First Annual SPT Destination Retreat - Oregon City
2019-05-16 - 2019-05-19
We are pleased to announce the First Annual Certified Synergetic Play Therapist Retreat!
Here’s what you need to know:
Who: Anyone certified in Synergetic Play Therapy
What: A four-day topic-focused retreat (from Thursday night thru Sunday at noon)
Where: Oregon City, Oregon
When: May 16, 2019 – May 19, 2019
This is not a play therapy retreat! This is a retreat for you! This retreat is focused on achieving your dreams and relying on our community to support you on that journey! The theme of this retreat is “Building Your Dreams and Building Your Business.”
This retreat includes instruction time as we work through our money mindset, conquer our fears/blocks that are holding us back, and find footing with strategy! There’s plenty of time for contemplation, vision planning, walks in nature, and naps on porches to help you dream and build as you put it all down on paper.
They’ll be lots of bonding, too! From yoga to energy healings to a celebration of each other, this retreat serves as a time to reunite, regenerate, relax, and – of course – regulate!
And we’re doing it all in style!
The house we’re renting sits on forty acres with its own river, forest, and beach. It’s an organic working farm complete with goats, chickens, ducks, cats, and dogs. The house itself offers resort-like features – spacious, homey, and filled with spectacular views.
The only thing missing? You!
SAVE THE DATE! Registration links and more details are coming soon!
Are you interested in joining us? Please let us know by sending an email to info@playtherapycolorado.com. This will help us get a head count and plan more accurately.

Kern County School District Training
2019-05-30 - 2019-05-31 | Bakersfield, CA, Bakersfield, CA, United States
This is a private training for mental health clinicians and supervisors in Bakersfield, CA on Synergetic Play Therapy.

Australian Childhood Foundation International Speaker Tour - Sydney
2019-06-13 - 2019-06-14
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.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Littleton
2019-06-15
June 15th – 21st, 2019 (day off in middle)
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Understand some of the neuroscience behind identifying a child’s states of dysregulation and how these influence the symptoms and play in the playroom
Learn how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as the Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Begin to understand how to identify a child’s emotional age in their play
Understand how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance
Understand how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Understand how to use boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist, as well as how to set them without shaming or shutting down the child’s play
Understand the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them
Understand how the therapist’s authenticity and attunement supports the attachment process in play therapy
Understand the importance of being regulated in the midst of challenging play as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom
Understand how to use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@playtherapycolorado.com.

Australian Childhood Foundation International Speaker Tour - Brisbane
2019-06-17 - 2019-06-18

Australian Childhood Foundation International Speaker Tour - Perth
2019-06-20 - 2019-06-21

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Fort Collins
2019-06-22
June 22nd – 28th, 2019 (day off in middle)
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Understand some of the neuroscience behind identifying a child’s states of dysregulation and how these influence the symptoms and play in the playroom
Learn how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as the Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Begin to understand how to identify a child’s emotional age in their play
Understand how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance
Understand how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Understand how to use boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist, as well as how to set them without shaming or shutting down the child’s play
Understand the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them
Understand how the therapist’s authenticity and attunement supports the attachment process in play therapy
Understand the importance of being regulated in the midst of challenging play as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom
Understand how to use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@playtherapycolorado.com.

Australian Childhood Foundation International Speaker Tour - Adelaide
2019-06-24 - 2019-06-25

Australian Childhood Foundation International Speaker Tour - Melbourne
2019-06-27 - 2019-06-28

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Littleton, Colorado
2019-07-13
July 13th – 19th, 2019 (day off in middle)
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Understand some of the neuroscience behind identifying a child’s states of dysregulation and how these influence the symptoms and play in the playroom
Learn how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as the Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Begin to understand how to identify a child’s emotional age in their play
Understand how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance
Understand how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Understand how to use boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist, as well as how to set them without shaming or shutting down the child’s play
Understand the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them
Understand how the therapist’s authenticity and attunement supports the attachment process in play therapy
Understand the importance of being regulated in the midst of challenging play as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom
Understand how to use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@playtherapycolorado.com.

