Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy – a researched-informed model of play therapy based on nervous system regulation, interpersonal neurobiology, physics, attachment, mindfulness, and therapist authenticity. It aims to replicate the delicate dance of attunement that occurs between a caregiver and an infant. It focuses on ensuring that the practitioner’s verbalizations and non-verbal activity are congruent during the play therapy sessions in order to transmit trust and safety. In doing so, the approach maximizes right-hemisphere to right-hemisphere communication and acts as an external regulator for children’s dysregulated states as they arise in the therapeutic process.

Lisa defines the therapist as the most important toy in the playroom. Her approach is applicable to all children, as the basis for her theory is rooted in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology.  Her work is also effectively applied to work with children and young people who express aggression in their behavior during the therapeutic process. This is a vital new area that has rarely been conceptualized. Lisa’s approach highlights how a compassionate and relational orientation is critical to gaining awareness of the multiple layers of meaning that occurs in the exchanges between therapist and child/young person.

Using hands-on and practical techniques, Lisa will assist the group to trace the moment by moment shifts in regulation between therapist and child, providing a level of insight which supports the transformation of aggression into ways of connecting and mutual trust.

Register here.