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, [...]
Spring Cleaning Your Playroom: Don’t Throw Away the Broken
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S 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 [...]
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 [...]
Growing as a Play Therapist
By Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S Whether you’re a play therapist or a teacher, an architect designing multi-million-dollar buildings or a veterinarian working with sea turtles, it’s easy to grow complacent in your [...]
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 [...]
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 “hypo-arousal”) is a response like fight-or-flight, but we shut down instead of jump into action. It is a survival response [...]
Gratitude Activities to Do With Your Child
by Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S Thanksgiving is just around the corner; we can practically smell the pie! And, with that, comes gratitude: this is a time of year to give thanks to [...]
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 [...]
“What Did I Do?”: When Touch Arises in the Playroom
By Sonya Joyce “What Did I Do?” is an incredible dissertation that explores the inner experiences of child and adolescent psychotherapists when touch arises in the playroom. Sonya submitted this thesis to [...]
Let’s Not Forget “The Perfect Child”
Have you ever noticed that the children who tend to make their way to your office are the ones that are acting out, aggressive, non-compliant, and anxious? And then sprinkled in, [...]