Join me on Next Level Play Therapy, a podcast for child and adolescent therapists seeking to elevate your play therapy services. Hosted by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S, at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training. Each episode delves into the nuances of play therapy, exploring innovative techniques, evidence-based practices, and practical strategies for providing exceptional therapeutic experiences. These engaging discussions cover a wide range of topics, including building rapport with children, ...
…
continue reading
Partsy Girls features two therapists, Grace and Natalie, who discuss all things therapy, current events, pop culture, and more. Trained in Internal Family Systems, EMDR, and the art of talking sh*t; this podcast is for therapists and non-therapists alike. TW: this podcast may include themes such as trauma, abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation/behavior, sexual assault, and other themes that arise when exploring mental health and therapeutic modalities.
…
continue reading
The Griot's Remedy takes dramatic readings of , fiction, short fiction and play excerpts and matches them with real life issue discussions through the lens of various life coaching and therapy understandings. Each episode, the host and panel will present a story, identify the themes (issues) the characters or pieces bring out and discuss them in a manner designed to bring some transforming insight to listeners' actual challenges or traumas.The Griot’s Remedy, produced by BookLoudly, a divisi ...
…
continue reading
1
How Do Play Therapists Understand Themes in Play Therapy?
36:24
36:24
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
36:24
Send us a text One of the biggest struggles for play therapists is understanding and recognizing themes in play therapy. Play therapists use themes in play therapy sessions to help them understand what’s going on with their clients and how they are progressing in play therapy. Join me for this free podcast, I’ll share highlights from the study and …
…
continue reading
1
What Kind of Sand Tray Miniatures Are Best
34:51
34:51
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:51
Send us a text What kind of sand tray miniatures do you need? Are there miniatures that are better than others so your clients get what they need in your play therapy sessions? These are frequent questions I’m asked by play therapists who want to learn how to use sand tray therapy in play therapy. They’re really good questions when you think about …
…
continue reading
1
How to Provide Sand Tray Therapy in Play Therapy
43:42
43:42
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:42
Send us a text Have you heard of sand tray therapy? How do you provide sand tray therapy? What do you need to provide sand tray therapy with clients? If you’re a play therapist then you’ve probably heard of sand tray therapy. In play therapy, there are specific types of toys and supplies needed in the playroom to provide play therapy. The same is t…
…
continue reading
Like we never left! After a little summer hiatus, we're ready to jump back in to all things IFS with you. In today's episode we'll share a little about what we've been doing this summer, including our experiences being on staff at IFS level 1 trainings. We share a little about our learnings from being program assistants, some trailheads that came u…
…
continue reading
1
Identifying Play Dynamics in Play Therapy
44:49
44:49
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:49
Send us a text How do you make sense of what’s going on in play therapy sessions and figure out if your clients are making progress? This is a question that comes up A LOT in my play therapy trainings and play therapy consultation groups. It’s a great question. Underlying this question is the understanding that play therapy sessions are not traditi…
…
continue reading
1
How To Develop Culturally-Informed Play Therapy Case Conceptualization
43:40
43:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:40
Send us a text How good are you at identifying the role of culture in the problems your clients are experiencing? Have you considered the resiliency factors of your clients’ culture and how that can influence better play therapy outcomes? Play therapists work with children and their families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Using cultural compete…
…
continue reading
1
How To Use Neuroscience & Attachment Theory in Play Therapy to Heal Trauma
41:00
41:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:00
Send us a text I discovered neuroscience and attachment theory as a play therapist about 15 years ago and was immediately a fan because I recognized how attachment theory and neuroscience relate to play therapy. Understanding behaviors, and especially trauma, from this lens was a game-changer for me. It made so much sense, especially for someone wi…
…
continue reading
1
How To Take a Strategic Approach to Play Therapy with Traumatized Children
33:48
33:48
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:48
Send us a text Have you ever wondered which approach works best with children who are traumatized? Or maybe you’ve wondered what techniques are used in trauma therapy? Working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma requires child and adolescent mental health professionals to understand a variety of factors impacting treatment dec…
…
continue reading
Send us a text If you’re a play therapist you’ve probably heard of sand tray therapy. Maybe you’re using sand tray therapy now with your child and adolescent clients or maybe you’ve been really curious about it. There’s a lot of confusion about using sand tray in play therapy and that impacts the quality of the experience for your clients. What is …
…
continue reading
1
How to Engage Reluctant Parents in Play Therapy
40:12
40:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:12
Send us a text Have you ever felt super frustrated trying to get engagement from parents for their child’s play therapy treatment? Feeling like you are “chasing” parents to get them to schedule an appointment with you to discuss how to help their child make progress in play therapy. Feeling tired and a little burned out responding to phone calls, e…
…
continue reading
1
What Are the Current Trends and Growth in the Field of Play Therapy?
