Lessons from the Playroom

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 ph...

Have you ever thought about where and how you most connect with your sense of self and innate wisdom?... This next Lessons from the Playroom 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 y...

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...

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...

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...

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 atta...

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...

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,...

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...

In this 100th episode, the tables are turned once again and Lisa is interviewed about being a "Third Culture Kid" (TCK), what it means, and how it has influenced the creation of Synergetic Play Therapy®. Lisa is interviewed by Judy Norman, Certified SPT Therapist and mother of two TCKs who also spent over a decade of her adult life living abroad. Join Lisa and Judy as they discuss some of the chal...

Join Lisa as she demystifies working with pre-teens and teens and shares how to apply your play therapy skill set to this population (hint: you actually don't need to change much of what you're already doing ). She'll also tell you the reason that we might feel awkward, not good enough, unsure, and confused as therapists when working with this age group, as well as give strategies and techniques t...

Lisa is joined by guest Lynn Louise Wonders. Lynn is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Professional Mentor and Supervisor, Career, Parenting and Relationship Coach at Wonders Counseling Services, LLC. She's an expert in navigating high conflict divorce and custody cases.  Listen as Lisa and Lynn discuss how to not get caught in the crossfire of high conflict divorce, what your role is as the chil...

Sometimes, saying goodbye can be tricky and emotional for our clients, their families, and ourselves. In this week's episode, Lisa gives some things to consider and do to support children and families with navigating goodbyes and endings. She'll discuss how we really know when the child is ready to transition and ways to support the child and their parents/caregivers, especially when they are havi...

In this newest episode of the Lessons from the Playroom, Lisa discusses three little, but very important questions she's been asked by therapists from around the world that will expand your work as a play therapist!...   1) What do we do when we see our clients outside of a session? 2) How do we work with imaginary friends? 3) What do we do when a child refuses to do their chores or another activi...

Lisa discusses the truth about death and dying in the playroom and gives ideas and tips for what to do when these experiences show up in our child client's play. She gives answers to the many questions therapists have asked such as: What's the point of death & dying play for children in the playroom? How do we stay present with ourselves in the midst of activation and dysregulation when a child of...

How do we let parents know, that we know, how important they are in their child's life?  How can we stay grounded and connected to ourselves as play therapists when we find ourselves triggered or activated when working with overwhelmed parents? And how can we offer an "I see you" relational experience for parents that are experiencing complex trauma in their family system?...    Robyn Gobbel joins...

You've likely experienced this at some point … The child that comes to therapy because of a concern of having a difficult time separating. Or the child that struggles to leave their parent/caregiver to go into the playroom … Separation anxiety can often show up in many ways in the play therapy process. In this latest episode, Lisa discusses what separation anxiety is and what can cause it, how we...

Lisa is joined by special guest Jackie Flynn for a conversation on how to make online play therapy a more deeply connected experience for your child clients and their families. They discuss: ...How you can offer authenticity and co-regulation to the session. ...How to create a sense of safety from the very beginning of the session and connect at deeper levels with your clients. ...How to make it a...

How do we know when we are grumpy, tired, overheated, or overwhelmed? ... Lisa talks about this 8th sense called Interoception or the "How do we know" sense, which is absolutely critical to enhancing a child's regulatory capacity ... Why? Because what we see in the playroom is actually not behavioral issues, but really the child's inability to stay connected and regulate through the activation of...

Sometimes we think we're feeling, when we're not ... Sometimes we think we're creating space for our clients to feel, when we're not ... And sometimes we are encouraging avoidance when it's hard to stay in our window of tolerance.  Join Lisa in this podcast that's all about reflecting on our own inner experience and gives understanding to this lifelong journey we're all on of learning how to feel...

Sometimes we can get stuck in either/or thinking when it comes to whether we use non-directive or directive play therapy modalities.  But what if we could understand the significance and potential for both? What if we could go beyond to see that one is not better than the other? And what if we could honor that there are many paths to healing and that all theories serve a purpose?  Join Lisa as she...

Countertransference is not something we can avoid, get out of, check at the door, or even separate from ourselves ... In this episode, Lisa discusses how transference and countertransference is really the therapeutic landscape from which to support our clients in a process of deep integration and healing. Using a lens of Synergetic Play Therapy®, Lisa offers an understanding of how countertransfer...

"With the understanding that a toy can be anything at all, we transcend cultural barriers and socioeconomic status to focus on the relationship and use whatever is in the environment. We also honor that the greatest toy in the playroom is really you, the therapist!" -Lisa Dion ARE TOYS NECESSARY IN PLAY THERAPY ... In this latest Lessons from the Playroom, we ask the question, are toys really nece...

Join Lisa Dion and guest Sonya Joyce as they discuss perhaps one of the most important topics in the play therapy process - touch! ... "Whether we like it or not, touch is a part of the play therapy experience." ... With this in mind, they explore ways to become more mindful and thoughtful about how to bring healing touch to children in the playroom, how to create a neuroception of safety around t...

"The dysregulation in our body is information about the congruency of our decisions." - Lisa Dion   As you enter into 2021, explore how to manifest decisions that are congruent and in alignment with your authentic self.    Join Lisa in this unique Lessons from the Playroom podcast that's not just about play therapy ... She'll help you explore how to plan, reflect and make decisions that integrate...