What Regulation Really Means
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S The more therapists I teach, the more aware I become that the concept of regulation or becoming regulated is often misunderstood. Many people think that being regulated [...]
Authenticity in the Playroom
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S "I assure you that it's okay to be yourself in the playroom. In fact, it's necessary if you're going to help a child regulate through intense play, [...]
Beyond Words: A Story of Connection
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S I sat down in the middle of the room and waited. I wondered which child would come to me? She came. She was about 6 years old [...]
Don’t Expect to Stay Calm – Stay Connected!!
By Peter Bliss Speaker, Author, Coach, Mindfulness Expert & Demartini Method Facilitator, Neuroptimal Neurofeedback Brain Trainer _____ Many leaders, gurus, even health "experts" are telling us to stay calm. I understand their [...]
Neuroception of Safety: Not Always What We Think
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S Creating a neuroception of safety inside the playroom is something that we, as therapists, strive to do. But what, exactly, does this mean? Does it mean knowing [...]
When a Child’s Nervous System is in Collapse Response / SHUT DOWN
By Heather Fairlee Denbrough, LiCSW, RPT-S, Certified Synergetic Play Therapist Collapse (also called “hypoarousal”) is a response like fight-or-flight, but we shut down instead of jump into action. It is a survival response [...]
An Examination of Child-Centered Play Therapy & Synergetic Play Therapy
By Bethany J. Townsend, Ph.D., Lindsay Ishman, Lisa Dion & Kara L. Carnes-Holt Note: This is an Author’s Original Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Child [...]
Learning Bracelets and the Importance of Movement in the Classroom
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S "Mom, I am struggling because I can't concentrate in class!" This is something most children have said at some point – maybe they feel that science is [...]
Five Out-of-the-Box Ways to Connect With Your Child
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S We know our children – we raise them, we love them, we struggle with them, we grow with them. But, as the years go by, things change. [...]
Synergetic Play Therapy Techniques- How to Apply Them Every Day to Self
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S At breakfast time, I went downstairs to the hotel restaurant to eat and to spend 30 minutes to prepare for a six-hour seminar I planned to teach that day [...]