45:17
45:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
45:17
Send us a text If you’re in the child and adolescent mental health field then you’ve likely heard of play therapy, but why is it so effective? How is it possible that play therapy has become the go-to treatment approach for children to address their mental health challenges? What is it that sets play therapy apart from other treatment modalities? H…
…
continue reading
1
What’s the Role of Parents in Play Therapy with Anxious Children?
41:44
41:44
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:44
Send us a text In the play therapy profession, the focus is typically on the children and providing play therapy sessions only with the child to facilitate healing. Makes sense when you think about it because parents bring their child to you for help overcoming their mental health challenges. But is it really the most effective way to conceptualize…
…
continue reading
1
How to Balance Case Conceptualization, Treatment Planning, and Therapeutic Relationship in Play Therapy
43:45
43:45
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:45
Send us a text As a play therapist or child/adolescent therapist, 👇 Have you ever thought there is no way to balance a strong therapeutic relationship with clients and parents with the more clinically technical aspects of case conceptualization and treatment planning? Therapeutic rapport is relational, right?. It’s personal and dynamic. Case concep…
…
continue reading
1
How to Work with High Conflict Families in Play Therapy
49:30
49:30
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
49:30
Send us a text If you’re a play therapist then you’ve probably had children from high conflict divorced families on your caseload at some point, or maybe even now. These families can present very challenging issues to navigate in play therapy. If you’ve worked with children in high conflict family systems then you’ve probably felt helpless, frustra…
…
continue reading
1
How Can the AAI Be Used in Play Therapy to Create Secure Attachments?
40:20
40:20
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:20
Send us a text One of the things I regularly hear from play therapists is their frustration knowing what is the most effective way to work with parents in play therapy. This is especially true when working with children in families that are very challenging. Children exist within the context of their families and supporting parents to be the therap…
…
continue reading
Send us a text From an attachment theory standpoint, structure is an important part of parenting. It helps children understand relationship boundaries, protects them from possible harm, provides a sense of safety and order, and allows them to understand how actions impact them and others. How we provide structure is very important - Not too rigid a…
…
continue reading
1
What is Imposter Syndrome in Play Therapy?
35:53
35:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:53
Send us a text If you’re a play therapist, especially new to play therapy, I’m going to share a secret with you. You may not believe me when I tell you this. If you feel like a fraud using play therapy … If you feel overwhelmed and struggling with thoughts that you suck using play therapy and that your clients are probably suffering because of your…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Have you ever felt like you’re lost and not sure what to do when you’re providing play therapy? Maybe you’ve secretly thought that you aren’t cut out to be a play therapist because you’re terrible at it. At some point in your learning journey to help your clients heal using play therapy, you’ve probably felt lost, overwhelmed, and fr…
…
continue reading
Send us a text What’s the point of learning to recognize themes in play therapy sessions? Does it really matter? Play therapists often talk about what play themes occurred in their clients’ play therapy sessions. Are play themes even real or are we just making them up to justify that play therapy is actually working? We know that play therapy has b…
…
continue reading
1
How Can Play Therapy Heal Preverbal Trauma?
41:17
41:17
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:17
Send us a text Do children who’ve experienced trauma prior to developing language have the capacity to remember what happened to them? Does the traumatic experience go away on its own? I’ve often heard people, including child serving professionals, dismiss the possibility of the negative impact of neglect and early trauma on infants and young child…
…
continue reading
1
What Are the Best Play Therapy Techniques for Connection
43:11
43:11
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:11
Send us a text Using play therapy effectively requires child and adolescent therapists to know how to use a theoretical play therapy model to access the therapeutic powers of play. When choosing play therapy to facilitate healing, it’s important to consider what your clients need and how you will use play therapy to accomplish that goal. Want some …
…
continue reading
1
What are the Therapeutic Powers of Play in Play Therapy?
35:37
35:37
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:37
Send us a text Play therapists often talk about the therapeutic powers of play. But what exactly does that mean and why are they so important in play therapy? How do you explain play therapy to others? Actually, knowing the answer to these questions are core competencies for play therapists because 👇 The therapeutic powers of play are what set play…
…
continue reading
1
People who know more than us ft. Patricia Rich {Self-Led Sexuality}
1:39:52
1:39:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:39:52
We are back with the final episode (for now) of our "people who know more than us" series. Taking you out with an absolute bang (no pun in tended), we welcome the magnificent Patricia Rich! Patricia is an LCSW, certified sex therapist, level 3 certified IFS therapist, CST supervisor, and a leader in the field of using the IFS framework to work with…
…
continue reading
1
How to Write Effective Play Therapy Documentation
33:40
33:40
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:40
Send us a text Writing play therapy documentation is hands down the least favorite task for play therapists, myself included. It’s overwhelming, confusing, and exhausting. It can feel never ending and burn you out. It’s often avoided altogether, which is never good. Avoiding it just creates more stress because you feel like you’re always behind or …
…
continue reading
Send us a text If you’re a play therapist and you have struggled to write progress notes that make sense without draining your brain, then you are definitely not alone. Maybe you feel confused and overwhelmed about writing play therapy notes because you have no idea what to write that makes sense and doesn’t sound like you just played for an hour w…
…
continue reading
Send us a text If you’re a mental health professional in the United States, you might have heard about the CURES Act. It’s created quite a buzz in the mental health community. Maybe you’ve heard of Open Notes. Essentially the discussion about progress notes in the medical community, including the mental health community, revolves around clients’ ac…
…
continue reading
1
What Does Case Conceptualization Have to Do with Play Therapy Themes?