Lessons from the Playroom Webinar - Perfection in the Playroom: Working with OCD in Play Therapy
2019-07-17 14:00 - 15:30 UTC
The Lessons from the Playroom Webinar is a series of 75-minute LIVE webinars designed to further explore what is truly happening in the play therapy process. Interact with Lisa Dion and special guests around the world for an hour of power, purpose, and perspective. Curious what these webinars are about? Click here for a sample!
This webinar occurs four times a year and includes a 15-minute Q&A period. Past topics covered include games in play therapy, the neuroception of safety, working with siblings, resistant children, the power of play, working with teachers, and more!
Join us on July 17 for Perfection in the Playroom: Working with OCD in Play Therapy.
Register here.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Fort Collins, Colorado
2019-07-27 - 2019-08-02
July 27th – August 2nd, 2019 (day off in middle)
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Understand some of the neuroscience behind identifying a child’s states of dysregulation and how these influence the symptoms and play in the playroom
Learn how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as the Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Begin to understand how to identify a child’s emotional age in their play
Understand how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance
Understand how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Understand how to use boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist, as well as how to set them without shaming or shutting down the child’s play
Understand the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them
Understand how the therapist’s authenticity and attunement supports the attachment process in play therapy
Understand the importance of being regulated in the midst of challenging play as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom
Understand how to use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Pilina in the Playroom- Oahu, Hawaii
2019-07-29 - 2019-08-02
Pilina in the Playroom: Neurobiology and Attachment in Play Therapy is a 5- Day Play Therapy Retreat held on the peaceful North Shores on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. At a relaxed island pace, the theories of attachment and neurobiology come together as Lisa Dion, LPS, RPTS and Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPTS present on how to develop connection to self, others, and communities. You will learn how to create an authentic attachment to yourself which becomes a powerful tool in the play therapy room with our clients young and old. By developing play-based regulation and co-regulation strategies for use in the playroom, we can encourage and foster stronger connections in the families we work with. You will discover how attachment theory can guide your play therapy practice and how to encourage and develop deeper attachment relationships between you, your child clients, and their caregivers.
Participants will spend five days learning new and innovative play therapy techniques including hands on experiential activities, guided imagery, regulation strategies, sand tray interventions, and expressive arts in a gorgeous setting with plenty of time for self-care, rest, and rejuvenation built into the program. We will be spending an entire afternoon doing Sandtray ON THE BEACH learning attachment centered Sandtray interventions! You will leave with a creative toolbox of tips, techniques, and a clear understanding of how attachment styles impact relationships and the confidence and competence needed to make a difference in the lives of many.
Each day has been carefully planned to allow time for self-reflection, learning, case studies, and hands on experiential learning. You will be treated with 22 hours of play therapy education and come home with a toolbox of play therapy interventions. Most importantly, you will leave this beautiful island retreat rejuvenated and ready to jump back into practice, feeling confident and competent in the knowledge you have gained.
Get more info here.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy 3-Day Retreat - Boulder, Colorado
2019-08-16 - 2019-08-18
Synergetic Play Therapy launches you on a personal journey towards discovering what showing up in the playroom truly means. Certification takes this journey one step further. Authenticity, congruency, attunement, camaraderie – this program helps therapists look even deeper while cultivating community and a connection to clients (and each other!). Embark on a revolutionary experience filled with magical, memorable moments! Learn to love YOU and support your child clients as they learn the same. Gain confidence, hone skills and transform your practice and yourself.

Neurobiology of Leadership - Sydney, Australia
2019-08-24 - 2019-08-25 | Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch, 501 Wattle Street #485, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
The art and magic of facilitation – for facilitators and coaches! This is a 2-Day Workshop with Lisa Dion, Peter Bliss, and Erika Yeates that takes place at the Independent Education Union of Australia.
This course is designed for Facilitators and Coaches who want to learn HOW to facilitate in order to increase confidence, double their impact, increase their referrals and ultimately transform lives. Using a neuroscientific approach, combined with Mindfulness and Breathing techniques – Lisa, Peter and Erika – will equip you with powerful and sustainable skills you can use to maximize your ability to facilitate others.
Lisa has been working as a psychotherapist for over 15 years and is a Master Certified Demartini Method Facilitator.
Peter has been working as a Mindfulness, Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Meditation Teacher and Coach for over 15 years and is a Trained Demartini Method Facilitator.
Erika is a Medical Doctor, corporate consultant, coach, writer, speaker and Senior Certified Demartini Facilitator.
All three of them have been teaching and inspiring thousands to gain the ability and knowledge to live according to their highest values and achieve fulfillment and joy in what they do.
Register here.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Retreat - Melbourne, Australia
2019-08-26 - 2019-08-28

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Retreat 3-Day Retreat - Vancouver, Canada
2019-09-20 - 2019-09-22

