We’re dedicated individuals. We work tirelessly to support the children and families we work with. We also study, a lot…..
We sometimes spend weekends away from our loved ones and our personal lives learning how to use playroom essentials like the sand tray, art, puppets, and games. 🎨🧸
We travel long distances to take classes to learn things like how to work with parents/caregivers when they’re in the playroom and how to support children who have experienced trauma in their lives. ✈️🎧📖 We attend conferences, watch webinars, listen to podcasts, and read book after book to learn new techniques to be able to apply in our sessions.
But, despite all this intense learning, I think we’ve forgotten the most important toy in the playroom: the therapist.
Ok, I know you’ve heard this a lot from me, especially in the Lessons from the Playroom podcast (… it’s how I end each episode 😉), but let’s check in with ourselves and ask the question: Have we lost sight of the fact that we’re actually the only toy that is needed in order for healing to happen?
Have we forgotten that it is the therapist who has to facilitate the techniques used in the playroom?
It’s really the therapist, not the technique, that makes the technique successful or not. And the big question is: How much of our learning is dedicated to understanding ourselves specifically to what’s happening in the playroom? 🤔
Probably not as much as we spend time learning about the other toys.
But, as neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology continue to reveal, it has become increasingly important that we focus more attention on learning about how and why the therapist is the most important and influential toy in the playroom. 🧠✨
… Because the more we understand neuroscience, brain function, nervous system states, and what is really going on between the child and therapist, the more profound the integration that can occur for a child! 💖
Let’s continue this conversation over in Part 2 here! I’ll share with you the key ingredient of supporting the child as the most important toy in the playroom.
Much love on the journey, 💜
Lisa
