How Trying To Be Calm Gets In The Way Of Regulation
Have you heard the idea that a child needs a calm adult in order to regulate - that in order to regulate, the adult needs to stay calm - or that an [...]
Authenticity in the Playroom
"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, because when we're not willing [...]
Tips to Prevent Burnout
When I finished graduate school, I tossed my commencement cap into the ring of the real world and packed my hopes and dreams inside filing cabinets and briefcases. I was ready, I [...]
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 [...]
Spring Cleaning Your Playroom: Don’t Throw Away the Broken
Spring (or even Fall if you reside in a country in the Southern hemisphere 😉) comes with many things - longer days, warmer weather, blooming trees and flowers. It also comes with [...]
Neuroception of Safety: Not Always What We Think
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 how to support the child? [...]
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 [...]
When Touch Arises in the Playroom
"WHAT DID I DO?" - AN EXPLORATION OF THE INNER EXPERIENCES OF CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHOTHERAPISTS WHEN TOUCH ARISES IN THE PLAYROOM By Sonya Joyce An incredible dissertation to read - “What [...]
Growth Requires Friction
In this article published in the Science of Psychotherapy magazine, Lisa talks about how growth requires friction. It requires tension points and challenge. It requires moving out of our comfort zones into [...]