Revolutionizing Play in Therapeutic Practice with Children and Young People - Alberta, Canada
2019-09-24 - 2019-09-25 | Alberta Heath Services, 7910 112 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, T5B 0C2, Canada
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 behaviour 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 be aware of the multiple layers of meaning that occurs in the exchanges between therapist and child/young person.
Participants will come away with a range of new skills and strategies that include:

Being able to describe how play therapy works from a neurobiological perspective
Learning how to set boundaries without shaming or shutting down the child
Learning how to make aggressive play therapeutic
Understanding how to work with the intensity of aggressive play without the therapist’s own nervous system shutting down resulting in compassion fatigue and burn out
Learning how to become the external regulator in a session to deepen children’s ability to integrate the challenging experiences they are working through

Using hands-on and practical techniques, Lisa will assist the group to trace the moment to 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.

Synergetic Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Using Play in Therapeutic Practice with Children - Auckland, New Zealand
2019-10-14 - 2019-10-15 | STOP Oganization, 11 Whitmore St, Edgeware, Christchurch, 8013, New Zealand
Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy, a model of play therapy that uses a neuroscientific framework and emphasizes the critical role of the therapist. With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and the Synergetic Play Therapy model, participants will explore in this 2- day workshop how to effectively use a way of play therapy that supports nervous system regulation and reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to identify various nervous system states in their child clients and understand how to support regulation in the playroom. They will learn how to work with intense or aggressive play without causing their own nervous system to shut down or triggering vicarious trauma. Participants will gain further knowledge and skills on how to support their clients to maximize growth and integration of their experiences through Synergetic Play Therapy. Come prepared to play and have fun!
The training is suitable for clinicians working therapeutically with children and their families.
To sign up for this course, email Karen.Brougham@stop.org.nz.

Fostering Kidz Conference - Keynote: Creating Connection Through Play - Auckland, New Zealand
2019-10-16 - 2019-10-17 | Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, 58 Waipuna Rd, Mount Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand
Children don’t often have the words to communicate how they are feeling, yet they can communicate their thoughts and feelings fluently through their play. Without understanding the importance of play, the role of play in a child’s life and how to use play to create connection, caregivers may be missing one of the most important ways to establish relationship and connection with the young people in their lives.
Breakout Session
This workshop is designed to give caregivers pertinent information on how to understand the meaning behind children’s play, so that they can better understand what children are attempting to express. Participants will also learn how to assess a child’s nervous system dys-regulation patterns along with what signs to look for in a child’s play that indicate concern and possible need for intervention and support.
Registration is now open!

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Littleton, Colorado
2019-10-18 - 2019-10-27 | Play Therapy Connection, 8 W Dry Creek Cir, Littleton, CO, 80120, United States
October 18th – 20th and October 25th – 27th
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Understand some of the neuroscience behind identifying a child’s states of dysregulation and how these influence the symptoms and play in the playroom
Learn how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as the Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Begin to understand how to identify a child’s emotional age in their play
Understand how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance
Understand how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Understand how to use boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist, as well as how to set them without shaming or shutting down the child’s play
Understand the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them
Understand how the therapist’s authenticity and attunement supports the attachment process in play therapy
Understand the importance of being regulated in the midst of challenging play as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom
Understand how to use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Lessons from the Playroom - Working With Families in the Playroom
2019-11-05 14:00 - 15:30
The Lessons from the Playroom Webinar is a series of 75-minute LIVE webinars designed to further explore what is truly happening in the play therapy process. Interact with Lisa Dion and special guests around the world for an hour of power, purpose, and perspective. Curious what these webinars are about? Click here for a sample!
The November topic is Working With Families in the Playroom.
Understanding how to work with families in a play therapy experience is important. The difference between it being an overly challenging experience or a deeply connected experience is knowing when to involve the family, how to work with all of the family members to keep them engaged, and how to become the external regulator for the whole system to help them integrate is key.

– Explore when it is important to involve the family in play therapy
– Identify at least 3 family therapy activities to incorporate into sessions
– Discuss what it means to become the external regulator for the family in a play therapy session
– Explore ways to keep all family members engaged in the process
Register here. Watch live or via replay.

