Cannuscia, C. C., Gallagher, M., Downey, M. M., and Kendall, P. C. (2013). Therapists’ perspectives on the effective elements of consultation following training. Admin Policy Mental Health, 40(6), 507-517. Doi.10.1007?s10488-013-0475-7
    Mui, A. S., Joseph, A., Hakim, E., Cox, E. D., and Greenwald, E. (2022). Peer consultation: An enriching necessity rather than a luxury for psychologists during and beyond the pandemic. Journal of Health Service Psychology, 48, 13-19. doi.10.1007/s42843-021-0005-3

    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
  • Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

    If Being a Play Therapist Feels Lonely, This Is for You

    15/1/2026 | 37 mins.
    Send us a text
    A New Year Is a Chance to Stop Doing Play Therapy Alone.

    A new year begins…
     and for many play therapists, your caseloads are already full.

    Same questions about what you should be doing in play therapy sessions to “get it right.”

    Same feeling of wishing there was someone who truly understood your play therapy work so you could share ideas and support.

    If you ended last year feeling tired, isolated, or second-guessing yourself, this week’s free livestream is for you.

    January isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about deciding what kind of support you want moving forward.

    If you’ve ever wished you had:
    a place to staff play therapy cases without judgment

    colleagues who speak the language of play therapy

    support that helps you stay grounded rather than overwhelmed

    You’re not alone — and you don’t have to keep carrying this work by yourself.

    In this week’s free livestream, we’ll talk honestly about:
    why isolation is so common for play therapists

    how community supports confidence and sustainability

    what it looks like to practice play therapy with ongoing support

    Play therapists are relational by nature.

    Our work is strongest when we’re supported, connected, and not doing it all alone.

    Come start the year supported.

    We’ll save you a seat. 💛

    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
  • Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

    How to Use AutPlay Therapy with Neurodivergent Kids

    08/1/2026 | 40 mins.
    Send us a text
    Helping Neurodivergent Kids Thrive in the Playroom: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Jason Grant

    Every month inside Play Therapy Academy and the Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE, I hear the same heart-wide-open question:

    “What’s the best way to support neurodivergent kids in play therapy so they can truly thrive?”

    And honestly? Same. 

    It’s a big, beautiful question — and the kind of question that deserves wisdom from someone who’s both deeply trained and living the neurodivergent experience from the inside out.

    So this week… we’re doing something special.

    Like – holiday-season-surprise special 🤩

    ✨ I’m bringing on Dr. Robert Jason Grant — the creator of AutPlay® Therapy — for a live conversation you do not want to miss.

    Dr. Grant is the real deal: a therapist, supervisor, consultant, and brilliant guide who blends his lived neurodivergent experience with years of specialized training to help children and families access support that’s affirming, grounded, and actually effective.

    Together, we’re diving into:
    🔹 What exactly is AutPlay?
    A friendly, no-jargon intro to the model every play therapist should know.

    🔹 How does AutPlay help neurodivergent kids heal + grow?
    We’ll talk nervous system support, therapeutic play processes, and why “affirming” isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a necessity.

    🔹 How do you include parents in a way that actually works?
    Because when parents feel seen, supported, and equipped, everything in the playroom shifts.

    If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to adapt your play therapy work for kids with neurodivergence — or you just want to expand your toolbox with a play therapy model rooted in compassion and neuroscience — pull up a chair. 

    This one’s for you.

    Come hang out with us live — bring your coffee, your curiosity, and that one question you’ve been low-key nervous to ask.

    This convo is going to make your play therapy heart do a happy little wiggle. 💛
    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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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.
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