Lessons from the Playroom Season 2

This next Lessons from the Playroom topic is near and dear to Lisa's heart as she is a Certified Gestalt Therapist and Gestalt is one of the root theories of Synergetic Play Therapy. And not only is the topic important to Lisa, but so is her guest. She is one of the Gestalt Play Therapy experts on the planet. Yes, we’re talking about Felicia Carrol. Felicia Carrol is a LMFT, RPT-S, and founder/director of the West Coast Institute for [...]

In this podcast episode, Lisa clarifies one of the biggest misconceptions out there right now for parents and therapists - that regulation means being CALM. ...You’ve likely heard the idea that a child needs a calm adult in order to regulate - that in order to regulate, the adult needs to be and stay calm - or that an adult's "calm" presence is the answer to regulating a child when they are dysregulated. But if you’ve ever tried to [...]

Lisa met her next guest at her very first APT conference. She was doing a presentation on supervision. As Lisa sat in her course, she remembers thinking, “Who is this woman?! Wow!” She was so captivated by her and her teaching - Lisa is delighted to be joined by Paris Goodyear-Brown, the creator of the TraumaPlay™ model, the founder and Clinical Director of Nurture House, and the Executive Director of the TraumaPlay™ Institute.  She is an internationally renowned speaker, [...]

Join Lisa Dion for a most beautiful and eye-opening (and, unfortunately, so relevant to what’s happening in the world right now) conversation with someone very dear to her - Liliana Baylon is a bilingual (English-Spanish), bicultural therapist serving the Denver Metro Area and Certified Synergetic Play Therapist/ Supervisor/ Consultant. In today’s episode, Lisa and Liliana talk about understanding the experience of immigrant and refugee families, and some really important things to be aware of that will widen your cultural [...]

Join Lisa and Judy Norman, Certified SPT therapist/supervisor and SPT co-teacher as they share the launch of the Synergetic Education™ Institute. It's been years in the making as they've both seen the profound impact of bringing Synergetic Play Therapy® tenets into schools to support educators, school-based mental health professionals, and educational leaders. In fact, it's been such a success, Heather Forbes, Founder of Beyond Consequences Institute, "Help for Billy" Author, Speaker, and Developmental Trauma Expert (...many of you may [...]

This next Lessons from the Playroom guest gave Lisa the most amazing surprise when she jumped on - it filled Lisa with so much joy, delight and an urge to connect … And this is totally what they’re talking about today - how to captivate, engage, be with (along with what to do), and create a playful connection with your child clients during the initial play therapy session.  Lisa is joined by the one and only Liana Lowenstein. Liana is [...]

In this Lessons from the Playroom episode, Lisa discusses the #1 thing that will get you off track as a therapist ... and it's trying to be someone you’re not! Despite messages that might suggest differently, authenticity and "being yourself" is not easy and has so many implications for therapists. Join Lisa in a conversation to explore:  How you know when you're trying to be someone you're not; Why it's so important to be yourself in the playroom; How [...]

OMG! - the synergy between Lisa and her next guest is … well, let’s just say, it’s like getting an opportunity to eavesdrop on a beautiful conversation between two brilliant minds! Kim Barthel is an award winning Occupational Therapist, teacher, and best-selling author who has successfully merged play, Polyvagal Theory and Sensory Processing. Tune in and discover: *Ways to more deeply understand the body, nervous system activation, and what it looks like in your client; *How to truly understand [...]

Lisa Dion’s next special guest is a Certified SPT therapist, coach, mom and Yoga instructor. She’s known her for years - all the way back to when Lauren worked in Cape Town, South Africa.  Listen as Lauren Porter and Lisa talk about how to make Yoga a practice that can support you as a therapist and redefine and unpack yoga in a way that maybe you haven’t considered…  ...And how getting to know yourself more and experiencing a widening of your [...]

Lisa is jumping into another most requested topic - Translating the Play to Parents/Caregivers. In this episode you’ll find out why this can be such a challenge for play therapists, but oh-so important! Learn 4 tips for how to translate the child’s play to parents/ caregivers including how to: Set the stage early on in the process for parents about what they can expect and to honor/protect the confidentiality of what’s going on in the room with the child client. Develop [...]

We’re ending the year with our most requested topic - Working With Childhood Sexual Abuse  In this episode, Lisa Dion is joined by Sueann Kenney-Noziska whose work with sexually abused children and adolescents is absolutely remarkable. In addition to maintaining a full-time private practice, she is internationally recognized as an esteemed author, guest lecturer, and professional speaker (... a phenomenal speaker!). Sueann has been educating therapists, courts, and community partners for years regarding the impact of trauma, dynamics of sexual abuse, delayed disclosure, [...]

Have you ever thought about where and how you most connect with your sense of self and innate wisdom?... This next guest has made it her life’s focus to help her clients do just this (...48 years as a psychotherapist!) Marie José Dhaese is the founder of Holistic Expressive Therapy and creator of an absolutely amazing and beautiful therapeutic “play home” (See it for yourself. It’s so magical!).  In this episode, Marie José talks about how all of us hold within ourselves [...]

Why is it so hard to let go and surrender to the reality of WHAT IS, in your life?... Join Lisa Dion as she takes you on a reflective journey to answer this very important question (... because we know it’s not easy and, let’s just be honest, can be downright painful!).  In this Lessons from the Playroom episode, learn: Why it’s so hard to let go and surrender to what is happening in your life How to not [...]

This next guest, from a young age, wanted to be both a philosopher and a pilot … while life took her down a different path, she has since translated the “mysteries” of EMDR Therapy when working with children for thousands of therapists worldwide ... and taken many of her clients on a journey to places within themselves, giving them wings to soar!  💖 Ana Gomez is the founder of the AGATE Institute and has focused her career on working with complex [...]

We’re doing something different in this episode! … This time, Lisa is joined by three important people in her life - three Certified Synergetic Play Therapists, for a discussion of some of the challenges we might face as a play therapist.  Take time to pause, reflect and find out what to do when a child/client: tries to take care of the therapist; does not turn on their screen during a teletherapy session (and what is really necessary for attunement [...]

In this episode, Lisa is joined by another special therapist - a gem 💖 in the play therapy field (and he’s also a poet😉) … Marshall Lyles joins Lisa in a discussion that brings new thought, new life, and new excitement to processes and things you may have heard about for years. Join Lisa and Marshall in conversation about … * The use of Sandtray therapy in healing attachment and trauma; * How attachment styles present for clients (and [...]

A fundamental question of your practice as a play therapist, might be - “How do I support parents/caregivers in becoming the external regulator for their child?” With this mantra in mind to “treat the parent/caregiver how you would love the parent/caregiver to treat the child,” Lisa Dion tackles this very topic of how to support parents/caregivers in becoming their child’s external regulator.  In this Lessons from the Playroom episode, you’ll learn: How to support parents/caregivers when they themselves do [...]

In this 102nd episode, Lisa is joined by special guest Dr. David Crenshaw for a touching and heartfelt conversation about Finding the Hidden Gifts Within Children, especially those who have been deeply mistreated and hurt. In this episode, David reminds you that children who have been wounded so often present with many protective patterns that often hide their inner treasures, talents, strengths, and deeper qualities about themselves.  And at times, these patterns are so strong in the child, that you [...]

What does it really mean to be culturally competent?... To help us kick off the next 100 episodes, Lisa is joined by a truly amazing individual who is a leader in our play therapy field - Dr. Eliana Gil. Likely you have heard of her 😉 ... Dr. Eliana Gil is the founding partner of the Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery & Education. As one of the pioneers for working with trauma in the play therapy field, she's written several books read by [...]