Presence in Play Therapy

Much to Barbie’s chagrin, you’re the most important toy in the playroom. Still, showing up for a session isn’t enough: you must be fully present too. But in order to become present with the child, you must first learn how to be present with yourself.

1:30 Lisa announces plans for 2020

3:17 The Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy launches January 21

5:20 Presence is a sense of connection within our own body first

5:50 To be with others requires us to be with ourselves

6:30 How can we look within?

8:00 What is dual awareness?

8:30 Aggression in the Playroom: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity

9:26 Becoming the external regulator

10:21 Cultivating the inner world of the clinician

11:27 It is the relationship that heals within the playroom, which means the therapist must be deeply present

12:31 Presence is the play therapists’s ability to be with whatever is happening

13:40 Why is presence so important?

14:59 Learning to sit with and breathe into

16:24 How can analyzing work against you?

17:00 Presence isn’t just about showing up; it’s about participating with the fullness of you

18:30 You can not attune to the child unless you are an active participant

22:00 Being present with yourself

22:57 Sensations and emotions are just information

24:00 Allowing yourself to feel a little bit more in the playroom