31:57
31:57
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:57
Send us a text Play therapists place a lot of emphasis on recognizing themes in play therapy sessions. Why? Because understanding play behaviors and recognizing what clients are communicating in their play is critical to help them in the healing process. Here’s where case conceptualization is often overlooked when making sense of what’s going on in…
…
continue reading
1
People who know more than us ft. Bethany Barta {IFS and EMDR}
1:27:18
1:27:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:27:18
With so much giddy excitement we introduce you to the extraordinary Bethany Barta! What an absolute treat. Bethany is an LCSW and her mission is to be a facilitator and guide on the human journey toward Self Discovery and Wholeness. She utilizes many tools to support folx on their path; she has been trained to provide practices from Gestalt Therapy…
…
continue reading
1
What’s the Best Way to Identify Themes in Play Therapy Sessions?
35:00
35:00
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:00
Send us a text Have you ever struggled to figure out what exactly your clients are communicating during their play therapy sessions? Whether you’re a new play therapist or a seasoned play therapist, identifying themes can be challenging. Learning to recognize themes in your clients’ play therapy sessions is a great way to understand what they are c…
…
continue reading
1
Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Play Therapy Progress Notes
41:52
41:52
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
41:52
Send us a text There is a lot of terrible information being shared in the mental health community about writing progress notes. Some information is based on fear, some information is based on misunderstanding about progress notes, and some information is based on minimizing the importance of progress notes. (Ouch!) 😲 Over the last 30+ years in the …
…
continue reading
1
People who know more than us ft. Carmen Jiminez-Pride {Kids, Play Therapy, Sand Tray}
1:24:27
1:24:27
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:24:27
Ever wondered how the heck to apply IFS to working with kids? Same! In this week's episode of the "people who know more than us" series, we're honored to welcome Carmen Jiminez-Pride (pause here for applause). Carmen brings so much to the table it's hard to know where to start. Carmen is an LCSW, Registered Play Therapist, Sand Tray expert, IFS Ins…
…
continue reading
1
How to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed Providing Play Therapy
37:01
37:01
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
37:01
Send us a text What’s the secret to success using play therapy like a pro? Any new play therapist will tell you that the thing that drives them to learn new things 👇 is their desire to make a difference in the lives of children. Over the last 15 years supervising new play therapists, I’ve witnessed four things that are 🔑for your success using play …
…
continue reading
1
How to Engage Challenging Children in Play Therapy
33:25
33:25
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
33:25
Send us a text If you’re a child/adolescent mental health professional, then you probably have children and adolescents on your caseload who are reluctant to engage in therapy. These children can be overwhelming and frustrating, even for seasoned therapists. What can you do to engage them in sessions so you can help them? Knowing how to use play th…
…
continue reading
1
People who know more than us ft. Diana Dugan Richards {Disordered Eating}
1:28:43
1:28:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:28:43
We are so excited to bring the first episode of our new series "people who know more than us" to you, and what a way to start. With so much gratitude we welcome Diana Dugan Richards to our show. Diana is a registered and licensed dietician as well as an IFS certified practitioner. Diana works with clients in their relationship with food, body image…
…
continue reading
1
How To Recognize Clinically Relevant Themes in Play Therapy Sessions
40:02
40:02
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:02
Send us a text How do I know what’s happening in my clients’ play therapy sessions? How do I know what’s important to notice and what’s not important in play therapy sessions? How do I know what my clients’ behaviors in play therapy sessions mean? These are often the questions asked by new play therapists. Anyone new to play therapy will have asked…
…
continue reading
1
How Do Play Therapists Understand Themes in Play Therapy?