2019 Midwest Child Life Conference - Keynote: The Need for An External Regulator During Child Life Interventions - Springfield, Missouri
2019-11-09 | Missouri State University – Plaster Student Union, 1110 E. Madison Street, Springfield, MO, 65897, United States
Join Lisa Dion as she explores external regulation in the Child Life Specialist.
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the Child Life Specialist to act as the external regulator supporting the child and their family to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration.
Without the ability of the Child Life Specialist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises, both the child, family, and the Child Life Specialist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a Child Life Specialist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to the child and family during care.
Break out session:
We are in this together: Understanding Nervous System States for Co-Regulation

This presentation explores the various states of activation of the nervous system in order to help Child Life Specialists understand new ways of working with a child’s fears and anxieties, how to recognize emotional flooding, and ultimately how to become the external regulator to co-regulate a child through their challenging experiences leading to a more adaptive and less overwhelming hospital experience. Register or learn more here.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Five-Day Retreat (Part of the Nine-Month Certification Program) - Vancouver, Canada
2020-01-09 - 2020-01-14
The Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Five-Day Retreat is the second retreat in the nine-month Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program. This program takes your SPT journey one step further with authenticity, congruency, attunement, and camaraderie. It is designed to help therapists look even deeper while cultivating community and a connection to clients (and each other!).
In order to enroll in the Certification Program, you must complete one of the following prerequisites:

A Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy™ Intensive Training with post supervision
The Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supplemental Course with post supervision
The Six-Month Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ Course with post supervision

“I feel like I am working at my optimum level as a therapist, business owner, mom, wife, volunteer, and athlete. Last year, I was excited about starting the Certification process but felt like the testimonials might be too good to be true. They’re not. The SPT Certification process is literally life-changing. This was the piece that was missing for so many years. It’s worth every penny.” – Grace Lacuone
For program details, click here.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Five-Day Retreat (Part of the Nine-Month Certification Program) – Boulder, Colorado
2020-01-16 - 2020-01-20

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Five-Day Retreat (Part of the Nine-Month Certification Program) – Melbourne, Australia
2020-02-03 - 2020-02-07

Innovative Child Therapy Symposium - Online
2020-02-03 - 2020-02-07
Prepare to be truly inspired! Join us to discover a ton of fresh ideas to take back to your therapy practice from over 40 expert speakers presenting on a wide variety of therapeutic approaches. You’ll deepen your clinical skills and let your creativity flow as we learn together from some of the most impactful, heartfelt, highly-skilled professionals supporting child and adolescent mental health.
Lisa Dion will be speaking on Synergetic Play Therapy!
Register for free!
Sign up here.

Too Stressed to Play: A Two-Day Self-Care Retreat for Play Therapists - Melbourne, Australia
2020-02-07 - 2020-02-09
We’re sold out. New date coming soon!
This event includes two nights of accommodation in the Yarra Valley, healthy snacks and meals, and a welcome gathering. Saturday includes yoga, meditation, sound healing, and a discussion on “You, Me, and We: What You Must Know to Fully Understand the Therapeutic Relationship and the Importance of Self in the Playroom.” Sunday includes a mindfulness practice and a discussion on “Facing our Fears: Take a Look at the Blocks and Beliefs that are in the Way of Your Being Able to Show Up Fully in the Playroom to Connect with Yourself and Your Child Client.”

Healing Trauma and Abuse in Children and Adolescents: A Two-Day Workshop - Quezon City, Philippines
2020-02-14 - 2020-02-15
When children and adolescents come to counseling for support with trauma and abuse, clinicians can be at a loss for how best to work with the complexities and the intensity of that prior experience.
Without a clear understanding of what to do and how to facilitate the integration of trauma, children can stay stuck and unable to move forward in their healing. Clinicians can also find themselves anxious, exhausted, confused, overwhelmed, and dysregulated, which can – over time – significantly impact their longevity in the field. It can affect their ability to stay attuned to and present with the child as well.
With the help of neuroscience and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, this two-day workshop teaches clinicians how to effectively work with trauma and abuse in a way that supports integration and nervous system regulation, while decreasing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
Register here.

Ah! Why Aren't You Listening to Me? Working with Resistance in the Supervisory Relationship: Three-Hour Course at the Minnesota APT Conference - Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020-03-05
One of the hardest and often misunderstood aspects of being a play therapy supervisor is effectively working with resistance. This workshop takes a deeper look at what resistance actually is, its biology, and how to creatively work with it.
For more information or to register, click here.
Course Objectives

Discuss what resistance in play therapy supervision actually is
Examine the biology of resistance in order to more skillfully identify it and work with it as it arises in a play therapy supervision session
Describe at least 2 new ideas to help play therapy supervisees when they are feeling resistant in supervision