35:13
35:13
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
35:13
Send us a text One of the biggest struggles for play therapists is understanding and recognizing themes in play therapy. Play therapists use themes in play therapy sessions to help them understand what’s going on with their clients and how they are progressing in play therapy. But, I’ve always wondered who decided what themes represent or how we re…
…
continue reading
1
You're gonna need your EpiPen {Freeze State}
1:14:53
1:14:53
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
1:14:53
And just like that, we're back! We're so excited to bring you a jam-packed episode after our brief pause. In this episode, we use our own experiences of feeling disconnected to explore what disconnection even means through an IFS lens. What leads us to freeze? What are the warning signs in our system? And most importantly, how do we reconnect? Foll…
…
continue reading
1
Why Does Congruence Matter in Play Therapy?
40:35
40:35
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:35
Send us a text What can neuroscience tell us about creating a strong therapeutic relationship that allows our clients to feel safe during the change process? 🤔 Congruence in play therapy is the ability to align our internal experiences with our external expressions of unconditional positive regard and empathy. Our resonance circuits, as termed by D…
…
continue reading
1
What Are Barriers for Congruence in Play Therapy?
40:43
40:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
40:43
Send us a text Congruence is such a nice sounding therapy word when thinking about how to be the best version of yourself in play therapy sessions. (I have visions of unicorns and happily ever after music playing in my head 🦄 🎶) Sounds so easy, right? But it’s easier said than done. No one can be 100% congruent with their clients (or their kids, or…
…
continue reading
A quick update and more information about when we will be back! To learn more about Internal Family Systems click here: https://ifs-institute.com/By Grace & Natalie
…
continue reading
1
What are the Benefits of Formal Assessment in Play Therapy?
44:03
44:03
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
44:03
Send us a text Have you ever had a client that just didn’t seem to make any progress in play therapy even with all your best efforts? What can you do to figure out what’s going on with your clients? Assessment is one of the core competencies in play therapy. There are some forms of assessment we can do as child/adolescent therapists, and some types…
…
continue reading
1
How to Use Congruence Effectively in Play Therapy
42:16
42:16
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
42:16
Send us a text Fundamental to the therapeutic process is a strong therapeutic relationship. This requires the ability to understand congruence and how to use congruence as part of your therapeutic use of self in sessions. This is also true in play therapy. In fact, therapeutic use of self and congruence in play therapy are core competency skills in…
…
continue reading
1
3 Misconceptions About Using Expressive Arts with Teens in Play Therapy
31:12
31:12
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
31:12
Send us a text Adolescents have their own unique needs in the treatment process. Play therapists often struggle with knowing how to help their adolescent clients access the therapeutic powers of play for healing. Using expressive arts with adolescents provides an excellent way to help them process and explore painful emotions and experiences. But, …
…
continue reading
1
How to Use Play Therapy with Traumatized Children and Teens
39:22
39:22
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:22
Send us a text What mistakes in play therapy with traumatized children and teens are critical to avoid? No one wants to provide terrible play therapy services. I’ve never heard a play therapist say - “I’m okay with providing mediocre play therapy services to my clients, especially clients with traumatic experiences.” That would be terrible, right?!…
…
continue reading
1
How to Use Play Therapy to Address Alexithymia with Traumatized Children and Teens
34:31
34:31
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
34:31
Send us a text Have you heard of a condition called alexithymia? Probably not because most mental health professionals are not familiar with this term. I wasn’t until I came across the term while looking at research about trauma. What does alexithymia have to do with trauma and working with children and teens in play therapy? That’s an excellent qu…
…
continue reading
Send us a text Have you ever had an adolescent client sitting across from you during therapy sessions who was not opening up despite all your best rapport building efforts? They sit there across from you slumped in their chair (maybe hood on their head) or looking at you with a blank face? It can be challenging working with youth who can’t (or won’…
…
continue reading
So many reasons to celebrate on today's episode. We're digging deeper into polarizations, we have our very first guest (yay!), and our girl Gypsy Rose is finally free y'all. Building from last week, we're bringing another episode around polarized parts. Natalie's super generous friend Haley joins us to talk pop culture and let's us do a live sessio…
…
continue reading
A part of me wants to learn more about polarizations, but another part kind of can't be bothered... (lol). Welcome to our polarizations episode! Here's a little insight into working with polarized parts; why they show up, what it might sound like, and how you can start to name them. Listen along as Natalie role plays a client with lots of parts com…
…
continue reading
1
Guided Meditation: Unblending and Accessing Self
17:38
17:38
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
17:38
As promised (drum roll please), a guided meditation to unblend and access more self-energy! In this 18 minute internal exploration, Grace will help guide you through working with your system, and hopefully give you access to more grounding and calm. This could be used to start your day, to settle before bed at night, before a day at work, or any ti…
…
continue reading
Bringing some FUN to episode we start with a game of Would You Rather: Therapist Edition. Play along with us and let us know what you'd rather! How much anxiety, fear, dread, excitement, or mixed emotions do you have around the holidays? Whether it's about seeing/not seeing family, finances, food/body stuff, or so many other potential triggers, you…
…
continue reading